Freed Palestinian prisoners return to transformed lives
BRUQEEN, West Bank/GAZA (Reuters) – Returning home 24 years after stabbing to death an Israeli settler in the rocky hills above his village, freed Palestinian prisoner Mustafa al-Haj has missed the milestones of a generation.
Egypt Islamist party says political violence threatens society
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s second largest Islamist party called on Wednesday for an end to political violence it said threatened to split society.
Afghanistan’s future depends on foreign soldiers: U.S. commander
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s security will remain dependent on international troops for many years after most foreign combat forces leave by the end of 2014, the U.S. commander of the NATO-led force in the South Asian country said.
Deadly attacks force Doctors Without Borders to quit Somalia
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A medical charity that was a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Somalis announced on Wednesday it was pulling out of the country, saying the threat of deadly violence had become intolerable.
ElBaradei quits as Egypt vice president in protest at crackdown
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s interim vice president, Mohamed ElBaradei, resigned on Wednesday after the security forces violently broke up protest camps set up by supporters of the deposed president, Mohamed Mursi.
Fidel Castro lauds North Korea as U.N. inspects weapons cargo
HAVANA (Reuters) – North Korea gave Cuba extensive military support in the 1980s, former President Fidel Castro said on Wednesday as the United Nations investigated a cargo of hidden Cuban arms discovered last month in the hold of a North Korean ship.
Iraqi prime minister says to pursue militants after bombings
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki gave a defiant response to deadly coordinated bombings at the weekend claimed by al Qaeda, promising in a speech on Wednesday to hunt down those responsible.
Mursi supporters shoot dead four Egyptian policemen: state TV
CAIRO (Reuters) – Four Egyptian policemen were shot dead by supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi in a Western suburb of Cairo on Wednesday, state TV reported.
White House strongly opposes Egyptian military’s emergency declaration
EDGARTOWN, Massachusetts (Reuters) – The White House condemned a violent crackdown on protesters in Egypt on Wednesday and strongly opposed the declaration of a state of emergency there made by Egypt’s military leaders.
Bahrain police disperse demonstrators with tear gas: witness
DUBAI (Reuters) – Bahraini police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of Shi’ite Muslim anti-government protesters on Wednesday, but there were no reports of casualties.
