Turkey puts military on alert, says all options open on Syria
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey has put its armed forces on alert to guard against threats from Syria as Western allies weigh military action against President Bashar al-Assad, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday.
South African gold producers gear up for strikes from Sunday
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African gold producers are preparing for bruising strikes that could start as early as Sunday, with some companies planning for stoppages of up to three months in a high-stakes fight between capital and labor in Africa’s …
Iran uranium report renews push for sanctions in U.S. Congress
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.N. nuclear agency report that Iran has boosted its uranium enrichment capacity led to a renewed a call on Wednesday in the U.S. Congress for tighter sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program.
Israel calls up reservists, deploys missile defenses against Syria
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel ordered a small-scale mobilization of reservists on Wednesday and strengthened its missile defenses as precautions against possible Syrian attack should Western powers carry out threatened strikes on Syria.
Egypt backs away from plan to dissolve Muslim Brotherhood
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt should not ban the Muslim Brotherhood or exclude it from politics after the army’s overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi, the interim prime minister said, reversing his previous stated view.
Syrians in capital hoard food, seek shelter as strike looms
(The reporter’s name has been withheld for security reasons)
UK: It’s time the U.N. shouldered its responsibilities on Syria
LONDON (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary William Hague called on Wednesday for the United Nations Security Council to try to stop the bloodshed in Syria by agreeing a UK-backed resolution to take “necessary measures” there to protect civilians.
Croatia backs down in first row with EU over extradition law
ZAGREB (Reuters) – New European Union member Croatia backtracked in its first row with the bloc’s executive Commission on Wednesday, agreeing to fully apply the EU extradition law after Brussels raised the prospect of sanctions.
Somalia strikes deal with former Islamist over port city
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Somalia’s central government agreed on Wednesday to recognize a former Islamist commander as the interim leader of the southern Juba region, a deal that could help end months of clan fighting and cement plans for a federal natio…
Tunisian Islamist radicals planned other murders, Islamic state: ministry
Tunis (Reuters) – The freshly banned jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia was planning a series of political assassinations in Tunisia in its effort to establish an Islamic emirate in North Africa, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
