Turkey’s Erdogan says would run for president if asked by party
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan would run for president next year if his party asked him to, he said, but dismissed suggestions of a rift with incumbent Abdullah Gul.
Pakistan army chief tipped to get new powerful job on retirement: sources
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – One of Pakistan’s most powerful men, General Ashfaq Kayani, is likely to stay head of the military with a new title when he steps down as army chief next month, government and security sources said, taking over some of the duties …
Syria chemical attack reopens old wounds among Kurds
HALABJA, Iraq (Reuters) – A sweet smell, like that of apples, wafted through the air. In a field, a cow’s eyes began to stream. A bird fell from the sky, its feathers singed, and people’s mouths began to fill with ulcers.
Most Greeks say far-right Golden Dawn a criminal group: poll
ATHENS (Reuters) – Most Greeks view the far-right Golden Dawn party as a criminal organization, according to a poll published on Friday that found the party had shed almost half of its support since its leader and lawmakers were arrested.
Assad says Turkey will pay heavily for backing Syrian rebels
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has told Turkey it will pay a heavy price for backing rebels fighting to oust him, accusing it of harboring “terrorists” along its border who would soon turn against their hosts.
Gunmen kill Kenyan Muslim cleric, unrest feared
MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – Gunmen in Kenya shot dead a popular Muslim cleric who preached at a mosque linked in the past to Somali Islamist militants, police said on Friday, raising tensions in the port city of Mombasa.
British police probing phone records in missing McCann case
LONDON (Reuters) – British police said on Friday they were looking at new cell phone data to advance their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann who vanished from a resort in Portugal six years ago.
Latest Myanmar violence blamed on religious and ethnic extremists
THANDWE, Myanmar (Reuters) – The Buddhist mob mutilated and burned Khin Naing so severely his son couldn’t recognise the body, one of series of attacks that suggest a resurgence of a monk-led movement in Myanmar accused of stoking violence against Musl…
China elevates Malaysia ties, aims to triple trade by 2017
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – China and Malaysia agreed on Friday to elevate bilateral ties to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, aiming to boost military cooperation and nearly triple two-way trade to $160 billion by 2017.
Venezuela’s Maduro stuck in shadow of ‘El Comandante’ Chavez
CIUDAD CARIBIA, Venezuela (Reuters) – Hovering over a sun-baked mountain one day in his presidential helicopter, Hugo Chavez had a dream: to build a utopian city that would showcase socialism in Venezuela.
