Iran Guards wield electoral power behind scenes
(Reuters) – With 10 days until Iran’s presidential election, voters have been able watch the candidates in debate, but many remain unenthused, believing the result will depend not on those on the platform but on powerful men in the background.
NATO expansion in Nordics would force Russian response: Medvedev
KIRKENES, Norway (Reuters) – Any expansion of NATO to include Sweden and Finland would upset the balance of power and force Russia to respond, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday, underlining Moscow’s nerves over moves to bring the Western a…
Merkel promises cash to German flood victims
NASSAU, Germany/PRAGUE (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel promised 100 million euros to victims of Germany’s worst flood in a decade on Tuesday as she toured areas devastated by the deluge which has claimed 12 lives across central Europe.
Palestinian PM-designate hopes to form government this week
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) – Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Rami Hamdallah said on Tuesday he hoped to form his West Bank-based government this week but was committed to implementing a power-sharing deal with Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
Iran summons Qatari envoy after arrests over ‘plot’
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran has protested to Qatar after uncovering what it called an Arab-linked “terrorist group”, Tehran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.
British push to blacklist Hezbollah hits EU opposition
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A British request to blacklist the armed wing of Hezbollah ran into opposition in the European Union on Tuesday, with several governments expressing concern that such a move would increase instability in the Middle East.
U.N. rights team believes chemical weapons used in Syria
GENEVA (Reuters) – United Nations human rights investigators said on Tuesday they had “reasonable grounds” to believe that limited amounts of chemical weapons had been used in Syria and warned that the shattered country was in “free-fall”.
Syria’s chemical weapons program was built to counter Israel
AMSTERDAM/AMMAN (Reuters) – Syria, defeated by Israel in three wars and afraid its arch enemy had gained a nuclear arsenal, began in earnest to build a covert chemical weapons program three decades ago, aided by its neighbors, allies and European chemi…
German challenger accuses Merkel of ‘one-dimensional’ leadership
BERLIN (Reuters) – Angela Merkel’s center-left challenger in elections later this year accused the German chancellor on Tuesday of “one-dimensional” leadership in the euro zone crisis and of failing to make Germany more pro-active on the broader world …
Russia’s Putin will back ban on adoptions by same-sex couples
YEKATERINBURG, Russia (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin voiced support on Tuesday for a planned ban on adoptions by foreign same-sex couples and dismissed Western criticism of Russia’s treatment of gay people.
