Australia enlists Nauru to aid in crackdown on boat refugees
PERTH (Reuters) – Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, facing an imminent election, enlisted the help of the Pacific Island nation of Nauru in his hardline policy of denying asylum seekers arriving by boat the right to settle in Australia.
Moroccan police break up protest against royal pardon of Spanish pedophile
Rabat (Reuters) – Riot police broke up a protest by hundreds of Moroccan demonstrators late on Friday against a royal pardon for a Spanish pedophile serving a 30-year sentence for raping and filming children as young as 4.
Indian row over poverty and policy extends to Harvard and Columbia
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian government figures showing that poverty has been cut by a third since 2004 has set off a row between the country’s main political parties on whether the data is accurate, and a slanging match between two of the world’s best…
Al Qaeda leader tells Mursi supporters democracy not the way
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri urged Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters to abandon democracy and seek to govern through the full implementation of Islamic law.
China rights scenario deteriorating, says United States
BEIJING (Reuters) – The United States got few answers to questions about detained activists during its annual rights dialogue with China, and believes the situation in the country continues to deteriorate, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.
Tunisian forces dismantle explosive in third bomb scare of day
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian security forces dismantled a bomb found near the home of a military colonel on Friday, witnesses said, the third bomb scare to be reported in the same day.
U.S. declares new push to defuse Egyptian crisis
CAIRO (Reuters) – The United States said on Friday it would work with other nations to resolve Egypt’s crisis peacefully, injecting new energy into a push to end a bloody standoff since the overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi.
Tunisian forces dismantle explosive in third bomb scare of day
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian security forces dismantled a bomb found near the home of a military colonel on Friday, witnesses said, the third bomb scare to be reported in the same day.
Mexico rules out foul play in Pemex HQ blast, cites gas buildup
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A massive explosion that killed nearly 40 people in late January at state oil company Pemex’s Mexico City headquarters was caused by a gas buildup, Mexico’s attorney general’s office said on Friday, ruling out foul play.
Britain’s Conservatives hire Obama campaign chief in election role
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s governing Conservative Party has hired U.S. President Barack Obama’s former campaign manager as part of its election team ahead of polls due in less than two years, the party said.
