NATO to send experts to Libya to assess security help
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO said on Tuesday it will send experts to Libya to see how it can help improve security in the country struggling to contain militias and the growing presence of al Qaeda-linked fighters in the south.
Thousands remember Tiananmen as China tightens security
HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – Tens of thousands of people held a candlelit vigil in a rain-soaked Hong Kong park on Tuesday to urge China to respect human rights on the 24th anniversary of the bloody crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Beijing’s T…
Venezuelan state considers system to limit food purchases
CARACAS (Reuters) – A Venezuelan state is testing a system to limit purchases of food and other staples, local media reported on Tuesday, in a move that officials defended as necessary to stop contraband trade but opposition critics slammed as Cuban-st…
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”.
