Young Qatar emir likely to remain Gulf Arab exception
DUBAI (Reuters) – Ageing Gulf Arab rulers swiftly congratulated Qatar’s young new emir on his accession on Tuesday, but will be in no rush to emulate his father’s abdication – for them, hereditary rule is for life.
China dissident cites Tiananmen in praising Taiwan democracy
TAIPEI (Reuters) – Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng said on Tuesday that the pushing and shoving that comes with Taiwan’s raucous democracy was superior to “having tanks going rampant on the streets and squares”, referring to China’s 1989 Tiananmen Sq…
Egypt police arrest eight over Shi’ite killings: report
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian police have arrested eight people over the killing of five Shi’ite Muslims in a Cairo suburb, state media said on Tuesday, after footage of the attack spread on the Internet, heightening fears of sectarian violence.
Turkish police detain 20 over anti-government protests
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish anti-terrorism police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said.
China and U.S. war over Snowden, but no lasting damage seen
BEIJING (Reuters) – China rebuked the United States on Tuesday for accusing it of facilitating the flight of fugitive U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden, and said suggestions that it had done so were “baseless and unacceptable”.
French police arrest six suspected radical Islamists
PARIS (Reuters) – French police arrested six people on Monday who are suspected of belonging to a radical Islamist cell and of preparing attacks in France, a police source said.
Jailed Kurdish rebel leader presents peace process proposals
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan said the peace process to end three decades of conflict had entered a second stage with his fighters’ withdrawal from Turkey and he had presented the Turkish government with new propos…
Indian PM in rare visit to Kashmir after attack on soldiers
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made a rare visit to restive Kashmir on Tuesday, a day after militants killed eight soldiers in an ambush, the bloodiest in a series of attacks since India hanged a separatist in February.
German election puts Europe’s ambitions on ice
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – For the best part of a year, the minds of European policymakers have focused on one overriding issue – banking union.
Qatar emir hands power to son, no word on prime minister
DOHA (Reuters) – Qatar’s emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani handed power on Tuesday to his son, Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim, taking the rare step for a Gulf Arab ruler of voluntarily ceding power to try to ensure a smooth succession.
