Erdogan defends riot police tactics in Turkey protests
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan piled ridicule on activists behind weeks of protests against his government during a rally on Sunday and defended riot police who fired water cannon at crowds in Istanbul a day earlier.
Police remove flagpole at center of Afghan, Taliban row
KABUL/DOHA (Reuters) – Police have removed a flagpole from the Taliban’s office in Qatar, an official said on Sunday, expunging the last visible sign of official decoration that riled the Afghan government and derailed nascent peace talks.
Qatar readies new leadership, little policy change expected
DUBAI (Reuters) – Qatar appeared on Monday to be readying its population of nearly 2 million for new leadership that could see the emir and prime minister step down, a move analysts say would not herald big changes in energy, investment or foreign poli…
U.S. warns countries against Snowden travel
HONG KONG/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden was seeking asylum in Ecuador on Sunday after Hong Kong allowed his departure for Russia in a slap to Washington’s efforts to extradite him on espionage charges.
Japan ruling bloc sweeps Tokyo poll, on track for upper house win
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc swept to victory in a weekend Tokyo election, a sign it’s on track for a hefty win in a July national vote that could strengthen Abe’s hand as he aims to end economic stagnation and bol…
Syrian rebels renew fight for Aleppo
AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian rebels battled President Bashar al-Assad’s forces in and around the northern city of Aleppo on Sunday, seeking to reverse gains made by loyalist forces in the commercial hub over the last two months, activists said.
Mandela’s health worsens, condition now ‘critical’
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Former South African president Nelson Mandela’s condition deteriorated to “critical” on Sunday, the government said, two weeks after the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader was admitted to hospital with a lung infection.
Al Qaeda says hostages in North Africa alive, open to talks
DAKAR (Reuters) – Eight hostages, including five from France, being held by al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) are safe, the Islamist group said in a statement posted on its Twitter account on Saturday.
Qatar ruler to meet ruling family amid handover reports: Al Jazeera
DUBAI (Reuters) – The ruler of Qatar will meet members of the ruling family and decision makers in the U.S.-allied Gulf Arab state on Monday “amid reports that he intends to hand over power to his crown prince, Sheikh Tamim”, the Qatar-owned Al Jazeera…
Egyptian army steps in to demand political truce
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s army stepped in to a deepening political crisis on Sunday to demand that the Islamist government and its opponents settle their differences and warned that it would act to stop violence spinning out of control.
