Russia suspends vote monitoring group under ‘foreign agent’ law
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia suspended an independent election monitoring group for six months on Wednesday, for failing to register as a “foreign agent” under a law that President Vladimir Putin’s critics say is part of a crackdown on dissent.
Bulgarian protesters pelt lawmakers with tomatoes, eggs
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgarian protesters pelted lawmakers with tomatoes and eggs and chanted “Mafia!” and “Resign!” on Wednesday in a sign of mounting frustration over the new Socialist-led government’s refusal to quit over a security scandal.
Rudd returns as Australia PM after toppling Gillard
CANBERRA (Reuters) – Kevin Rudd returned as Australian prime minister on Wednesday, executing a stunning party room coup on Julia Gillard almost three years to the day after being ousted by his former deputy and less than three months out from a genera…
Iran’s Khamenei says nuclear talks easy if enemy not stubborn
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday the dispute over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program could easily be resolved if the West were to stop being so stubborn.
Tributes for ‘pillar of peace’ Mandela pile up at hospital
PRETORIA (Reuters) – South Africans have been coming in their hundreds to offer notes, flowers and prayers for Nelson Mandela at a wall surrounding a Pretoria hospital where the 94-year-old anti-apartheid hero remains in a critical condition.
U.S. says Israeli, Palestinian leaders want peace talks
KUWAIT (Reuters) – Israeli and Palestinian leaders are both committed to reviving peace talks, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday, but he acknowledged that progress on the long-stalled negotiations would be tough.
As Gaza heads for water crisis, desalination seen key
GAZA (Reuters) – A tiny wedge of land jammed between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean sea, the Gaza Strip is heading inexorably into a water crisis that the United Nations says could make the Palestinian enclave unliveable in just a few years.
Rotting corpses spark fears of epidemic amid India floods
NEW DELHI, June 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Rotting corpses contaminating water sources and poor sanitation amid devastating floods in northern India could lead to a serious outbreak of diseases such as cholera and dysentery, aid groups warned on…
Ecuador tells U.S. to send its position on Snowden in writing
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ecuador said on Wednesday the United States must “submit its position” regarding Edward Snowden to the Ecuadorean government in writing as it considers the former U.S. spy agency contractor’s request for asylum.
Immolation in Riyadh exposes plight of Arab stateless in Saudi Arabia
RIYADH (Reuters) – When a watermelon seller set himself on fire in Riyadh last month, it may not have set off an Arab Spring, but it did call attention to a rarely discussed issue – the plight of stateless Arabs living in the world’s top oil exporter.
