Maine has no plans to halt oil rail shipments after Quebec tragedy
BOWDOINHAM, Maine (Reuters) – Maine has no plans to review shipments of crude through the state on rail lines after a deadly oil train derailment just across the border in Quebec’s Lac-Megantic over the weekend, the state’s Department of Transportation…
Egypt’s lesson for political Islam: politics comes first
PARIS (Reuters)- When the Muslim Brotherhood won power it seemed Egypt’s nascent democracy would allow the movement to realize its dream of making Islam the guiding principle in politics.
South African police arrest five for botched circumcision deaths
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African police have arrested five people on suspicion of murder for botched circumcisions that led to the deaths of about 30 boys in coming-of-age rituals in the rural Eastern Cape province, a police spokeswoman said on M…
Russia doubts new Syria opposition head’s commitment to peace
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia said on Monday that remarks by the new leader of the opposition Syrian National Coalition have raised questions about his dedication to a political solution of the conflict, and urged the group to commit to attending a peace c…
Battles intensify in Syria’s strategic city of Homs
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian troops fought with rebels in Homs on Monday in a battle seen as crucial to the government’s attempts to drive a wedge between opposition-held areas and establish links between the capital and President Bashar al-Assad’s coasta…
Back from the brink in Portugal, but risks loom
LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s coalition partners healed a perilous internal rift with a cabinet reshuffle that offers temporary stability, but the result is still likely to test Lisbon’s relations with its international lenders.
Afghanistan holds translator tied to civilian torture allegations
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan intelligence agents arrested on Monday a U.S. special forces interpreter accused of torturing and killing civilians – allegations that have worsened already strained relations between the government and NATO-led coalition force…
Czech president angers parties with power grab
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech President Milos Zeman is taking advantage of a political crisis to expand his powers, infuriating lawmakers who accuse him of undermining parliamentary democracy and jeopardizing the stability that has long made Prague a safe h…
Spanish ruling party says funding allegations ‘nonsense’
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s ruling People’s Party on Monday denied allegations by its former treasurer it had funded itself illegally through bribes for at least 20 years and insisted its accounts were transparent and sound.
Blood, anger, bewilderment among wounded after Cairo attack
CAIRO (Reuters) – The Cairo hospital is full. Men are crammed two, three, four to a room. Their clothes are soaked with blood.
