CA-NEWS Summary

U.S., Russia seek new Syria peace talks; rebels skeptical

MOSCOW/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Russia and the United States agreed to seek new peace talks with both sides to end Syria's civil war, but opposition leaders were skeptical on Wednesday of an initiative they fear might let President Bashar al-Assad hang on to power. Mindful the conflict may be far from over, Britain has urged fellow European Union states to lift an arms embargo, arguing it would strengthen those rebel groups favored by Western powers.

Kurdish rebels begin withdrawal from Turkey

SEMDINLI, Turkey (Reuters) - Kurdish militants began to withdraw from Turkey on Wednesday, pursuing a peace process meant to end a three-decade insurgency that has killed 40,000 people, ravaged the region's economy and tarnished the country's image abroad. Turkish security forces manned checkpoints along the mountainous border with Iraq, keeping watch as the agreed pullout started by the first small groups of up to 2,000 Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters.

Bangladesh braces for unrest as judges prepare war crime verdict

DHAKA (Reuters) - A Bangladeshi war crimes tribunal is due to pronounce judgment on a top Islamist politician on Thursday, raising fears a guilty verdict could ignite a fresh round of clashes between members of his party and security forces. Bangladesh, reeling from a factory collapse that killed more than 700 people two weeks ago, is navigating one of its most turbulent periods since independence as a series of political conflicts converge ahead of elections due early next year.

Bulgarian activists vow protests on election day

SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian activists vowed to take to the streets after elections on Sunday, furious about the likely victory of the party they forced out of office with demonstrations against corruption and high prices less than three months ago. An interior ministry spokeswoman said protesters had not informed police about their plans to rally after polls closed on election day, but the force would maintain public order.

Israel police hold Jerusalem Muslim cleric for six hours

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli police arrested the top Palestinian Muslim religious leader in Jerusalem on Wednesday and questioned him for six hours about a fracas between Palestinians and Israelis at al-Aqsa mosque before releasing him without charge. Palestinian leaders and neighboring Jordan condemned the arrest of Sheikh Mohammad Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem after Palestinian worshippers scuffled with Israelis near Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque on Tuesday.

Analysis: Race politics may stunt reforms after Malaysia election

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's racially divisive election result has sparked a battle within the country's ruling party that is likely to slow Prime Minister Najib Razak's drive to reform the economy and roll back policies favoring majority ethnic Malays. Najib's Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition retained power in Sunday's election in the multi-ethnic Southeast Asian nation. But the coalition lost the popular vote and turned in its worst-ever electoral performance as it was heavily abandoned by the minority Chinese and rejected by many voters of all races in urban areas.

Suicide bombers target Iraqi Kurds in disputed areas

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - Three suicide bombers attacked Kurdish security forces and the local headquarters of a Kurdish political party in a disputed oil-rich area of northern Iraq on Wednesday, killing three people, police and medics said. The attacks took place in a band of territory over which both the central government in Baghdad and the Kurds, who run their own administration in the north and are selling oil in defiance of Baghdad, claim jurisdiction.

South Korea's Park urges North Korea to choose new path

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on North Korea on Wednesday to end a "vicious circle" in which it raises and reduces tensions to win diplomatic rewards and buy time to build up its nuclear arms program. In an address to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, Park said she wanted to break the pattern in which North Korea "provokes a crisis" that draws sanctions from the international community, which later tries concessions to calm things down.

Recriminations over post-vote violence stoke Venezuela tensions

CARACAS (Reuters) - Residents of La Limonera neighborhood in Venezuela's capital Caracas are still on edge and in mourning after a wave of post-election violence that killed two people in their community. Neighbors of the low-income settlement say opposition protesters threw Molotov cocktails and fired shots amid nationwide demonstrations after President Nicolas Maduro won a narrow victory against challenger Henrique Capriles.

Hague court probing Libyan war crimes despite fight over trials

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court is still investigating war crimes in Libya despite a clash with the country's government over who has the right to try former leader Muammar Gaddafi's son and his spy chief, the court's prosecutor said on Wednesday. The Hague-based court wants to try Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam and Gaddafi's former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi on war crimes, but Libya wants the pair to face justice in the North African state.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ca-news-summary-003020380.html

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