WORLD HEADLINES

Turkey's Erdogan dares opposition to 'find my golden toilet'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday invited the opposition to inspect his gigantic presidential palace for gold-plated toilet seats, vowing to resign if they could prove their allegations of his bathroom bling. Erdogan’s 1,150-room palace, which was built at a cost of around 490 million euros ($615 million), has been condemned by critics as an absurd extravagance and held up as proof he is slipping further into authoritarianism. Kemal

Burundi president warns against another coup attempt

Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose controversial bid to seek a third consecutive term has sparked weeks of civil unrest and a failed coup attempt, on Monday warned against any fresh move to try unseat him. Addressing supporters in his hometown in the north of the country, Nkurunziza thanked those who backed him after a top general launched a failed coup while he was out of the country in May for

Special Report: Egypt deploys scholars to teach moderate Islam, but skepticism abounds

By Mahmoud Mourad and Yara Bayoumy CAIRO (Reuters) – In his battle against militant Islam, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is relying not just on bomber planes and soldiers but on white-turbaned clerics from Al-Azhar, Egypt’s 1,000-year-old center for Islamic learning. In a televised speech in January at an Al-Azhar conference center in Cairo, Sisi called for “a religious revolution” in Islam.

Exclusive: Six powers agree way to restore U.N. sanctions in push for Iran deal – sources

By Louis Charbonneau, John Irish and Parisa Hafezi NEW YORK/PARIS/ANKARA (Reuters) – Six world powers have agreed on a way to restore U.N. sanctions on Iran if the country breaks the terms of a future nuclear deal, clearing a major obstacle to an accord ahead of a June 30 deadline, Western officials told Reuters. The new understanding on a U.N. sanctions “snapback” among the six powers – the United States,

U.S. says China's island-building erodes security; Beijing angered

By David Alexander and Rachel Armstrong SINGAPORE (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Saturday that China’s island-building in the South China Sea was undermining security in the Asia-Pacific, drawing a scathing response from the foreign ministry in Beijing. Carter, speaking to top defense officials from the Asia-Pacific at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, acknowledged that several countries had created outposts in the region’s disputed islands, but

U.S. says China's island-building erodes security; Beijing angered

By David Alexander and Rachel Armstrong SINGAPORE (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Saturday that China’s island-building in the South China Sea was undermining security in the Asia-Pacific, drawing a scathing response from the foreign ministry in Beijing. Carter, speaking to top defense officials from the Asia-Pacific at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, acknowledged that several countries had created outposts in the region’s disputed islands, but

U.S. and Iran address obstacles to nuclear deal as deadline nears

By Lesley Wroughton GENEVA (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday in a bid to overcome the remaining obstacles to a final nuclear agreement, a month ahead of a deadline for a deal between Tehran and world powers. The meeting in Geneva is the first substantive talks since Iran and the six world powers – Britain, France, the United States,

U.S. and Iran address obstacles to nuclear deal as deadline nears

By Lesley Wroughton GENEVA (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday in a bid to overcome the remaining obstacles to a final nuclear agreement, a month ahead of a deadline for a deal between Tehran and world powers. The meeting in Geneva is the first substantive talks since Iran and the six world powers – Britain, France, the United States,