Political News from Yahoo

Saudi Arabia appoints Prince Muqrin as second deputy PM

RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's king has appointed former intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz as second deputy prime minister, the state news agency reported on Friday. Historically, the holder of this post was considered third in line to rule the world's top oil exporter. (Reporting By Angus McDowall, Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky, Editing by Janet Lawrence)


Rogge confident Pyeongchang will overcome debt obstacle

SEOUL (Reuters) - International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge is confident Pyeongchang will host a successful Winter Olympics in 2018 despite fears that preparations could suffer as the South Korean town battles mounting debts. "We are extremely happy not only by the progress of the work but by the fact that existing facilities are being fully utilized," the IOC chief told reporters on Friday at the end of a two-day inspection of the Olympic site. ...


Suicide bomber outside mosque kills 19, wounds 45 in Pakistan northwest

HANGU, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 19 mostly Sunni Muslims and wounded 45 on Friday in a crowded market outside a mosque in Pakistan's restive northwestern town of Hangu, police and officials said. Hangu, part of Pakistan's border region with Afghanistan, has been racked by sectarian violence between Sunni and Shi'ite tribes. It is just a few km from Parachinar, which has a significant Shi'ite population against whom hardline Sunni militant groups have launched attacks for years. ...

Euro zone inflation nears ECB target, joblessness at record

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone inflation fell more than expected in January in a sign that companies were cutting prices to entice shoppers at a time when joblessness remained at a record level at the end of 2012. The rate of consumer price inflation in the 17 countries using the euro fell to 2 percent in January compared to a year ago, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said on Friday. The reading, Eurostat's first estimate, was lower than the 2.2 percent level forecast by economists polled by Reuters, which was also December's level. Unemployment remained at a euro-era high of 11. ...

Rights in Afghanistan at risk as NATO troops leave: report

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's human rights situation remains poor and will likely deteriorate even further with the departure of NATO-led forces from the country next year, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its annual global report on Thursday. Increasing international fatigue over the 11-year war has led to reduced pressure on the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai to limit the role of warlords, corrupt politicians, and other human rights abusers, the report said. "The future of human rights protections in Afghanistan are in grave doubt," HRW Asia director Brad Adams said. ...


France's Hollande to fly to Mali on Friday: report

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande will fly to Mali on Friday night to meet the West African country's interim president in the capital Bamako the next day, France's Liberation newspaper reported. Quoting unnamed sources, it said Hollande also planned to visit the fabled desert city of Timbuktu, which French and Malian forces seized back from Islamist rebels who had held the northern part of the former French colony since last year. No comment from his office was immediately available. (Reporting by Mark John; editing by Leigh Thomas)


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