World
Almost a year after withdrawing from Iraq's Shiite-led government, the main Sunni political bloc said Tuesday it is set to return. Such a move by the Accordance Front would be seen as a major breakthrough. A spokesman for the group said many of its demands – chief among them an amnesty for Sunnis arrested in security crackdowns – had been met.
Border crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip were closed again Tuesday after the military said its radar had detected the firing of another rocket by Palestinian militants in violation of their truce. Hamas, which controls Gaza, denied there was a new violation and accused Israel of looking for excuses to renege on its commitments under the cease-fire.
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe not only won't step down but Western critics of his reelection last week can "go hang – a thousand times," his spokesman said Tuesday. The aide also rejected appeals for Mugabe to consider a so-called grand coalition with his political opposition, as was implemented earlier this year in Kenya. Zimbabwe must determine its future "free from outside interference," he said.
Oral testimony began Tuesday as the prosecution outlined its case for banning Turkey's ruling party. In a 90-minute presentation to the Constitutional Court, it reportedly said the Justice and Development Party (AKP) of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought to undermine Turkey's traditional secular state by promoting Islamic practices. Erdogan, President Abdullah Gul, and 69 other AKP leaders should be forbidden from politics for five years, it also argued. The AKP is due to respond Thursday.
