The world in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“As they are controlling the airport, and the fight was there … we cannot right now identify exactly how many victims we have.”

Leonid Baranov, a member of a Ukrainian separatist group that was repelled from the Donetsk airport by government troops in fighting that reportedly killed dozens

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Soldiers grab Thai official after speech

BANGKOK -- Armed troops detained a Thai Cabinet minister who emerged from hiding Tuesday to condemn last week's military coup and urge a return to civilian rule.

About half a dozen soldiers took former Education Minister Chaturon Chaisang into custody at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand, where he gave a surprise news conference in which he called for elections and warned that resistance to the army's coup could grow, which could lead to "a disaster for this country."

The junta, which seized power Thursday, already had detained most top members of the Southeast Asian country's ousted elected government and ordered the rest to surrender.

Army chief Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, who was endorsed Monday by the king as the nation's new head of government, has warned opponents not to criticize or protest, saying Thailand could revert to the "old days" of turmoil and street violence if they do.

Still, several hundred people gathered Tuesday around Bangkok's Victory Monument to protest the coup.

Pakistani chief, new Indian leader talk

NEW DELHI -- New Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with the leader of rival Pakistan on Tuesday and asked that his country "abide by its commitment" to prevent its territory from being used in terrorism against India and speed up investigations into a 2008 attack in Mumbai.

Modi met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, along with the leaders of Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan, Mauritius, Bangladesh and Maldives, a day after they attended his inauguration.

Sharif said both he and Modi were elected with popular mandates and could succeed in "turning a new page" in their countries' often-hostile relations. He said both shared the goal of economic development, which could not be achieved without peace and stability in the region.

Modi also asked that Pakistan hasten its investigation into the 2008 attack in Mumbai, which was formerly known as Bombay, and put the perpetrators on trial, Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said. Pakistani militants were accused of killing 166 people in that attack.

Sharif said his government "stands ready to discuss all issues between our two countries, in a spirit of cooperation and sincerity."

Time to deal with EU's leery, leaders say

BRUSSELS -- Despite their clashing visions for Europe, Britain and France agreed Tuesday that the increase in protest votes during the European Union election is a watershed moment that must lead to profound change in how Europe governs itself.

Heading into an EU summit meeting, British Prime Minister David Cameron said the vote had shown that Brussels had become "too big, too bossy, too interfering" and needed to return many powers to its 28 member nations as soon as possible.

The EU leaders met to assess the rise of the far-right, "Euroskeptic" and anti-establishment parties that took almost 30 percent of the seats in the European Parliament in national elections that ended Sunday.

President Francois Hollande of France, a founding member and a driving force of the EU, agreed that change was needed but added it should not spawn "policies against Europe, but to have policies for people who can see themselves within Europe."

Turnout tepid, Egypt extends vote a day

CAIRO -- Egypt on Tuesday extended its presidential election for a third day after reports of low voter turnout threatened to deprive former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of the overwhelming show of public support he seeks.

Opponents and observers said the thin voting showed the extent of discontent with el-Sissi and his campaign, not just among his Islamist foes but also among many in the public who fear the retired field marshal offers no solutions for Egypt's woes and will return it to the autocratic ways of Hosni Mubarak, ousted in a 2011 uprising after 29 years in power.

Throughout Tuesday, the second day of voting, officials and supporters of el-Sissi in the media urged voters to go to the polls. "Where are the people?" one talk-show host shouted on a pro-military TV station, El-Faraeen.

There has been little doubt that el-Sissi would win over his sole opponent, leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi. But he and his backers have sought a large turnout to send a message to the West and his domestic opponents that his ouster last summer of Egypt's first freely elected president, Islamist Mohammed Morsi, was not a coup but a popular revolution.

A Section on 05/28/2014

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