Japan voters to deliver verdict on PM Abe’s nearly five-year rule
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese voters deliver their verdict on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s nearly five years in power in an election on Sunday that could give him the clout to push ahead with his cherished goal of revising the post-war, pacifist constituti…
UK PM May readying concessions on welfare reform – Sunday Telegraph
LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May is on the verge of making concessions around a key welfare reform that has angered opposition parties as well as members of her own Conservatives, the Sunday Telegraph reported.
Czech vote winner Babis wants active EU role, not favoring government with extremists
PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech Republic must seek partners beyond the central European Visegrad Group to find common ground on issues including migration and food quality, Czech parliamentary election winner Andrej Babis told Reuters.
Catalonia’s leaders fight off direct rule from Madrid
MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) – Catalonia’s leaders said on Saturday they would not accept direct rule imposed on the region by the Spanish government, as a political crisis that has rattled the economy and raised fears of prolonged unrest showed no signs…
Portuguese protest over deadly forest fires, government pledges aid
LISBON (Reuters) – As thousands of Portuguese protested on Saturday over the government’s handling of massive wildfires that have killed 108 people since June, government ministers pledged to spend over 400 million euros ($470 million) in aid.
U.N. ends month-long Libya talks in Tunisia without proposing new date
TUNIS (Reuters) – Month-long U.N.-backed talks aimed at bridging differences between rival Libyan factions ended on Saturday with no discernable progress towards stabilizing the country and paving the way for elections.
Billionaire Babis scores big Czech election win, seeks partners to rule
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech billionaire Andrej Babis won a thumping victory in Saturday’s election as voters shunned traditional parties and gave a mandate to the anti-establishment businessman pledging to fight political corruption while facing fraud cha…
Trump: Raqqa fall ‘critical breakthrough’, end of Islamic State in sight
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed the defeat of Islamic State fighters in their self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa as “a critical breakthrough” in a worldwide campaign against the militants.
Malta offers 1 million-euro reward to find journalist’s killers
VALLETTA (Reuters) – Malta’s government said on Saturday it was offering a reward of 1 million euros ($1.2 million) for information leading to the conviction of those responsible for the death of prominent journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Madrid to impose direct rule in Catalonia to quash independence bid
MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) – The Spanish government will impose direct rule on Catalonia, it said on Saturday, in an unprecedented move that brought thousands of people who voted for independence onto to the streets against what they called a “coup”.
