Spanish PM asks Catalan leader to ‘act sensibly’
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy appealed to Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to “act sensibly” on Wednesday, as a government deadline approached for the northeastern region to renounce a bid for independence.
China’s Xi lays out vision for ‘new era’ led by ‘still stronger’ Communist Party
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday laid out a confident vision for a more prosperous nation and its role in the world, stressing the importance of wiping out corruption and curbing industrial overcapacity, income inequality a…
Philippines arrests militant widow for trying to recruit fighters
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine law enforcement agents have arrested a woman who tried to spread radical ideas and recruit hundreds of foreigners to reinforce pro-Islamic State rebels occupying a southern city, the justice minister said on Wednesday.
Son of Thailand’s ex-PM Thaksin charged with money-laundering
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The only son of fugitive former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been formally charged with money-laundering, the Department of Special Investigations told Reuters on Wednesday.
Defiant Kurds shrug off risk of trade war after independence vote
ZAKHO, Iraq (Reuters) – More than three weeks after Iraq’s Kurds voted for independence, it’s business as usual at the bustling Ibrahim Khalil border crossing with Turkey.
Kenyan election official flees country ahead of presidential poll
NAIROBI (Reuters) – A top Kenyan election commissioner has quit and fled the country a week before a re-run of the presidential vote, citing political intimidation and saying the election would be a “mockery” of democracy.
Smugglers offer new routes to Europe for jobless Tunisians
OFF THE TUNISIAN COAST (Reuters) – Tunisian smugglers are offering migrants seeking a fresh start in Europe a new route from Africa to Italy.
Iraqi forces take control of Kurdish-held areas in Mosul’s Niveveh’s province
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi forces have taken control of areas previously held by Kurdish forces in Mosul’s Nineveh province in northern Iraq, a military statement said on Wednesday.
Swiss man stands trial in Germany on spying charges
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – A Swiss man accused of spying on a German tax authority to find out how it obtained details of secret Swiss bank accounts set up by Germans to avoid tax is due in court on Wednesday for the start of his trial on espionage charges….
Defeat of Islamic State in Raqqa may herald wider struggle for U.S.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The defeat of Islamic State in its de facto capital Raqqa may only be the start of a wider struggle by the United States to contain any insurgency launched by the militant group and to stabilize the region, as Washington grapples…
