Catalonia puzzle weighs on Spain’s political pacts
BARCELONA (Reuters) – A cartoon in the Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia sums up the state of play in the prolonged struggle to form a Spanish government.
U.S. and EU warn China on need to respect South China Sea ruling
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and the European Union warned China on Wednesday that it should respect an international court ruling expected later this year on its dispute with the Philippines over territory in the South China Sea.
Police arrest five after raid at China bank ICBC’s Madrid office
MADRID/SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Spanish police have arrested five directors of Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) after they raided the lender’s Madrid offices as part of an investigation into alleged money laundering.
Pakistani Taliban kill nine paramilitary personnel in attacks in northwest
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistani Taliban militants on Thursday shot and killed at least nine security forces personnel in two separate attacks in a volatile northwestern region, security and government officials said.
Peru’s Guzman says rallies will ensure his run for president
LIMA (Reuters) – Peru’s “outsider” presidential hopeful Julio Guzman said Wednesday that street demonstrations would keep him in the race to April elections if his lawyers fail to keep him from being thrown out on a technicality.
Australia accused of dragging feet on Syria refugee intake
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton on Thursday rejected charges his country was dragging its feet in resettling refugees from Syria and Iraq, having resettled just 26 in the same time it took Canada to process 26,000.
Islamic State finds ‘diminishing returns’ on Twitter: report
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Islamic State’s English-language reach on Twitter has stalled in recent months amid a stepped-up crackdown against the extremist group’s army of digital proselytizers, who have long relied on the site to recruit and radicaliz…
Obama to make historic trip to Cuba in coming weeks, official says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama will visit Cuba in the coming weeks, a senior administration official said on Wednesday, making a historic trip in the final year of his presidency that will mark a turning point in U.S. relations with a lo…
At Mexico-U.S. border, Pope decries suffering of migrants
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (Reuters) – Pope Francis on Wednesday railed against immigration policies that force many underground and into the hands of drug gangs and human smugglers, praying at Mexico’s border with the United States in what was once one of …
Obama preparing to visit Cuba as soon as March: source
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama is preparing to visit Cuba as soon as March, a person briefed on the matter said on Wednesday, a major step in the thaw between former Cold War foes the United States and Communist-run Cuba.
