Catalan independence hopes high after symbolic vote on split from Spain
BARCELONA (Reuters) – Millions of Catalans voted on Sunday in a symbolic referendum on independence from Spain that supporters hope will propel the issue further despite opposition from Madrid.
Mexican president condemns violent protests after attack on palace
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Sunday condemned violent protests over the apparent massacre of 43 students after demonstrators set fire to the door of his ceremonial palace in Mexico City on Saturday night.
Germany celebrates 25th anniversary of fall of Berlin Wall
BERLIN (Reuters) – More than a million Germans and people from around the world on Sunday celebrated the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the event that more than any other marked the end of the Cold War.
Iraqi military reach Baiji; Baghdadi’s fate unclear
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi military forces reached the center of the northern city of Baiji on Sunday in an effort to break an Islamic State siege of the country’s biggest refinery, triggering fierce clashes with the militants, according to an army colo…
Hard Ukraine bargaining leaves sour taste for some in EU
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Seeing its gold-spangled blue flag flown on the barricades of Kiev thrilled the European Union, reviving its self-image as a beacon of democracy at a time of growing doubt and economic gloom.
Burkina Faso talks agree on plan for return to civilian rule
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Opposition parties, civil society groups and religious leaders adopted a plan on Sunday for a transitional authority to guide Burkina Faso to elections, after a popular uprising forced longtime president Blaise Compaore from pow…
Ex-French PM accuses Hollande aide of lying over Sarkozy legal case claims
PARIS (Reuters) – Former French prime minister Francois Fillon accused President Francois Hollande’s chief of staff of lying on Sunday after a media report accused Fillon of asking him to accelerate a legal case against his rival Nicolas Sarkozy.
Worst east Ukraine shelling for month; ceasefire looks in doubt
DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – East Ukraine’s rebel stronghold Donetsk was pummeled on Sunday by the heaviest shelling in a month, and the OSCE said it spotted an armored column of troops without insignia in rebel territory that Kiev said proved Moscow ha…
Hungarians protest against corruption, want tax chief sacked
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Thousands of Hungarians demonstrated against alleged corruption at the country’s tax authority and for wider democratic freedoms in Budapest on Sunday in the latest protest to rock the country’s politics.
Egyptian rights groups fear government crackdown looms
CAIRO (Reuters) – Some Egyptian human rights groups shredded documents on Sunday and instructed their staff to stay home as a government deadline approached for them to register under a Hosni Mubarak-era law they say seeks to eliminate them.
