Japan PM Abe: not thinking of calling snap election
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday he was not thinking of calling a snap election for parliament’s lower house, amid some speculation that he might do so by the end of the year.
Libyan army needs a Gaddafi general to beat Islamists in Benghazi
BENGHAZI Libya (Reuters) – Libyan tanks rumble past houses riddled with bullet holes in the eastern city of Benghazi and residents turn out to greet soldiers as they celebrate a rare victory over Islamist insurgents.
In Spain’s Catalonia, dialogue may follow symbolic independence vote
BARCELONA (Reuters) – Catalans are expected to turn out in droves on Sunday to make their strongest show of force to date for breaking away from the rest of Spain in a symbolic independence referendum.
U.N. court orders release of ailing Serbian former politician
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The United Nations court trying war crimes in the former Yugoslavia ordered the release of an ailing Serbian former politician who has been detained for a decade awaiting a verdict.
Series of blasts strike Fatah targets in Gaza: officials
GAZA (Reuters) – A series of small explosions targeted the homes and vehicles of officials from President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip on Friday, members of the party and witnesses said, causing minor damage but no injuries.
Singapore PM wins defamation case against blogger
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong won a High Court defamation case against a blogger on Friday, the first time the city-state’s leader has sued an online critic.
UK’s opposition Labour party tells lawmakers to unite after plot whispers
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s opposition Labour party must “pull together” after reports of a plot against leader Ed Miliband, or risk its chances in the national election next year, the party’s campaign coordinator has warned.
Romania’s PM Ponta to secure presidency: opinion poll
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romania’s leftist Prime Minister Victor Ponta will likely win a Nov. 16 presidential election run-off vote by a wide margin, an opinion poll showed, a victory that would consolidate his Social Democrats’ hold on power.
France’s unpopular Hollande vows no new taxes from next year
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday he would impose no new taxes on anyone in France starting next year as he sought to shake off record-low approval ratings and bolster confidence halfway through a deeply unpopular pr…
Russia’s Lavrov to hold talks with Kerry in China: agencies
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Beijing on Saturday before an Asia-Pacific summit starts, Russian news agencies said on Friday.
