Finnish coalition government narrowly survives confidence vote
HELSINKI (Reuters) – Finland’s left-right coalition government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote on Friday brought on by the country’s economic woes, which have been exacerbated by a slowdown in the euro zone and by the crisis in Ukraine.
Scottish nationalists storm back after referendum defeat
LONDON/EDINBURGH (Reuters) – Just weeks after seeing their dream of an independent Scotland wiped out in an historic referendum defeat, Scottish nationalists have turned failure into a revival which could transform British politics at next year’s UK ge…
Former Murdoch UK news editor jailed for phone-hacking
LONDON (Reuters) – A former newspaper executive whose emails led to the exposure of widespread phone-hacking at Rupert Murdoch’s now-defunct British tabloid, the News of the World, was jailed for eight months on Friday.
China, Japan set aside isle row, paving way for leaders to meet
BEIJING/TOKYO (Reuters) – China and Japan agreed on Friday to work on improving ties and signaled willingness to put a bitter row over disputed islands on the back burner, paving the way for their leaders to meet at an Asian-Pacific summit next week.
Canada businesses impatient for China growth as Harper promotes trade
HANGZHOU China (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper kicked off a visit to China on Friday facing criticism that the troubled diplomatic relationship between the two nations has hampered trade, but promptly raised concern about human right…
Spanish court upholds charges of tax fraud against Princess Cristina
MADRID (Reuters) – A Spanish court said on Friday it would uphold charges of tax fraud against Cristina de Borbon, 49, sister of King Felipe VI, in a graft probe which along with other high-profile corruption cases has eroded Spaniards’ faith in their …
Back in power, Bulgarian prime minister promises reform
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria’s new prime minister Boiko Borisov promised an immediate push for reforms to spur economic growth and lure investment on Friday, as his minority coalition government was endorsed by a vote in parliament.
U.N.’s Zeid accuses Sri Lanka of trying to sabotage war crimes probe
GENEVA/COLOMBO (Reuters) – The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday accused Sri Lanka of trying to “sabotage” a war crimes inquiry, creating a “wall of fear” to prevent witnesses from giving evidence.
UK’s Cameron warns of ‘major problem’ if EU budget row not resolved
HELSINKI (Reuters) – British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Friday that failure to resolve a dispute over a European Union budget surcharge of 2.1 billion euros (2.60 billion US dollar) would cause “a major problem.”
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.
