Catalan leader says Spain cannot block independence vote: report
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain cannot block a non-binding vote on Catalan independence that could become the basis for negotiations on Catalonia’s future, the president of the northeastern region said in an interview published on Sunday.
U.S. and Iran meet to discuss final nuclear accord
MUNICH (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of the United States and Iran held rare private talks in Germany on Sunday to discuss the next stage in efforts to reach a definitive agreement to end a decade-old dispute over Iran’s nuclear program.
EU ‘seriously concerned’ about China crackdown on rights activists
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union is “seriously concerned” about China’s treatment of human rights campaigners after a spate of trials and detentions, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said.
South African mediators make proposal to end platinum strike
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African government mediators have put forward a proposal designed to end a strike that has hit around 40 percent of global platinum supply, they said at the weekend.
Afghan election campaign stirs both violence and hope
KABUL (Reuters) – Presidential candidates in Afghanistan begin two months of campaigning on Sunday for an election that Western allies hope will consolidate fragile stability as their forces prepare to leave after nearly 13 years of inconclusive war.
Ex-rebel faces gang-fighting conservative in El Salvador vote
SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – A former guerrilla commander vies to keep his left-wing party in power in El Salvador’s presidential election on Sunday, but he faces a strong challenge from a right-leaning rival who wants to use the army to battle powerful st…
Scandals, inequality loom large as Costa Rica votes for new leader
SAN JOSE (Reuters) – Costa Rica’s centrist ruling party front-runner seeks to fend off a leftist surge fueled by voter resentment over government corruption scandals and rising inequality as voters in Central America’s second-largest economy head to th…
U.S. denies it sought direct negotiations with Syria in Geneva
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Washington denied claims by Syria’s foreign minister on Saturday that American diplomats had sought to negotiate directly with their Syrian counterparts at last week’s ‘Geneva 2’ peace conference in Switzerland.
China says Japan’s ‘hype’ on air defence zone spreads tension
BEIJING (Reuters) – China does not feel threatened by countries in Southeast Asia and is optimistic about the situation in the disputed South China Sea, the Foreign Ministry said, warning Japan not to “spread rumors” it plans a new air defense identifi…
Video shows beheading of man in Syria by al Qaeda rebels
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Rebels in Syria with ties to al Qaeda have decapitated a man believed to have been a pro-government Shi’ite fighter, an amateur video of the public beheading posted to the Internet on Saturday showed.
