Czech president appoints centre-left cabinet, ending power vacuum
PRAGUE (Reuters) – President Milos Zeman appointed a new center-left cabinet on Wednesday, ending a seven-month power vacuum that has hampered policy decisions that the Czech Republic needs to boost recovery from its longest recession.
Latin Americans pledge to respect Cuba’s form of government
HAVANA (Reuters) – Latin American leaders pledged on Wednesday to respect the right of all countries in the region to choose their own political systems, a proclamation notable largely for accepting Cuba as the only one-party state in the western hemis…
El Salvador vote pits ex-rebel vs gang-fighting rightist
SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) – A former guerrilla commander hopes 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-wing rival who wants to use the army to battle powerful stre…
Tunisia’s Islamists cede power to caretaker government
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia’s new caretaker government formally took office on Wednesday, replacing the Islamist party which came to power after a 2011 uprising but stepped down in a deal intended to help the country embrace democracy.
Bahraini court shuts down Shi’ite clerical group
MANAMA (Reuters) – A Bahraini court ordered the dissolution of a group of Shi’ite Muslim clerics on Wednesday, declaring it illegal in a ruling that could harm reconciliation efforts aimed at ending political unrest in the U.S.-allied island kingdom.
Merkel tries to quell row over German role in Africa
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany is ready to send logistical support to Central African Republic but will not dispatch combat troops with a planned EU mission, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, trying to end a domestic row about Berlin’s role.
South Africa’s AMCU union to take revised platinum offer to members
PRETORIA (Reuters) – The world’s top platinum producers have made a revised wage offer to South Africa’s AMCU union but it falls short of its demand for a minimum “living wage” of 12,500 rand ($1,100) a month, the union’s chief negotiator said on Wedne…
Libyan deputy prime minister survives attempt on life
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya’s deputy prime minister survived unhurt after gunmen fired on his car in Tripoli on Wednesday in an attack reflecting the violent chaos plaguing the North African nation two years after Muammar Gaddafi’s fall.
Turkey’s Erdogan visits Iran to improve ties after split over Syria
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan visited Iran on Wednesday to bolster trade and energy ties, state TV said, in what also looked like a bid to defuse tensions over Syria by capitalizing on Tehran’s diplomatic opening to regional …
IAEA visits Iranian mine as part of nuclear transparency pact
DUBAI/VIENNA (Reuters) – U.N. nuclear inspectors visited an Iranian uranium mine for the first time in nearly a decade on Wednesday, Iranian media reported, as Tehran gradually opens up its disputed nuclear program to greater international scrutiny.
