Jim Flaherty dies soon after quitting as Canada’s finance minister
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Former Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, 64, who steered Canada through the global financial crisis and then nearly eliminated the huge budget deficits he had run up in the process, died on Thursday just weeks after resigning.
U.S. warns Russia over any oil-for-goods deal with Iran
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew told his Russian counterpart on Thursday that any oil-for-goods deal Moscow might strike with Iran could run afoul of U.S. sanctions.
Venezuela’s Maduro, opposition to talk, unrest death toll hits 40
CARACAS (Reuters) – President Nicolas Maduro was due to host Venezuelan opposition leaders on Thursday at the start of mediated talks intended to stem two months of political unrest that has killed dozens in the OPEC nation.
Russia warns Europe of gas supply cuts over Ukraine debt
MOSCOW (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin warned European leaders on Thursday Russia would cut natural gas supplies to Ukraine if it did not pay its bills and said this could lead to a reduction of onward deliveries to Europe.
U.S. says ‘gaps narrowing’ in talks between Israelis and Palestinians
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The State Department said on Thursday that progress was being made in U.S.-mediated negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians meant to keep peace talks going, but denied reports from the region that there had been an agr…
French tycoon Dassault investigated for vote-rigging
PARIS (Reuters) – French tycoon and politician Serge Dassault was placed under formal investigation on Thursday over his alleged role in a vote-rigging scandal in the Paris suburb where he formerly served as the center-right mayor for 14 years.
Northern Ireland charges man with murder in Omagh bombing
BELFAST (Reuters) – Northern Ireland has charged a man with 29 counts of murder in the 1998 Omagh bombing, the worst attack in decades of violence in the province, police said on Thursday.
Murdoch editor ‘a man I would trust’, ex-archbishop tells UK hacking trial
LONDON (Reuters) – A former Archbishop of Canterbury took to the witness stand in Britain’s phone-hacking trial on Thursday to tell a jury the ex-managing editor of Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World tabloid was “a man I would trust”.
Prosecutor, defense urge community service for Berlusconi
MILAN (Reuters) – Both the prosecution and defence have asked a Milan court to order former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to serve a one-year sentence for tax fraud doing community service, judicial sources said on Thursday.
Scottish nationalists mark 160-day countdown to independence vote
ABERDEEN, Scotland (Reuters) – Despite a drumbeat of warnings from businessmen, financiers and British government officials that an independent Scotland would be doomed to failure, Scottish nationalists go into their spring conference this weekend with…
