Munich 2022 Games bid ruled out by referendum loss
BERLIN (Reuters) – Munich will not bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics after failing to win the support of the local population in a referendum on whether to bid for the Games.
Netanyahu asks U.S. supporters to oppose Iran deal
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took his case against a nuclear accord with Iran directly to the U.S. public on Sunday, denouncing “a very bad deal” that he feared the Obama administration was pursuing.
Libyan autonomy group forms oil firm, challenges government
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – An autonomy movement in eastern Libya said on Sunday it had formed a regional oil firm to start selling crude after seizing several ports, mounting a challenge to the government in Tripoli as it struggles to gain control of oil faci…
Syrian opposition wants rebel backing for Geneva talks
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Syria’s opposition is edging towards agreeing to international peace talks in Geneva but wants approval from fighters inside the country first to give the process more legitimacy, its spokesman said at talks in Istanbul.
U.N. expert on labor abuse urges Qatar to end sponsorship system
DOHA (Reuters) – A U.N. official called on Qatar on Sunday to abolish a sponsorship system for migrant workers he said was a source of labor abuse, raising pressure on the 2022 World Cup host for reforms of its workplace practices.
African workers in Riyadh seek repatriation after two riot deaths
RIYADH (Reuters) – Thousands of mostly African workers gathered in Riyadh on Sunday seeking repatriation after two people were killed in overnight rioting that followed a visa crackdown by Saudi authorities.
Czech leftist party gives leader Sobotka mandate to form cabinet
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Czech center-left Social Democrat leader Bohuslav Sobotka won a strong mandate from his party on Sunday to try to form a government with two centrist parties following an early election two weeks ago.
Bulgarian students protest to demand government resignation
SOFIA (Reuters) – Thousands of students marched in downtown Sofia on Sunday to complain that Bulgaria was still not stable, prosperous or well governed, exactly 24 years after the end of communist rule.
Nine go on trial for plotting to kill Yemeni president
SANAA (Reuters) – Nine suspected al Qaeda members went on trial in Yemen on Sunday, accused of plotting to assassinate President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, kill military and security officers and kidnap foreigners, state news agency Saba reported.
Founder of new China party aims to work within system
BEIJING (Reuters) – For someone who has just set up a new political party in the face of a de facto ban by a Chinese government that tolerates no dissent, Wang Zheng has surprisingly modest aims.