Czechs give up EU rights charter opt-out, plan joining fiscal pact
PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech Republic’s new center-left government signaled a turn away from the euro-skepticism of the previous government on Wednesday, when it opened debate on joining the EU’s fiscal compact and said it would give up an opt-out from…
New fighting in Central African Republic blocks U.N. visit
BANGUI (Reuters) – Heavy fighting erupted near the airport in Central African Republic’s capital of Bangui on Wednesday, as Christian militia tried to block the evacuation of Muslims and disrupted a visit by a top United Nations aid official, witnesses…
Austrian president weighs visit to Iran
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austrian President Hans Fischer has been invited to Iran, a country keen to revive ties with the EU member that for centuries was Tehran’s bridgehead to Europe.
UK says to protest over Spanish incursion into Gibraltar’s waters
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain said on Wednesday it would make a formal “high level” protest to Spain over what the British Foreign Office described as an incursion into Gibraltar’s territorial waters by the Spanish Navy earlier this week.
Al Qaeda-linked group claims Beirut bombings
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The al Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades claimed a twin bomb attack in Beirut on Wednesday, saying such attacks would continue until Hezbollah forces withdrew from the fighting in Syria and its own fighters were released from Leba…
Injured Indian fishermen seek compensation from Pentagon after shooting
DUBAI (Reuters) – Three Indian fishermen injured when a U.S. naval ship fired on their boat off the United Arab Emirates in 2012 are launching a civil case against the Pentagon to seek compensation, their lawyers said on Wednesday.
Bahraini man sentenced to death over policeman killing
MANAMA (Reuters) – A court in Bahrain has sentenced one man to death and six others to life imprisonment for the killing of a policeman after a protest last year marking the kingdom’s abortive 2011 pro-democracy uprising, local media reported on Wednes…
Germany arrests man suspected of busting Iran sanctions
BERLIN (Reuters) – German prosecutors said on Wednesday they had arrested a German-Iranian man suspected of exporting to the Islamic Republic goods that could be used in a weapons program.
Swiss firms fret over immigration vote backlash
ZURICH (Reuters) – Nestled between the peaks of the Swiss Alps, the Hotel Schweizerhof has provided rooms for weary skiers and hikers for more than a century, profiting like scores of other businesses from Switzerland’s close ties to Europe.
Heavy fighting in Central African Republic capital disrupts U.N. aid visit
BANGUI (Reuters) – Heavy fighting erupted near the airport in Central African Republic’s capital Bangui on Wednesday as Christian militia blocked an attempt to evacuate Muslims, witnesses said, disrupting a visit by a top United Nations aid official.
