Austrians oppose repeat of two-party ‘grand coalition’: poll
VIENNA (Reuters) – Three quarters of Austrian voters want the country’s two main parties, in power together since 2006, to inject fresh blood into any new coalition by including a third partner, according to an opinion poll published on Monday.
Belgium detains suspected Somali pirate kingpin: media
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgium has arrested a suspected Somali pirate leader believed to have earned millions of dollars in ransom payments over years of operating off the East African coast, Belgian media reported on Monday.
More migrants reach Italy as government prepares to boost sea patrols
ROME (Reuters) – A migrant boat carrying 137 people reached Italy from North Africa on Monday as the Italian government prepared to launch new naval and air patrols to prevent repeats of shipwrecks which have drowned hundreds of Africans this month alo…
Merkel starts crucial week of talks on new German government
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel is likely to pick a new coalition partner this week before moving on to detailed negotiations that could produce a new German government within about two months.
Bangladesh garment factory workers detain boss until he pays bonus
DHAKA (Reuters) – Workers at a Bangladeshi garment factory on Monday freed a garment factory boss they had held captive in his office for more than 18 hours after he paid a promised bonus.
China regrets block on Indian athletes’ travel but defends border stand
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Monday it regretted that two Indian athletes were blocked last week from going to China but defended measures it has put in place in response to a border dispute which led to the ban on the pair travelling.
Rioting erupts in Moscow after killing blamed on migrant
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Rioters smashed shop windows, stormed a warehouse and clashed with police in a Moscow neighborhood on Sunday in the biggest outbreak of anti-migrant unrest in the Russian capital in three years.
Car bomb in northern Syria kills 20: monitoring group
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A car bomb killed at least 20 people on Monday in the northern Syrian town of Darkoush, close to the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Malaysian court rules use of ‘Allah’ exclusive to Muslims
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (Reuters) – A Malaysian court ruled on Monday that a Christian newspaper may not use the word “Allah” to refer to God, a landmark decision on an issue that has fanned religious tension and raised questions over minority rights in th…
Chinese investigators given jail terms for torture of party official
BEIJING (Reuters) – Six Chinese Communist Party officials have been sentenced to between four and 14 years in jail for torturing another official to death, lawyers and his ex-wife said on Monday, in a case that shed light on the workings of the party’s…