Schaeuble and taxes at stake in German coalition talks
BERLIN (Reuters) – Angela Merkel will be asked to break an election pledge not to raise taxes in talks this week on a ‘grand coalition’ with the opposition Social Democrats (SPD) which could also threaten her influential finance minister.
Sudanese protest again against Bashir in Khartoum
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – About 1,000 Sudanese staged another protest in Khartoum on Sunday to demand President Omar Hassan al-Bashir resign, a witness said, as the government moved to raise salaries to soften the impact of unpopular austerity measures.
UK finance minister to court voters with tough welfare rules
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – British finance minister George Osborne will propose tougher new welfare rules and a reduction in taxes on Monday in a bid to win over voters grappling with declining spending power ahead of the 2015 election, while prom…
Austrian parties set to renew grand coalition after election slap
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austria’s pro-Europe, centrist coalition partners face weeks of hard bargaining to extend their seven years in power after voters gave them only a tiny combined majority while boosting the far right and a new liberal party.
Jesse Jackson determined to free U.S. hostage despite Colombian veto
HAVANA (Reuters) – U.S. civil rights activist Jesse Jackson said on Sunday he will continue to work for the release of a U.S. army veteran kidnapped by Colombian FARC rebels in June, despite the Colombian government’s rejection of his mediation.
Tuareg separatists, Malian army clash in northern town
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Tuareg separatists and Malian soldiers exchanged fire in the northern town of Kidal on Sunday, residents said, in a sign of escalating tensions three days after MNLA rebels ended a ceasefire with the newly elected government.
Xi Jinping hopes traditional faiths can fill moral void in China: sources
BEIJING (Reuters) – President Xi Jinping believes China is losing its moral compass and he wants the ruling Communist Party to be more tolerant of traditional faiths in the hope these will help fill a vacuum created by the country’s breakneck growth an…
Kenya raps U.S. over ‘unfriendly’ travel warning after attack
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya rebuked the United States on Sunday for warning its citizens over travel to the east African country after the September 21 Nairobi mall attack, calling the alert “unfriendly” and asking Washington to lift it.
Israel charges two soldiers with beating bound Palestinian
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli military has charged two soldiers with beating up a blindfolded and bound Palestinian detainee, the army said on Sunday.
Russian court remands last of Greenpeace Arctic oil protesters
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian court has ordered eight remaining Greenpeace activists be held in custody for two months over a protest against Arctic offshore drilling, the environment advocacy group said on Sunday, dashing any hope some might be release…
