At least 13 drown in migrant boat off Sicily
PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) – At least 13 people on a migrant boat arriving in Sicily drowned close to the coast near the eastern city of Ragusa, apparently after trying to disembark from their stranded vessel, Italian authorities said on Monday.
Turkey may cut vote threshold, expand language rights
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey may reduce the threshold for a political party to enter parliament to 5 percent of the national vote, or even eliminate the barrier completely, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
Driving Iran’s change: Economic threats, strategic opportunities
DUBAI (Reuters) – Behind Iran’s overtures to Washington lie pent-up pressures for change – from sanctions and internal dissent to regional turmoil – that are shaping a rare chance to end decades of hostility.
China targets ‘degenerate’ former provincial leader in crackdown on graft
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will charge a former provincial leader with graft following accusations of illegally accumulating wealth and being morally degenerate, the government said on Monday, the latest move in its crackdown on corruption.
Malaysia faces backlash over push for tough new laws
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s bid to bring back detention without trial and toughen a range of other laws has triggered a backlash from civil society groups who call the move politically motivated and a major step back for human rights.
Austerity clobbers Portugal’s ruling party in local votes
LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s ruling Social Democrats took a heavy beating in Sunday’s local elections as voters passed their verdict on national austerity measures accompanying the country’s 2011 bailout by international lenders.
China says no plan for Japan meet at Asia-Pacific summit amid islands row
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping has no plans to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during an Asia-Pacific summit this week in Indonesia, Beijing said on Monday, as both sides spar over a group of islets near potentially large oil …
UK finance minister to court voters with ‘tough love’ welfare rules
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – British finance minister George Osborne will propose tougher new welfare rules on Monday to try to win over working voters who are grappling with depleted spending power ahead of the 2015 election.
France against Romania, Bulgaria joining Schengen zone
PARIS (Reuters) – France is not in favour of allowing Romania and Bulgaria into Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone for now due to concerns about border security, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Monday.
Pentagon chief, at Korean DMZ, says U.S. will not cut force in Korea
PANMUNJOM, Korean Demilitarized Zone (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel toured the Korean DMZ on Monday, at times under the watchful eye of North Korean soldiers, and said the Pentagon had no plan to reduce its 28,500-member force in the So…
