British sergeant denies firing at bodies in Iraq
LONDON (Reuters) – A former British army sergeant denied on Monday he had fired at bodies on the ground in a fit of anger during a battle in Iraq in 2004 and said he had opened fire because an Iraqi insurgent was about to shoot at him.
Cyprus rules out role in any U.S.-led strike on Syria
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus said on Monday it would have no involvement of any kind in a potential U.S.-led strike on Syria, which lies about 100 km (60 miles) to its east.
Putin foe urges protesters to challenge ‘rigged’ Moscow vote
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny called on supporters to rally in protest on Monday against the results of a Moscow election which he says was rigged in favor of the Kremlin.
Tunisia arrests senior Islamist militant leader in raid
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian police on Monday arrested a senior leader from a banned Islamist group and killed two other militants during a raid near the capital Tunis, authorities said on Monday.
UK’s Osborne hails growing economy, slams ‘disastrous’ Labour plans
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s finance minister, George Osborne, said on Monday the UK economy had turned a corner and that its recovery was a vindication of his focus on fixing public finances.
Kerry: Syrian surrender of chemical arms could stop U.S. attack
LONDON (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid a U.S. military strike by surrendering all his chemical weapons within a week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday, but immediately made clear he was not making a serious off…
Kenyatta urges ICC to ensure trials do not damage government
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenya’s president said it could be forced to halt cooperation with the International Criminal Court if it requires both him and his deputy – both charged with crimes against humanity – to attend hearings in The Hague at the same tim…
Pension reform protest to hit French rail services
PARIS (Reuters) – French train services face disruption on Tuesday from a strike over plans to reform the country’s indebted pension system, but most international links should operate normally, the SNCF rail company said.
Pragmatism may guide politicians as Catalonian separatism flares again
MADRID (Reuters) – Catalan separatists will mark their national day on Wednesday with demonstrations and renewed calls for a break from Spain – but leaders of both camps are indicating they would prefer negotiation to confrontation.
Italy coalition faces risk as Senate panel meets on Berlusconi
ROME (Reuters) – A special Italian Senate committee meets on Monday to consider expelling Silvio Berlusconi from parliament over his conviction for tax fraud, but may take weeks to reach a decision, delaying a showdown which could shatter the fragile r…