Merkel plans to talk with SPD and Greens on coalition
BERLIN (Reuters) – Angela Merkel will hold preliminary coalition talks with the Social Democrats (SPD) on Friday and also plans to meet with the Greens, as she tries to play her potential partners off against each other at the start of a tough horse-tr…
Austerity clobbers Portugal’s ruling party in local votes
LISBON (Reuters) – Portugal’s ruling Social Democrats took a heavy beating in local elections on Sunday as voters passed their verdict on the austerity measures that accompanied the 2011 international bailout.
South African woman killed after police shoot at protesters
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – A South African woman was killed and another injured on Monday after police fired into a crowd of protesters who had attacked a police vehicle, a spokesman said.
UK finance minister courts voters with tougher welfare rules
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – British finance minister George Osborne proposed 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.
Investors fret over Italian political uncertainty
MILAN (Reuters) – Investors shunned Italian government bonds and shares on Monday after Silvio Berlusconi pulled the rug from under Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s frail coalition government by ordering five center-right ministers to quit.
Analysis: From Syria to South China Sea, navies cruise back into vogue
LONDON (Reuters) – After a quarter century of Middle Eastern land wars and a sharp fall in big powers’ naval spending after the Cold War, sea power is back in vogue in response to the rise of China and Western reluctance to deploy ground troops in conf…
UK’s Osborne slams Labour over power freeze plan
MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) – British finance minister George Osborne criticized proposals by the opposition Labour party to cap utility bills, saying they would prompt companies to raise prices before any limit was imposed and hit investment over th…
South African miners rally as Amplats strikes enters fourth day
RUSTENBURG, South Africa (Reuters) – Around 2,000 striking South African miners from Anglo American Platinum rallied on Monday to protest planned job cuts at the world’s top producer of the precious metal.
Israel showcases Iranian spy case as Netanyahu visits U.S.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – A man arrested on suspicion of being an Iranian spy appeared in an Israeli court on Monday and some Israeli analysts questioned the timing of the affair, suggesting it was being showcased as part of efforts to discredit Tehran’s n…
Malian army clashes with Tuareg rebels for second day in Kidal
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Malian troops clashed with Tuareg rebels in the northern desert town of Kidal for a second day on Monday, residents said, after the separatists ended a ceasefire with the new government last week.
