Exclusive: West signals to Syrian opposition Assad may stay
AMMAN (Reuters) – Western nations have indicated to the Syrian opposition that peace talks next month may not lead to the removal of President Bashar al-Assad and that his Alawite minority will remain key in any transitional administration, opposition …
Italy center-left leader calls for scrapping of ‘Google Tax’
ROME (Reuters) – The leader of Italy’s Democratic Party (PD), the biggest in the ruling coalition, called on Tuesday for the government to scrap a measure that would raise revenue by making it more expensive for online companies such as Google to do bu…
Germany’s Merkel begins third term with focus on Europe
BERLIN (Reuters) – Angela Merkel was elected to a third term as chancellor in a vote in the German lower house of parliament on Tuesday, paving the way for her new government to formally take power after months of coalition talks.
South Sudan says arrests 10, hunts ex-VP over ‘foiled coup’
JUBA (Reuters) – South Sudan said on Tuesday it had arrested 10 senior political figures and was hunting for its ex-vice president, accusing him of leading a “foiled coup” in the oil-producing nation’s capital, where gunfire rang out for a second day.
Azerbaijan detains election watchdog chief
BAKU (Reuters) – Azerbaijan on Tuesday detained an activist in what his lawyer said was political retribution for his reporting of violations in elections in which President Ilham Aliyev won a third term.
Video of migrants sprayed for scabies stirs outrage in Italy
ROME (Reuters) – A video showing migrants standing naked in the cold while being sprayed for scabies stirred outrage in Italy on Tuesday and underscored what many have criticized as the European Union’s failure to tackle its immigration crisis humanely…
Brazil says not considering Snowden asylum
BRASILIA (Reuters) – Brazil says it is not considering granting asylum to Edward Snowden even after the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor offered on Tuesday to help investigate revelations that the NSA has spied on Brazilians and their pr…
UK, U.S. to be allowed to question Libyan ex-spy chief over Lockerbie: Libya
LONDON (Reuters) – Libya plans to allow British and American investigators to question Muammar Gaddafi’s former intelligence chief Abdullah Senussi over the 1988 Lockerbie airline bombing, the Libyan justice minister has told Britain’s ITV news.
Kurz, 27, puts fresh face on Austrian foreign policy
VIENNA (Reuters) – Sebastian Kurz, who became Europe’s youngest foreign minister this week at the age of 27, hopes to refresh Austria’s stuffy image and present it as a modern country open to the world
Analysis: Mexican president races through reforms but risks loom
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – A year ago, President Enrique Pena Nieto took office vowing a root-and-branch reform of Mexico’s economy even though he had no majority in Congress and faced accusations from the main opposition parties that he stole the electio…
