German president expects progress on Ukraine’s Tymoshenko
KRAKOW, Poland (Reuters) – German President Joachim Gauck said on Wednesday he expected to see progress in the case of jailed Ukrainian opposition leader Julia Tymoshenko, an issue which has blocked the signing of a free trade deal between Ukraine and …
Social Democrats get task to form Austrian government
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann’s Social Democrats (SPO) got the tough task of forming a new government on Wednesday and hoped to rebuild their alliance with the conservatives to stave off the eurosceptic far right.
High stakes for Putin as his Olympic dream nears
SOCHI/MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has staked his personal and political prestige on February’s Winter Olympics in the city of Sochi, yet despite the $50-billion price tag the Games could still be an embarrassing flop.
Veteran Tajik leader to seek new 7-year term in November 6 vote
DUSHANBE (Reuters) – Tajikistan’s longtime President Imomali Rakhmon registered on Wednesday to run for a new seven-year term in a November 6 election that would extend his rule to nearly three decades.
Iran and world powers must build confidence: Larijani
GENEVA (Reuters) – Iran and world powers should focus on confidence-building at next week’s talks on Tehran’s disputed nuclear program, Iran’s parliamentary speaker said on Wednesday.
China’s Bo Xilai allowed to appeal against life in jail
BEIJING (Reuters) – A court in eastern China on Wednesday allowed ousted former senior politician Bo Xilai to appeal against a guilty verdict on charges of corruption and abuse of power handed out last month which earned him a life sentence.
International observers denounce Guinea voting flaws
CONAKRY (Reuters) – International observers have denounced voting flaws in Guinea’s parliamentary election, saying they may undermine the results of a poll meant to seal the transition of the mineral-rich West African nation to democracy.
In Pakistan’s Pashtun tribal belt, Taliban reject peace talks
WAZIRISTAN, Pakistan (Reuters) – The Pakistani Taliban envoy drew his white trousers up before settling on the floor of a mud-walled house in Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtun tribal region near the Afghan border.
Insight: Violent raid exposes risks for investors in Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Workmen cut the door from its frame, allowing a dozen men in balaclavas and hoods to enter a Moscow restaurant.
Isolated Hamas faces money crisis in Gaza Strip
GAZA (Reuters) – Hamas is struggling to meet its payroll in the Gaza Strip, where income from taxes has been badly hit since neighboring Egypt started destroying a network of tunnels used to smuggle food, fuel and weapons into the Islamist-run enclave….
