German SPD opening door to coalition deal with Merkel
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s opposition Social Democrats have signaled their readiness to join Angela Merkel’s conservatives in a right-left ‘grand coalition’ by jettisoning a key election demand for higher taxes on the rich.
Britain launches FBI-style force and new crime strategy
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain launched a new crime-fighting agency on Monday and unveiled a revamped strategy to combat serious organized crime, which it says costs the country 24 billion pounds ($38.6 billion) and represents a threat to national security…
Former Greek minister found guilty of money laundering
ATHENS (Reuters) – A former Greek minister already in jail for tax fraud was found guilty of money laundering, court officials said on Monday, in a case that has come to symbolize the graft that has plagued the crisis-hit country.
Fernandez still in charge of Argentina despite hematoma: source
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – President Cristina Fernandez will stay in charge of Argentina’s government even though she has been ordered by her doctors to take a month of rest due to a subdural hematoma, or blood on the brain, a government source said.
Attackers burn TV station in Maldives that backs ousted leader
MALE (Reuters) – Unidentified men in masks attacked a private television channel in the Maldives that backs ousted leader Mohamed Nasheed and set it on fire on Monday, police said, amid protests by Nasheed’s party over a suspended presidential election…
Nine Bahrainis jailed for life over alleged bomb factory
MANAMA (Reuters) – A court jailed nine Bahrainis for life on Monday for forming a militant group, manufacturing explosives and plotting attacks aimed at destabilizing the kingdom, state news agency BNA reported.
Viktor, Yulia feud holds key to EU deal with Ukraine
KIEV (Reuters) – It’s a vicious feud that has poisoned Ukrainian politics for a decade.
French investigators drop charges against Sarkozy
BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) – French investigators have abandoned a party funding inquiry against former president Nicolas Sarkozy, a judicial source said on Monday, in a legal case that could have scotched his chances of running for a new term.
Ex-Cyprus president to blame for financial crisis: inquiry
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cyprus’s former communist president and his government bear chief blame for the island’s financial meltdown in March after they failed to control spending and behaved in an imperious manner, an independent judicial inquiry said on M…
Billions at stake for economic winners and losers of Iran thaw
DUBAI (Reuters) – After years of being caught in the geopolitical crossfire over Iran’s disputed nuclear program, Iranian businessmen in Dubai are daring to hope that signs of a diplomatic thaw will allow crippling economic sanctions to be lifted.
