Cardinals to begin reform summit with pope
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Eight cardinals will begin closed-door meetings with Pope Francis on Tuesday to help him reform the Vatican’s troubled administration and map out possible changes in the worldwide Church.
Turkey presents reforms aimed at pressing Kurdish peace process
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey on Monday announced reforms seen as designed to salvage a peace process with Kurdish insurgents, including changes to the electoral system, broadening of language rights and permission for villages to use their original Kurdis…
Car bombs kill 54 in Shi’ite districts of Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Car bombs killed at least 54 people in mostly Shi’ite Muslim areas of Baghdad on Monday as suspected Sunni Muslim militants pursued a campaign to plunge Iraq back into sectarian strife.
Competition between Islamist militants may fuel big attacks
LONDON (Reuters) – The assault on Kenya’s Westgate shopping mall has brought into sharp relief a pattern likely to complicate efforts to counter Islamist militants – competition among jihadis can increase the risk of a major attack.
U.N. chemical weapons inspectors leave Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) – U.N. chemical weapons inspectors investigating allegations of chemical and biological weapons use during Syria’s civil war left Damascus on Monday after their second mission in two months, witnesses said.
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.
