Czech parliament moves vote on dissolution to August 20
PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech lower house of parliament will shift a vote on its dissolution for an early election to August 20 from August 16, a party leader said on Friday.
Israel seeks to negotiate on planned EU sanctions
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel appealed to the European Union on Friday to rethink planned sanctions against its organizations in the occupied territories and called for talks, a shift in tone from previous Israeli anger and retaliatory measures.
Eight British police officers hurt in Northern Ireland sectarian violence
BELFAST (Reuters) – A crowd threw paint bombs, bottles and masonry at police in Belfast early on Friday, injuring eight officers in a further bout of Northern Ireland’s sporadic sectarian violence.
Spain reviews train safety after fatal crash
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain is reviewing the safety of its rail system after a train crash in northwestern Galicia last month killed 79 people, Public Works Minister Ana Pastor said on Friday.
Danish PM launches reshuffle to try to stem falling support
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt announced a government reshuffle on Friday to try to stem falling support for the ruling coalition over cuts to the country’s generous welfare system.
U.S. drone kills three more Qaeda suspects in Yemen, strikes intensify
SANAA (Reuters) – A U.S. drone killed three suspected al Qaeda militants in east Yemen, a local official said, the third strike within 24 hours as Washington intensifies efforts to eradicate al Qaeda’s Yemeni branch after recent warnings of possible at…
In North Asia, a growing crisis of confidence in nuclear power
TAIPEI/TOKYO (Reuters) – A nuclear power plant in Taiwan may have been leaking radioactive water for three years, the government has said, adding to a growing crisis of confidence in North Asia about nuclear safety.
Gunmen abduct two Turkish Airlines staff in Beirut
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Turkish Airlines pilot and his colleague were abducted in Lebanon on Friday by armed men who forced them from a bus driving from Beirut airport in the early hours of the morning.
Ex-top official says China’s Xi not serious in tackling graft
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping is not serious about fighting corruption and is more intent on maintaining his position than curing the country’s “sickness”, the most senior official jailed over the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests said …
In rural Homs, Sunni Syrians fear army offensive
(This story was reported by a visiting journalist whose name has been withheld for security reasons)
