Prosecutors say Romanian deputy PM abused power in 2012 vote
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romanian prosecutors charged Deputy Prime Minister Liviu Dragnea on Monday with orchestrating a campaign of bribery, threats and fraud to try to swing a vote to impeach President Traian Basescu.
Japan, China leaders shake hands again but no talks on islands
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping shook hands during an APEC regional summit in Bali on Monday but had no talks on a territorial island dispute, Japanese officials said.
Syria makes ‘excellent’ start on chemical disarmament
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria won foreign praise on Monday for starting to destroy its chemical arsenal, although an opposition activist said the world was merely giving President Bashar al-Assad time to kill more people with conventional weapons.
Colombia’s No. 2 oil pipeline shut after bomb attacks: Ecopetrol
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s second most important oil pipeline, the Cano Limon-Covenas, has been temporarily shut down after three bomb attacks, state oil company Ecopetrol said on Monday, explosions the security forces attributed to leftist guerrill…
NATO head expresses concern about Turkey’s Chinese missile deal
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – The head of NATO expressed concern on Monday over Turkey’s decision to co-produce a missile defense system with a Chinese firm, saying he expected Ankara to choose a system that was compatible with those of other allies.
Israelis, Palestinians intensify talks despite skepticism
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held a new round of talks on Monday, picking up the tempo of their meetings at the request of the United States in the face of widespread skepticism that they will ever reach a deal.
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.
