Germany’s Left urges new alliance to oust Merkel after poll boost
BERLIN (Reuters) – The leader of Germany’s Left party urged the Social Democrats (SPD) on Sunday to rethink their ban on a left-wing alliance as an opinion poll showed the three opposition parties could narrowly beat Chancellor Angela Merkel in the Sep…
Israel puts 91 Jewish settlements on priority spending list
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The Israeli government put 91 Jewish settlements on a national priority funding list on Sunday, adding six to a roster of dozens of enclaves already eligible for supplemental state cash.
Analysis: Zimbabwe’s MDC struggles for survival after election disaster
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe’s MDC party, shocked by its overwhelming election defeat, has a battle on its hands to convince supporters it has any chance of taking power in the years to come.
White House: U.S. willing to engage with Iran on nuclear concerns
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States said on Sunday it is prepared to work with the new government of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to address concerns about Iran’s nuclear program if Iran will engage seriously on the issue.
Saudi Arabia bars Sudan’s Bashir from entering airspace
KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Saudi authorities have prevented Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s plane from entering the kingdom’s airspace, his spokesman said on Sunday.
Security tightens around shuttered Yemen embassies after militant warning
SANAA (Reuters) – Soldiers blocked roads outside Western embassies in Sanaa on Sunday, after a U.S. warning of a possible major militant attack in the Middle East prompted the closure many missions in Yemen and U.S. missions in several other Arab state…
Kuwait forms new Cabinet, includes six royals
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – A veteran former central bank governor was appointed Kuwait’s finance minister on Sunday, state news agency KUNA said, after a parliamentary election in the major crude producer last month.
Iranian President Rouhani takes oath of office before parliament
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took the oath of office before parliament in Tehran on Sunday and was expected later in the day to name a cabinet he said would be chosen from figures across the political spectrum.
Israel’s Netanyahu lampooned for failing to fill top central bank job
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his finance minister, Yair Lapid, were pilloried by Israeli media on Sunday for their failure to fill the job of central bank chief and their lack of a proper vetting process, after two candid…
Syria limits foreign currency use, threatens traders with jail
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian traders who price goods in foreign currency will face up to 10 years in jail, the government announced on Sunday in a move aimed at stemming the increasing dollarization of an economy crippled by two years of civil war.
