Luxembourg government, finance minister survive no-confidence votes
LUXEMBOURG (Reuters) – Luxembourg’s government and its finance minister survived twin votes of no-confidence in parliament on Thursday over claims that the minister pressured investigators to close an inquiry into a rash of bombings in the Grand Duchy …
Zimbabwean PM Tsvangirai rejects July 31 election date
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai rejected President Robert Mugabe’s declaration of a July 31 election on Thursday, accusing his rival of breaching the constitution and creating a political crisis.
Three oil protesters held, say they scale roof of UK parliament
LONDON (Reuters) – British police arrested three environmentalists on Thursday after protest organizers said they scaled the roof of parliament during a visit by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in an embarrassing security breach before Britain …
Hardliners still split as Iran election campaign ends
DUBAI (Reuters) – Campaigning in Iran’s presidential election ended on Thursday, a day before the vote in which the sole moderate candidate has an outside chance of stealing victory from his hardline rivals.
Qatar leadership change would herald little shift in policy
DOHA (Reuters) – A planned leadership change that could see Qatar’s U.S.-allied Emir eventually ceding power to his son is unlikely to change the Gulf state’s taste for bold investments overseas and assertive support for Arab Spring revolts.
Norway’s opposition stretches poll lead as elections loom
OSLO (Reuters) – Norway’s centre-right opposition widened an already big lead over the ruling Labor Party in opinion polls, putting it firmly on course to win elections in less than three months, a fresh poll showed on Thursday.
Insight: France gambles on Syrian rebels as arms decision nears
PARIS (Reuters) – It’s a warm day on the Turkish-Syrian border. France’s recently recalled ambassador to Syria is incognito with his deputy and a security agent.
Serbia may be on cusp of mining revival after years of decline
BOR, Serbia/LONDON (Reuters) – Serbia’s mining sector, stagnant since the wars that tore Yugoslavia apart in the early 1990s, looks set for a revival as volatile commodity prices increase the allure of countries in Europe with established infrastructur…
Ethiopia ratifies Nile treaty in snub to Egypt
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s parliament unanimously ratified on Thursday a treaty that strips Egypt of its right to the lion’s share of the Nile river waters, raising the political temperature in a dispute between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the c…
Israel presses ahead with settlement expansion plans
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel is pressing on with plans for more than 1,000 new homes in two West Bank settlements, officials said on Thursday, moves that could complicate U.S. efforts to persuade Palestinians, seeking a construction freeze, to return t…
