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…
EU condemns jailing of topless feminists in Tunisia
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union said on Thursday jail sentences handed down to three European feminist activists who staged a topless protest in Tunisia were too severe and urged the Islamist-led government to reform its laws on freedom of expr…
Czech police detain prime minister’s aide: media
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Police from the Czech Republic’s organized crime unit on Thursday detained a senior aide to Prime Minister Petr Necas, local media reported, in raids on several government offices that were confirmed by police and ministry officials….
EU proposes mandatory nuclear reviews every six years
LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission on Thursday published a draft nuclear safety law that includes mandatory EU-wide reviews every six years in response to lessons learnt from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.
Russia can’t raise state spending forever: Putin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia cannot afford to keep raising state spending, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, but it must find the money to fulfill the social commitments he made on his return to the Kremlin last year.
