Tag

#Politics

Home » Politics

2190 posts
Bookmark?Remove?

Spanish prime minister moderately optimistic about economic recovery

MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday he was moderately optimistic about the country’s economic recovery from its worst downturn on record caused by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Sanchez reiterated that gross domesti... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Comedian mocks Zimbabwe’s government, despite fear of reprisal

HARARE (Reuters) – Victor Mpofu is using satire to shine a light on Zimbabwe’s political problems, reaching a growing audience despite living in fear of retribution from President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government. Mpofu, aka Doc Vikela, has seen his followers o... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Trump says he is considering pardon for leaker Edward Snowden

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he is considering a pardon for Edward Snowden, the former U.S. National Security Agency contractor – now living in Russia – whose spectacular leaks shook the U.S. intelligence community in 201... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Saudi King Salman, 84, admitted to hospital

RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s 84-year-old ruler, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has been admitted to hospital in the capital Riyadh, suffering from inflammation of the gall bladder, state news agency SPA said on Monday. The king, who has ruled the world’s larg... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Biodegradable grass fresco in Geneva marks U.N.’s 75th anniversary

GENEVA (Reuters) – A French artist has painted a large biodegradable fresco on the lawn of the United Nations’ European headquarters in Geneva, marking Friday’s 75th anniversary of its founding. Saype, who was born Guillaume Legros, created the “World In Progr... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Sudan finds mass grave of conscripts killed during Bashir’s rule

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudan’s public prosecutor on Monday announced the discovery of a mass grave east of Khartoum suspected to contain the remains of students killed in 1998 as they tried escaping military service at a training camp. An investigation had been ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Jehovah’s Witness jailed in Russia for extremism, lawyer says

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A Russian court on Tuesday sentenced a Jehovah’s Witness to six and a half years in prison after finding him guilty of organising the activities of a banned extremist organisation, his lawyer said. The ruling at the Pskov City Court, handed ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Netanyahu fate at stake as coalition deal challenged in top court

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s top court on Monday heard challenges to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bid to secure a governing coalition, with opposition figures arguing a deal on a new unity administration would unlawfully shield him in a corruption tri... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Russia drops plans for Putin mosaic in military church

MOSCOW (Reuters) – A grandiose mosaic depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and other high-ranking officials will not be put on display in a new military church after objections from the Kremlin leader, a church official said on Friday. Russia is building... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Lesotho PM appears in court to hear charges of murdering wife

MASERU (Reuters) – Lesotho’s Prime Minister Thomas Thabane appeared in court on Monday to hear charges of murdering his estranged wife, a Reuters witness saw. Thabane, 80, is suspected of involvement in the murder of his then wife Lipolelo, who was shot dead i... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Italy’s Salvini fails in bid to seize left’s northern stronghold

ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s right-wing League leader Matteo Salvini failed to overturn decades of leftist rule in the northern region of Emilia-Romagna on Sunday in an election that brought relief to the embattled center-left. With 98 percent of the ballots count... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

After Britain appeals for weirdos, spoon bender Uri Geller applies

LONDON (Reuters) – Spoon-bending celebrity psychic Uri Geller, 73, has applied for a job in the British government in response to an advert for “misfits” and “weirdos”, saying no other candidate would possess his powers. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Azeri parliament asks to be dissolved, calls for snap elections

BAKU (Reuters) – Azerbaijan’s parliament on Monday formally asked President Ilham Aliyev to dissolve it and to schedule new parliamentary elections. The next election is not due until November 2021, but the president has the right to dissolve the parliament an... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Make up your minds, Merkel protegee tells new SPD leaders

BERLIN (Reuters) – The coalition deal forming the basis of Germany’s ruling alliance is not up for renegotiation and the new leaders of the Social Democrats (SDP) must decide whether or not they want to stay in government, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s protegee s... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

From euro to ESM, Italy’s Salvini re-trains his eurosceptic fire

ROME (Reuters) – Matteo Salvini has recently dropped threats to take Italy out of the euro zone but the hard-right leader is now alarming European authorities with a new target for his eurosceptic anger: a planned reform of the region’s bailout fund. Euro zone... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

German 5G bidders must guarantee no foreign state meddling: CDU

LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) – Bidders for German 5G rollout contracts must guarantee the network will be free of foreign state influence, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats agreed on Saturday, stopping short of singling out China’s Huawei. After a h... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Furor erupts in Italy over euro zone bailout fund reform

ROME (Reuters) – Proposals to reform the euro zone’s bailout fund are creating a political storm in Italy, where parties and institutions are battling over whether Rome should try to block the reform at the EU level. A draft of the reform was agreed by euro zo... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Italy’s Salvini triumphs in regional elections in Umbria

ROME (Reuters) – A right-wing coalition scored a net victory in a local election in the central Italian region of Umbria, official data from the Interior Ministry showed on Monday, giving a boost to Matteo Salvini’s League party. The vote in tiny Umbria, a tra... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

For Trump, Baghdadi death a signature moment, but troubles remain

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – For President Donald Trump, the death of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is a signature achievement that may help quell growing criticism from his own ranks, but it is unlikely to offer much relief from Democratic-led scrutiny ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Indonesia president targets ‘innovative’ cabinet, taps Gojek CEO

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Monday he wanted “innovative” ministers in his cabinet for a second term, as the co-founder of tech startup Gojek said he would join and a former chairman of Inter Milan soccer club was tipped for a ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Spain’s acting prime minister to visit Barcelona

MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s acting prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said he would travel to Barcelona on Monday to visit police officers injured in protests that have rocked the Spanish region of Catalonia. Protesters on Sunday took to the streets for the seventh... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Gojek CEO quits to join Indonesian cabinet, replacements named

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Gojek CEO and co-founder Nadiem Makarim said on Monday he had resigned to join Indonesia’s cabinet, and the ride-hailing and payments company said two senior officials would jointly take over running operations of the $10 billion firm. Pres... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Irish PM’s popularity surges as Brexit takes centre stage: poll

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s approval rating has jumped sharply as voters back his government’s approach on Brexit ahead of a parliamentary election he wants to hold in May, a poll showed on Tuesday. However, the surge in Varadkar’s p... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Venezuela’s opposition says Norway-mediated dialogue with Maduro…

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition said on Sunday a dialogue mediated by Norway’s Foreign Ministry to try to resolve the country’s political crisis had ended, six weeks after President Nicolas Maduro’s government suspended participation. The talks, mos... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Seven-time Olympian, pioneer woman lawmaker Hashimoto appointed…

TOKYO (Reuters) – Named after the Olympic flame when she was born days before Japan hosted the Summer Olympics in 1964, Seiko Hashimoto has lived up to her name by taking part in seven Olympics and doing it in two sports. The 54-year-old ruling party lawmaker ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Diplomat says U.S. does not want military intervention in…

CARACAS (Reuters) – The United States is not seeking a military intervention as a solution to the economic and political crisis in Venezuela, the U.S. envoy to the troubled South American nation said in an interview published by a Venezuelan online news site o... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Germany’s Scholz sees no sign Italy will trigger euro crisis

BERLIN (Reuters) – There is no sign of a looming euro zone crisis due to political upheaval in Italy, German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Wednesday. Asked if he feared a new euro zone crisis, Scholz told German television: “No, there is no sign of that... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Zimbabwe police ban opposition protest planned for Monday

HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwe police have banned an anti-government demonstration planned for Monday by the country’s main opposition party in the city of Bulawayo, saying it would likely result in “public disorder”. Police banned another demonstration planned b... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Russia tells Google not to advertise ‘illegal’ events after…

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s state communications watchdog has asked Google (GOOGL.O) to stop advertising “illegal mass events” on its YouTube video platform, it said on Sunday. Tens of thousands of Russians staged what observers called the country’s biggest po... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Singapore PM’s brother backs opposition party in election twist

SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The Singapore prime minister’s estranged brother has thrown his support behind a newly-formed opposition party in an intriguing twist ahead of elections expected to be held as soon as this year. In Facebook comments made late Sunday, Lee ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Networks invite Democratic presidential candidates to climate…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. cable networks CNN and MSNBC have invited Democratic presidential candidates to participate in televised town hall events in September focused on climate change after activists and some candidates pressured party officials for month... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

South Africa’s Zuma denies breaking law with business brothers

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Former South African President Jacob Zuma told a corruption inquiry on Monday that he had never broken the law with the Gupta family, describing the businessmen at the center of an influence-peddling scandal as friends. Zuma also said ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

South Africa’s Zuma tells corruption inquiry there is conspiracy…

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – Former South African president Jacob Zuma told a corruption inquiry on Monday that there was a conspiracy against him and that his enemies had subjected him to a “character assassination” because they wanted him out of power. “This com... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Venezuela opposition says it will meet Maduro envoys in…

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s opposition will meet with representatives of President Nicolas Maduro’s government in Barbados for talks mediated by Norway, the parties involved said on Sunday, as part of efforts to resolve an ongoing political crisis. Opposit... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Venezuela’s Maduro ratifies Padrino as defense minister

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday announced he will maintain Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino in his post, following months of rumors that top military brass would be replaced after a failed uprising in April. The Trump adminis... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Mini-bill plan creates fissures within Italy’s League

MILAN (Reuters) – A controversial plan for Italy to issue so-called mini-bills to settle overdue state payments is opening cracks within the country’s ruling League party, after a prominent party official on Sunday dismissed it as “unrealistic.” Mini-bills, or... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Rival in UK PM race calls on frontrunner Johnson to answer…

LONDON (Reuters) – The frontrunner to be Britain’s next prime minister, Boris Johnson, came under renewed pressure on Sunday to explain the circumstances of a late-night row between him and girlfriend that led to the police being called to their home. Polls co... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Venezuela frees jailed opposition lawmaker ahead of U.N. rights…

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela on Monday freed opposition lawmaker Gilber Caro, who was detained in April in what allies said was a violation of his parliamentary immunity, the opposition-controlled National Assembly said on Twitter. The move by President Nicol... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Italy PM says EU budget action could jeopardise national savings:…

MILAN (Reuters) – Italy’s ruling parties could expose the nation to market shocks and put its savings at risk if they were not ready to compromise with the European Union over their budget plans, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told Corriere della Sera newspaper... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Civil disobedience campaign empties streets of Sudan’s capital

KHARTOUM (Reuters) – A campaign of civil disobedience to demand civilian rule left the streets of Sudan’s capital Khartoum largely deserted as the working week began on Sunday, while a 20-year-old man was shot dead in Omdurman, witnesses and opposition medics ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Moderate leaders try to protect Italy – from their own government

ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s prime minister and economy minister have formed an unofficial alliance with the president to prevent the euro zone’s third-largest economy being dragged into financial crisis by its ruling parties, sources say. Prime Minister Giuseppe ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Amid USS McCain controversy, Pentagon says military will not be…

SEOUL (Reuters) – The Pentagon has told the White House that the U.S. military will not be politicized, a U.S. official said on Sunday, in response to a controversy after officials directed the United States Navy to keep the USS John S. McCain out of sight dur... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Thai parties meet to discuss deal to keep coup leader as PM

BANGKOK (Reuters) – Two Thai political parties were meeting leaders of a pro-army party on Monday to discuss a possible deal to keep military junta chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha on as prime minister more than two months after a disputed election. An agreemen... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Loyalty of Italy’s League to coalition partner unreasonable:…

MILAN (Reuters) – League’s loyalty to Italian coalition partner M5S is unreasonable and can’t last for ever, cabinet secretary Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Monday. “Faced with the 5Stars movement’s reiterated attacks, (Italian Deputy Prime Minister and League l... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

UK police will not probe sacked defense minister over Huawei leak

LONDON (Reuters) – British police will not investigate the sacked defense minister, Gavin Williamson, after a senior officer said the information that was leaked about Chinese telecoms company Huawei was too minor to count as a criminal offence. Prime Minister... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Venezuelans rally to demand power, water and end to Maduro

CARACAS (Reuters) – After weeks of power cuts and limited access to water, tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets on Saturday to back opposition leader Juan Guaido and protest against President Nicolas Maduro, who they accuse of wrecking the econ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

U.S. buyers of Venezuelan oil sub in Shell, BP offshore crude

NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry have made winners out of Royal Dutch Shell Plc and BP Plc, Gulf of Mexico offshore heavyweights, as refiners in need of substitutes are scooping up oil produced in the region. Those two companies ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Malaysia to summon two Goldman Sachs units ahead of 1MDB case

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian prosecutors on Monday said they would issue summonses to units of U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs in London and Hong Kong, requiring them to respond by June to criminal charges filed against them last year. Soon after bein... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Colombia cancels entrance cards for 300 Venezuelan Maduro supporters

BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s migration office on Friday said it canceled over 300 daily entrance passes for Venezuelan politicians and their families who support President Nicolas Maduro. Colombia has borne the brunt of the exodus of Venezuelans fleeing malnu... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Contradicting Trump, Merkel says Islamic State not defeated

BERLIN (Reuters) – Islamic State is far from defeated, and instead is morphing into an asymmetrical warfare force after the militant group lost almost all of the territory it once controlled in Syria, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday. Merkel’s re... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Top German conservative hints at slower coal phase-out in nod to…

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s phasing out of coal-fired power stations could be delayed beyond 2038 if the deadline creates problems for the security of electricity supply, a senior legislator in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party said. The phase-out, proposed la... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

As West turns on him, Venezuela’s Maduro flexes military muscle

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro oversaw a display of the army’s Russian hardware on Sunday, with anti-aircraft flak and tank rounds pounding a hillside to show military force and loyalty in the face of an international ultimatum for new... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

China police detain students protesting crackdown on Marxist group

BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese police detained a group of students on Friday who were protesting against a crackdown on a campus Marxist society, whose former head was held by police on the 125th birthday of the founder of modern China, Mao Zedong.China has an aw... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Malaysia seeks $7.5 billion in reparations from Goldman Sachs: FT

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia is seeking $7.5 billion in reparations from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) over its dealings with scandal-linked state fund 1MDB, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Friday, citing the finance minister. Separately, Bloomberg ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Brazil makes official intervention in state bordering Venezuela

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazilian President Michel Temer has signed a decree making official a federal “intervention” in the state of Roraima which borders Venezuela, the government’s official newspaper said on Monday. Waves of Venezuelan migrants have ente... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

New leader nets German conservatives a 3-point poll gain

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives gained support in a poll published on Monday after her Christian Democrats (CDU) chose centrist Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as the new party leader. Kramp-Karrenbauer, often dubbed “mini Merkel”... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Sri Lanka court bars Rajapaksa from office, disputed PM to appeal

COLOMBO (Reuters) – A Sri Lankan court issued an order preventing Mahinda Rajapaksa and his disputed cabinet from holding office on Monday, heightening the island’s political drama and drawing an immediate vow to appeal from the prime minister. The South Asian... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Play depicts Lebanon as building at risk of collapse

BEIRUT (Reuters) – The squabbling residents of a dilapidated building at risk of collapse serve as an allegory for Lebanon’s political and religious divisions in a new drama by satirical playwright Georges Khabbaz. The play “Only If – Something Changes” is int... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Trump denies wrongdoing, says lawyer’s tape ‘perhaps illegal’

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday denied any wrongdoing a day after reports that his onetime attorney Michael Cohen had recorded them both discussing buying the rights to a story by a woman who said she had an affair with Trump. Th... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Ousted Pakistani PM Sharif gets 10-year jail term ahead of polls

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A Pakistani court on Friday sentenced ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison for corrupt practices linked to his family’s purchase of upscale London flats, in a major blow to his party ahead of general elections on July ... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Merkel: after successful bailouts, euro zone needs reform

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that further euro zone reform was needed to nip possible future crises in the bud, after aid programs to some member states had been successful. Addressing parliament before heading to an EU l... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Euro zone not facing new debt crisis: EU’s Juncker

BERLIN (Reuters) – There is no threat of a new sovereign debt crisis in the euro zone despite an anti-establishment coalition government taking power in Italy, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said in remarks published on Saturday. Asked by th... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Italy’s crisis could become a disaster, warns Germany’s DIHK

BERLIN (Reuters) – Political turmoil in Italy, the euro zone’s third largest economy, could hit economic growth in Germany and affect the whole euro zone, the Berlin-based DIHK Chambers of Industry and Commerce said on Wednesday. The likelihood of snap Italian... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Germany’s Merkel laments fraying of multilateral order

BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany is worried by signs of weakening in the network of multilateral organizations and agreements designed to foster international cooperation, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday. Merkel blamed the fraying of the multilateral order o... More »

Bookmark?Remove?

Merkel tells Italy: euro zone rules must frame economic discussions

BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Monday she would work with any coalition government formed in Italy, but she also warned that any discussions on economic policy would have to be within the rules governing the euro zone. Anti-establis... More »