| Markets, Germany wary as Hollande wins in France Posted:  PARIS (Reuters) - Francois Hollande's election as French president was greeted by jitters on European markets and a dour front in Berlin where ruling conservatives warned the Socialist on Monday that Germans were not ready to pay for his promises of an end to austerity. With investors spooked by Greek voters' rejection of parties which slashed budgets to secure an EU/IMF bailout, festivities in Paris after Hollande defeated centre-right incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday soon gave way to a grim sense of getting down to the business of dealing with Europe's deep economic crisis. ...
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| Putin pledges unity on return to Kremlin, protesters held Posted:  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin took the oath as Russia's president on Monday with a ringing appeal for unity at the start of a six-year term in which he faces growing dissent, economic problems and bitter political rivalries. Parliament is expected to approve to his ally Dmitry Medvedev, 46, as prime minister on Tuesday, completing a job swap that has left many Russians feeling disenfranchised two decades after the Soviet Union collapsed. ...
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| Left gets historic chance to pull Greece out of limbo Posted:  ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece's Left Coalition party will get an historic chance on Tuesday to form a government opposed to the country's EU/IMF bailout, after the mainstream conservatives failed to cobble together a coalition following a shock inconclusive election. Alexis Tsipras, whose party was catapulted into second place by voters angry with austerity, will take on the tough task of wooing small groups into forming the first leftist government in Greece's modern history. ...
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| U.S. hostage urges Obama to meet al Qaeda demands Posted:  DUBAI (Reuters) - An American aid worker abducted by al Qaeda in Pakistan last year has pleaded with U.S. President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm. In the short clip posted on Islamist Internet forums, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in the central Pakistani city of Lahore last August, appealed to Obama to "accept and respond to the mujahideen (holy warriors)". "My life is in your hands, Mr. President. ...
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| Simulated sex featured at ex-Italy PM party: trial Posted:  MILAN (Reuters) - Young women simulated oral sex with a Greek statue at a party hosted by former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, a witness said on Monday at a trial where he is accused of paying for sex with an underage prostitute. Chiara Danese, a 20-year-old beauty contest winner, had tears in her eyes as she told a Milan court that Berlusconi asked the women to play sex games with a nude statue of the ancient fertility god Priapus. "He touched the girls while they simulated oral sex with the statue," she said. ...
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| Playboy model steals the show at Mexican election debate Posted: MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's electoral authority apologized to voters on Monday after a sober presidential debate was upstaged by a former Playboy model and her revealing outfit. Clad in a tight-fitting white dress with a cut below the neckline to show much of her cleavage, Julia Orayen was working as an assistant on the televised debate, which focused on the economy and the drug-related violence ravaging Mexico. At the start of Sunday night's debate, Orayen walked in front of the camera to hand out cards to the four candidates, and created an immediate stir on online social media. ... |
| EU tells defiant Iran it "must" suspend atom activity Posted:  VIENNA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union told Iran on Monday it must suspend uranium enrichment, a few days after the Islamic state ruled out doing just that, as Tehran and the West engaged in diplomatic shadow-boxing ahead of nuclear talks this month. The United States called on Iran to take "urgent practical steps" to build confidence during negotiations with world powers on Tehran's nuclear program, which Washington and its allies suspect is a bid to develop an atomic bomb capability. ...
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| Colombia rebels want media debate for Frenchman's release Posted:  BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's leftist FARC rebels accused the government of manipulating journalists and demanded a debate on freedom of information Monday as a step that may lead to the release of a French reporter kidnapped nine days ago. Romeo Langlois, a reporter for news channel France 24, was embedded with government troops carrying out an anti-drug raid when a firefight broke out with members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who later took him hostage. ...
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| Berlusconi's centre-right takes drubbing in Italy local polls Posted:  ROME (Reuters) - Left-wing and protest parties made strong gains in local elections on Monday and the centre-right party of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi saw heavy losses as Italian voters joined other Europeans in venting anger over austerity policies. The results, following the victory of French Socialist Francois Hollande and major losses for traditional big parties in Greece on Sunday, will add to pressure for European leaders to ease measures adopted to counter the financial crisis. ...
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| Syria says many vote in assembly election, opposition denounces "show" Posted:  DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria's government said voters turned out in large numbers on Monday for a parliamentary election it sees as central to its reform program, but opposition supporters denounced the exercise as a sham and reported more fighting between rebels and troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. In Washington, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called the unrelenting bloodshed "totally unacceptable and intolerable." Ban said it was a priority for the United Nations to deploy a mission to supervise a ceasefire as soon as possible and he called on all factions to stop the violence. ...
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| Austerity now dirty word in Europe, but what next? Posted:  The day after Francois Hollande rode to power in France on a slogan of "change now," the conversation in Europe was already different Monday: Austerity had become a dirty word.
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| Greek election impasse heralds lengthy instability Posted:  Greece sank deeper into a political and financial morass on Monday as initial efforts to form a new coalition government failed a day after angry voters punished parties backing the country's international bailout.
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| France president-elect Hollande has full plate Posted:  On his whirlwind first day since winning the French presidential election, Socialist Francois Hollande was set to embark on a crash course in international politics, with a critical visit to Berlin, an invite to the White House, and two top summits already on the agenda.
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| Putin sworn in as Russia's president for 6 years Posted:  Vladimir Putin took the oath of office in a brief but regal Kremlin ceremony on Monday, while on the streets outside thousands of helmeted riot police prevented hundreds of demonstrators from protesting his return to the presidency.
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| UAE squeezes Islamist group on Arab Spring fringe Posted:  Morning prayers had just ended. Worshippers streamed out, squinting into the rising sun and paying no attention to the knot of men wearing the traditional white robes of the Gulf standing nearby.
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| A European primer: What does austerity look like? Posted:  Austerity has been the main prescription across Europe for dealing with the continent's nearly 3-year-old debt crisis, brought on by too much government spending. But what does it mean for the average European? Imagine paying sales tax of 23 percent or more. Or having your wages cut by 15 percent. Or, if you're in Ireland, both. Austerity comes in many forms: higher taxes, fewer state benefits, more job cuts, working longer until retirement, you name it.
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| Egypt's extremist Islamists flex their muscles Posted:  Militants who have vowed allegiance to al-Qaida attack security forces in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula close to Israel and enjoy unchallenged control of two border towns. Radical Islamists in Cairo chant anti-US slogans and dream of turning the most populous Arab country into a religious state.
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| Al-Qaida surprise attack kills 22 Yemeni soldiers Posted:  Al-Qaida militants staged a surprise attack Monday on a Yemeni army base in the south, killing 22 soldiers and capturing 25 just hours after a U.S. drone strike killed a senior figure in the terror network wanted in connection with the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen.
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| Candidates against austerity lead in Italian vote Posted: Several candidates opposed to austerity measures were making a strong showing Monday in Italy's local elections, partial results indicated, in the first nationwide test for Premier Mario Monti since he was named to save Italy from its debt crisis. |
| Syrians vote in election dismissed as a sham Posted:  Syrians voted in parliamentary elections Monday that the government praised as a milestone in promised political reforms, but the opposition boycotted the polls and said they were designed to strengthen President Bashar Assad's grip on power.
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