Europe

Hungary’s opposition wins Budapest election, makes gains in other cities

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

BUDAPEST – Hungary’s opposition scored its biggest election victory in a decade on Sunday when liberal challenger Gergely Karacsony ousted ruling-party incumbent Istvan Tarlos as mayor of Budapest and opposition parties made gains in other major cities as well. The result will not

Middle East

Hundreds of Algerians protest against proposed energy law

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

ALGIERS – Hundreds of Algerians protested in front of parliament on Sunday against proposed changes to the energy law that they say the caretaker government has no right to pass. The draft law was agreed by the cabinet on Sunday, interim president Abdelkader Bensalah was quoted by state media as saying. It must still be […]

Middle East

Saudi Arabia opens tourist visas to U.S., European visa holders

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

RIYADH – Tourist visas for Saudi Arabia are now available online and on arrival to holidaymakers who already hold a visa from the United States, Britain or the EU’s Schengen zone, expanding eligibility beyond an initial list of 49 countries. The conservative Muslim kingdom, relatively closed off for decades, launched a new visa regime last […]

Middle East

Khamenei tells Iran’s Guards to develop advanced, modern weapons

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

DUBAI – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday to develop more advanced and modern weapons, amid increasingly tense disputes with the United States and Gulf Arab states. Tensions in the Gulf have risen to new highs since May 2018, when the Trump administration withdrew from a 2015 international nuclear […]

USA

As options narrow on Syria, Trump prepares to drop sanctions hammer on Turkey

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump’s administration is set to impose economic sanctions on Ankara, potentially as early as this week, for its incursion into northern Syria, one of the few levers the United States still has over NATO-ally Turkey. Using the U.S. military to stop the Turkish offensive on U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters was never […]

Europe

Spain readies for landmark ruling on Catalan independence trial

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

MADRID – Spain’s Supreme Court is expected to announce on Monday its highly-anticipated verdict in the trial of 12 Catalan separatist leaders over their role in the region’s 2017 banned referendum and short-lived independence declaration. Much is at stake, both for Spain and for its wealthiest region in this trial over a failed independence bid […]

Asia

Hong Kong gears up for pro-democracy rally after latest weekend of unrest

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

HONG KONG – Hong Kong pro-democracy activists plan a rally on Monday evening after another weekend of unrest that saw protesters hurl petrol bombs and police reply with tear gas and rubber bullets, as violence in the Chinese-ruled city shows no signs of letting up. Activists said they planned to gather at Chater Garden in […]

Middle East

Supporters of Tunisia’s Saied celebrate his projected presidential win

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

TUNIS – Thousands of supporters of presidential candidate Kais Saied thronged the grand boulevards of central Tunis in celebration late on Sunday after two exit polls said he was elected by a landslide. Official results will not be published until Monday and Saied’s opponent, the media mogul Nabil Karoui, has left the door open to […]

USA

Argentine presidential front-runner courts moderate voters

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

BUENOS AIRES – The front-runner in Argentina’s presidential election reached out to undecided voters on Sunday, promising both orthodox and unorthodox policies to cure the country’s deep economic troubles. Populist-leaning Alberto Fernandez came out swinging against business-friendly incumbent Mauricio Macri, calling him responsible for the

Asia

Top Philippine cop resigns after accusation of link to drug scandal

Editorial Bureau October 14, 2019

MANILA – The Philippines’ police chief stepped down on Monday less than a month before his retirement, after he was accused of involvement in “recycling” confiscated drugs, an allegation that could undermine the government’s anti-narcotics campaign. President Rodrigo Duterte has made a bloody war on drugs his signature campaign, to the