Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy vowed to use "all political and legal means" to block a Catalan independence bid after separatist parties submitted a bill on secession to the regional Catalan parliament.
The Los Angeles city council is reviewing a $4.1 billion bid proposal for the 2024 Summer Olympics that backers say could produce a surplus of $161 million.
Twenty-six sports, from sumo to surfing, have applied for inclusion in the 2020 Olympics, Tokyo organisers said amid a flaming row over who will pay for the main stadium.
Australia's new government on Tuesday said Chinese telecoms giant Huawei will remain shut out of bidding to build Australia's national broadband network on advice from security agencies.
The political future of former former Brazilian presidential candidate Marina Silva was unclear Friday after she failed to gather enough signatures to register her new party for next year's elections.
Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi abandoned his bid to topple Enrico Letta's government in a humiliating climbdown after key allies rebelled against his leadership.
