Spain's left-wing parties in coalition

MADRID • Spain's leading left-wing parties yesterday announced an agreement to form a coalition in a bid to break the country's political deadlock.

"We have reached an agreement to form a coalition government between Unidas Podemos and PSOE," Mr Alberto Garzon, leader of Podemos ally Izquierda Unida, said in a verified tweet.

The agreement, announced two days after Spain's general election on Sunday, marks an attempt to end a political deadlock that has forced Spaniards to go to the polls four times in as many years.

The agreement puts an end to months of squabbling between the two parties, whose failure to agree on a coalition over the summer tipped the country into new elections.

BLOOMBERG

Sri Lankan prisoners demand freedom

COLOMBO • Hundreds of inmates at Sri Lanka's biggest prison staged a second day of protests yesterday, demanding their freedom after the President pardoned a well-connected man convicted of brutally murdering a Swedish teen.

Mr Jude Jayamaha, convicted of killing Ms Yvonne Jonsson in Colombo in 2005, walked free last Saturday following the highly unusual pardon granted by President Maithripala Sirisena, whose term in office ends this weekend.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

UK's Labour Party hit by cyber attack

LONDON • Britain's main opposition Labour Party said yesterday it had suffered a "large-scale cyber attack" which undermined some of its campaign efforts for next month's election.

"We have experienced a sophisticated and large-scale cyber attack on Labour digital platforms," the party, led by veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn, said in a statement.

"We took swift action and these attempts failed due to our robust security systems. The integrity of all our platforms was maintained and we are confident that no data breach occurred." It said that some campaign activities were slowed but were now back to normal.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE