Austrian far-right leader's efforts to form a new government collapse

Austrian far-right leader Herbert Kickl says his talks on forming a coalition government with a conservative party have collapsed. Austria’s president gave Kickl a mandate to try to form a new government on Jan. 6 after efforts to put together a governing alliance without his Freedom Party failed. But his talks with the conservative Austrian People’s Party appeared increasingly troubled in recent days with constant talk of policy differences and a clash over who would get which ministries. Kickl informed President Alexander Van der Bellen on Wednesday that he was giving up the mandate.