Brexit deal could be template for EU ties to Ukraine, Turkey, Germany’s Gabriel says
BERLIN (Reuters) – An EU agreement with Britain on relations after Brexit could serve as a model for ties with other countries that want to be as close as possible to the bloc but are not yet ready to join, such as Ukraine and Turkey, Germany’s foreign…
Saudi Arabia releases corruption detainees, others to stand trial: report
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has released 23 of the 200-or-so powerful individuals detained since November on corruption charges after they reached deals with the government, Okaz newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Kremlin: Must check if Navalny election boycott call complies with law
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Calls by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to boycott next year’s presidential elections need to be carefully studied to see whether they comply with the law, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
Russia establishing permanent presence at its Syrian bases: RIA
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has started establishing a permanent military presence at naval and air bases in Syria, the defense minister said on Tuesday as parliament ratified a deal with Damascus to cement Russian presence in the country, the RIA news a…
China hands down harshest sentence yet in crackdown on activists
BEIJING (Reuters) – China sentenced a prominent rights activist to eight years in jail for subversion on Tuesday, his lawyer said, the harshest sentence passed in a government crackdown on activism that began more than two years ago.
Russia establishing permanent presence at its Syria bases: RIA cites minister
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that Russia has begun establishing a permanent presence at its military bases in Tartus and Hmeimim in Syria, RIA news agency said.
North Korea likely to pursue talks, South says in rosy New Year forecast
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea predicted on Tuesday that North Korea would look to open negotiations with the United States next year in an optimistic outlook for 2018, even as Seoul set up a specialized military team to confront nuclear threats from th…
China halts oil product exports to North Korea in November as sanctions bite
BEIJING (Reuters) – China exported no oil products to North Korea in November, Chinese customs data showed, apparently going above and beyond sanctions imposed earlier this year by the United Nations in a bid to limit petroleum shipments to the isolate…
China, Pakistan to look at including Afghanistan in $57 billion economic corridor
BEIJING (Reuters) – China and Pakistan will look at extending their $57 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday, part of China’s ambitious Belt and Road plan linking China with Asia, Eur…
Japan considers refitting helicopter carrier for stealth fighters: government sources
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is considering refitting the Izumo helicopter carrier so that it can land U.S. Marines F-35B stealth fighters, government sources said on Tuesday, as Tokyo faces China’s maritime expansion and North Korea’s missile and nuclear d…
