Spend on defense, Merkel’s allies say, widening gap with SPD
BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Bavarian sister party (CSU) has proposed increasing Germany’s defense spending to a level that widens a policy gap with the Social Democrats (SPD) ahead of talks on forming a governing coalition.
Riot police break up anti-government protest in western Iran
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian riot police dispersed protesters shouting anti-government slogans in the western city of Kermanshah on Friday, a day after similar protests in the country’s northeast, the semi-official news agency Fars reported.
Hours after Afghan blast, confused families searched desperately for news
KABUL (Reuters) – Hours after the explosion that tore through a Shi’ite cultural center in the Afghan capital Kabul on Thursday, desperate families were still searching for news, as burned bodies were brought in and wards at the nearby Istiqlal hospita…
Spanish PM calls for Catalan parliament to be formed on Jan. 17
MADRID (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called for a Catalan parliament to be formed on Jan. 17, the first step in reinstating a local government that was taken over by Madrid after illegally declaring independence in October.
Ruling by South Africa’s top court heaps more pressure on embattled Zuma
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that parliament had failed to hold President Jacob Zuma to account over a scandal related to state-funded upgrades to his home, and must launch proceedings that could remove h…
After Trump criticism, China denies selling oil illicitly to North Korea
BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China on Friday denied reports it had been illicitly selling oil products to North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was unhappy that China had allowed oil to reach the isolat…
Gunmen attack church near Cairo, killing nine: ministry
CAIRO (Reuters) – Gunmen killed at least nine people including three police in an attack on a Coptic Christian church south of Cairo on Friday, medical and security sources said.
Tanzania threatens to de-register churches who rap president from pulpit
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – Tanzania has threatened to revoke the registration of religious organizations that “mix religion and politics” after a cleric criticized President John Magufuli’s leadership in a Christmas sermon. Opposition leaders in Tanzania say tolerance for dissent has been rapidly disappearing since Magufuli took office in late 2015 with pledges to reform East Africa’s third-biggest economy and crack down on large-scale corruption. Tanzania’s constitution protects freedom o
Turkey, Russia sign deal on supply of S-400 missiles: media
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey and Russia have signed an accord regarding the supply of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missiles to Turkey, CNN Turk and other media reported on Friday, finalising a deal the two countries have been working on for more than a ye…
India rooftop restaurant fire kills 14 during birthday party
MUMBAI (Reuters) – Fire swept through a rooftop restaurant in the Indian financial hub of Mumbai early on Friday, killing at least 14 people, most of them women attending a birthday party, including the celebrant who had just turned 28, police and fami…
