Russia’s election commission accepts Putin’s documents as presidency candidate
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s central election commission on Wednesday accepted documents from Vladimir Putin needed to register him as a candidate in next March’s presidential ballot.
Support slides for Merkel serving full term as coalition talks beckon
BERLIN (Reuters) – If Angela Merkel becomes German chancellor again, nearly half of voters would want her to quit her term early, according to a poll offering a rare sign that domestic support for Europe’s most influential leader may be waning.
Australian woman escapes the noose for drug trafficking in Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – An Australian mother of three escaped the death penalty on Wednesday after a Malaysian court found her not guilty of drug trafficking.
Russia accuses U.S. of training former Islamic State fighters in Syria
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The chief of the Russian General Staff has accused the United States of training former Islamic State fighters in Syria to try to destabilize the country.
Israel ambassador asks to meet New Zealand pop star Lorde over canceled show
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Israel’s ambassador to New Zealand on Wednesday appealed to the pop star Lorde to meet him after she canceled a show in Tel Aviv after appeals from activists for her to shun Israel as a protest against its treatment of Palestinia…
China says part of Hong Kong rail station to be subject to mainland laws
BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) – China’s parliament on Wednesday said part of a Hong Kong high-speed railway station being built in the city center would be regarded as Chinese territory, an unprecedented move that critics say further erodes the financial…
South Korea says ‘comfort women’ row with Japan unresolved despite 2015 deal
SEOUL (Reuters) – A 2015 deal with Japan over South Korean “comfort women” forced to work in Japan’s wartime military brothels failed to meet the victims’ needs, South Korea said on Wednesday, throwing ties into doubt as both countries seek to rein in …
Russia to supply Turkey with four S-400 missile divisions for $2.5 billion: Kommersant
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia will supply Turkey with four divisions of S-400 surface-to-air missile divisions for $2.5 billion under a deal that has been almost finalised, Sergei Chemezov, head of Russian state conglomerate Rostec, told the Kommersant dai…
Gunman opens fire in Moscow factory, killing one, hostages held: RIA
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A gunman opened fire in a pastry-making factory in Moscow on Wednesday, killing one person and taking an unknown number as hostages, Russian state news agency RIA said, citing a law enforcement source.
U.S., Germany urge China to release jailed activist
BEIJING (Reuters) – The United States and Germany called on China to immediately release a prominent human rights activist who was jailed for eight years on Tuesday for subversion, the harshest sentence passed in a recent crackdown on activism.
