Syrian army says it shot down Israeli jet
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s army high command said in a statement on Friday Israeli jets breached Syrian air space early in the morning and attacked a military target near Palmyra in what it described as an act of aggression that aided Islamic State.
Sirens blare as Japan, fearing North Korea, holds first missile drill
OGA, Japan (Reuters) – Sirens blared and loudspeakers broadcast warnings in Japan’s first civilian missile evacuation drill on Friday, conducted in a fishing town by officials wary about the threat of North Korean missiles.
Air strike kills 42 refugees off Yemen, Somalia demands investigation
DUBAI (Reuters) – Forty-two Somali refugees were killed when a helicopter gunship attacked their boat off Yemen on Thursday, the United Nations refugee agency said, and Somalia called on the Saudi-led coalition fighting in the country to investigate.
Philippines to strengthen military facilities in South China Sea
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines said on Friday it would strengthen its military facilities on islands and shoals in the disputed South China Sea and announced initial plans to build a new port and pave an existing rough airstrip.
Swiss won’t help Turks prosecute Erdogan critic
ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland has rejected a Turkish request for legal assistance in prosecuting a suspect accused of insulting President Tayyip Erdogan, ruling that the comments in question were protected by Swiss free speech provisions.
French carrier to lead joint amphibious Pacific drill in show of force aimed at China: sources
TOKYO (Reuters) – In a display of military power aimed at China, France will dispatch one of its powerful Mistral amphibious carriers to lead drills on and around Tinian island in the western Pacific, with Japanese and U.S. personnel and two troop-carr…
Hungary to finish second border fence by end of May: PM Orban
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary’s second line of fences on its border with Serbia will be built by the end of May and will be able to prevent any new wave of migrants coming from Turkey, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio on Friday.
Taliban car bomb hits army base in eastern Afghanistan
KHOST, Afghanistan (Reuters) – A suicide car bomb detonated near an army base in the eastern Afghan province of Khost on Friday, killing one soldier and wounding several before the army repelled at attack on the base by four gunmen, the district chief …
Missile row drives Korean culture underground in China
SHANGHAI/SEOUL (Reuters) – Cai Yufang, 21, is a big fan of Korean television dramas like “Shopping King Louie”, a show about a profligate chaebol heir who loses his memory and learns the value of love and labor from a sweet, simple country girl.
Japan PM Abe battles scandal on two fronts as questions swirl
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, now in a rare fifth year as leader, is battling scandals on two separate fronts as questions swirl about his ties to a nationalist school involved in a murky land deal and his defense minister faces…
