Erdogan sees ‘new beginning’ in Turkish-U.S. ties despite Kurdish arms move
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday his visit to the United States next week could mark a “new beginning” in relations between the NATO allies that were shaken by a U.S. decision to arm Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria.
North Korea seeks extradition of South Korea spy chief over ‘assassination plot’
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea demanded on Friday the extradition of South Korea’s spy chief, accusing him of being a mastermind of a plot to assassinate its leader, Kim Jong Un, with a biochemical weapon.
Germany says will tell U.S. at G7 that the world needs its leadership
BARI, Italy (Reuters) – German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday he would tell the U.S. Treasury Secretary that the world needs the United States’ leadership.
Smoke alarm: Indonesians take tiny steps against Big Tobacco
JAKARTA (Reuters) – A neighborhood in the Indonesian capital has informally declared itself a smoke-free zone as students plan further protests against what they see as an increased effort by cigarette companies to target the young.
France’s Macron woos conservative moderates as row simmers with ally
PARIS (Reuters) – Centrist French President elect Emmanuel Macron sought to woo conservative members of parliament to his cause on Friday and head off a row with an ally as he bids for victory in elections for parliament next month.
In Senegal, Iran and Saudi Arabia vie for religious influence
DAKAR (Reuters) – In an upmarket suburb of Senegal’s seaside capital, a branch of Iran’s Al-Mustafa University teaches Senegalese students Shi’ite Muslim theology, among other subjects. The branch director is Iranian and a portrait of Iranian Supreme L…
Nepal to vote in local polls for first time in two decades
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Nepal votes in local elections on Sunday for the first time in 20 years, a major step in the young republic’s difficult transition to democracy more than a decade after the end of its civil war.
Turkey detains dozens of former bourse staff over Gulen links: media
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police detained 53 former employees of the Istanbul stock exchange on Friday over alleged links to the U.S.-based cleric accused of orchestrating last July’s attempted coup, Haberturk newspaper reported.
Fears of U.S. drift on rights under Trump as Cambodia suffers crackdown
PHNOM PENH (Reuters) – As a political crackdown intensifies in Cambodia ahead of elections, critics of veteran strongman Hun Sen fear a change in U.S. priorities under President Donald Trump will reduce pressure to respect human rights.
French-led force postpones Pacific beach attack drills after landing craft mishap
GUAM (Reuters) – A French-led amphibious force, including contingents from Japan, Britain and the United States, postponed their first-ever joint beach attack drills in the Western Pacific on Friday after a landing craft ran aground, commanders said.
