China rebuffs Vietnam criticism of oil rig move
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday rebuffed Vietnam’s second demand this year to move a controversial oil rig and drop plans to drill in South China Sea waters where jurisdiction is unclear, saying it was engaging in normal explorat…
Turkish military hits Kurdish militant PKK targets in Turkey, Iraq: statement
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish warplanes struck targets of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in southeastern Turkey and northern Iraq on Thursday, the military said in a statement on Friday.
Russia-NATO Council may meet within weeks: agencies cite deputy foreign minister
MOSCOW (Reuters) – A meeting of the Russia-NATO Council may take place within weeks for the first time since the Ukraine crisis erupted in 2014, Alexey Meshkov, a deputy Russian foreign minister, was cited as saying on Friday by Russian news agencies.
British Foreign Secretary says bookseller removed from HK under duress
HONG KONG (Reuters) – British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Friday that a Hong Kong bookseller who disappeared from the city under mysterious circumstances late last year had been removed under duress, and that the business community was “un…
Kenya’s Ruto says ICC case collapsed because he’s innocent
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto said on Friday that the International Criminal Court’s case against him and broadcaster Joshua Sang collapsed this week because they are innocent.
Asylum applications jump as Germany processes 2015 backlog
BERLIN (Reuters) – Asylum applications in Germany jumped in the first quarter as authorities processed part of a huge backlog of arrivals from last year.
Australia PM to lead 1,000-strong business delegation to China
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who last month criticized Chinese military deployments in the South China Sea, leads 1,000 business leaders to China next week, hoping to build on a free trade agreement (FTA) between the t…
China’s new Syria envoy praises Russian military mission
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s first special envoy for the Syrian crisis praised Russia’s military role in the war on Friday, and said the international community should work harder together to defeat terrorism in the region.
Belgium to release man held over Paris attacks
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgium’s federal prosecutor said a man held since November in connection with the Nov. 13 Paris attacks would be released on Friday under strict conditions.
Greece ferries migrants to Turkey under EU pact
ATHENS (Reuters) – A ferry carrying 45 migrants left the Greek island of Lesbos for Turkey on Friday, part of a European Union deal that began this week to stem mass migration to Europe across the Aegean Sea.
