Bulgaria parliament ratifies fighter jets repair deal with Poland
SOFIA (Reuters) – Bulgaria’s parliament ratified on Friday an agreement with NATO ally Poland for the repair of its ageing Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets, part of a push by the Balkan country to reduce its reliance on Russia.
Dijsselbloem: Refugee crisis could trigger ‘mini-Schengen’
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Dutch finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem warned that countries which fail to adequately guard Europe’s borders and do not take in a fair share of refugees could find themselves outside the borders of a future “mini-Schengen” zone…
Germany says wants to keep Schengen in current form
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany wants to keep Europe’s Schengen free-travel zone in its current form, a senior official said on Friday, when asked about comments from the Dutch finance minister describing a reduced “mini-Schengen” area as a serious option.
Turkey has ‘big interest’ in revitalizing EU ties: Germany
BERLIN (Reuters) – Turkey has signaled that it has a major interest in improving ties with the European Union, a senior German official said on Friday, days before a summit between the EU and Turkey.
Germany arrests man who may have sold guns to Paris attackers
BERLIN (Reuters) – Prosecutors in the southern German city of Stuttgart confirmed on Friday they had arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of arms dealing but declined to comment on a report that he may have supplied the militants in Paris with four …
Thai junta faces backlog of industry problems as global scrutiny mounts
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s military seized power last year vowing to halt years of political unrest. Now the junta faces one dividend of its imposed peace: a snowballing backlog of safety and compliance problems within key industries that previous …
Israel to open representative office in Abu Dhabi
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel plans to open a diplomatic-level mission to the International Renewable Energy Agency in Abu Dhabi, the first openly established representative office in the United Arab Emirates, Israeli diplomats said on Friday.
Ten EU nations say Nord Stream gas extension not in EU interests
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Russia’s plans to extend its gas link to Germany run counter to EU interests and risk further destabilizing Ukraine, 10 European governments said in a letter to the European Commission that called for a summit-level debate on the i…
Senior Labour members may quit over Syria action: BBC
LONDON (Reuters) – Several senior members of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party may resign if they are forced to vote in line with their leader’s view that the country should not extend air strikes to Syria, the BBC reported on Friday.
Kurds should be at Saudi-held Syria opposition meet: leader
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian Kurds need political and military representation at a Syrian opposition conference organized by Saudi Arabia next month because they are a main partner fighting Islamic State and important to Syria’s future, a Syrian Kurdish l…
