South Africa recalls troops from Congo for misconduct
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South Africa is recalling 50 soldiers from United Nations peacekeeping duties in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on charges of misconduct, the Defense Department said on Friday.
Croatia dissolves parliament, eyes elections in November
ZAGREB (Reuters) – The Croatian parliament, controlled by a center-left coalition, agreed on Friday to dissolve on Sept. 28, paving the way for the European Union’s newest member to hold a general election in November.
Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric says snubbing reforms will revive protests
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s most influential Shi’ite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, reaffirmed on Friday the need for economic and administrative reforms and warned delays would spark a stronger reaction from the streets.
Using fawning foreign students, China tries to polish its image
BEIJING (Reuters) – Faced with a patchy image abroad, China is adopting an unusual tactic in its propaganda campaign: using bright-eyed foreign students to burnish its reputation.
Israel’s soaring population: Promised Land running out of room?
TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Israel’s birth rate, the highest in the developed world and once seen as a survival tactic in a hostile region, could be its undoing unless measures are taken to reverse the trend.
U.S. leads 22 more air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq, Syria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its coalition partners targeted Islamic State with 22 fresh airstrikes in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, the U.S. military said in a statement.
Ukraine government says will propose more sanctions on Russian firms
KIEV (Reuters) – The Ukrainian government said on Thursday it would propose additional sanctions against Russian companies, adding to a blacklist of individuals and companies to face penalties for reasons of “national security.”
Russia could join anti-IS coalition if conditions met: report
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Moscow could “theoretically” join the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq if its conditions are met, Interfax news agency quoted Ilya Rogachev, a director at the Russian foreign ministry, as saying on Friday.
Finnish demonstrators attack refugees with stones and fireworks
HELSINKI (Reuters) – Demonstrators threw stones and launched fireworks at a bus full of asylum seekers arriving at a reception center in Lahti in southern Finland, late on Thursday, Finnish media reported on Friday.
Two Turkish soldiers, 34 Kurdish militants killed: security sources
DIYARBAKIR (Reuters) – Two Turkish soldiers and 34 Kurdish insurgents have been killed in a militant attack and Turkish military operations backed by air strikes, Turkish security sources said on Friday.
