African troops’ morale ‘sky high’ as they push back Boko Haram
DAMASAK, Nigeria (Reuters) – “Boko Haram is finished” shouted a jubilant soldier from Niger as his comrades danced and waved their rifles in the air to celebrate the liberation of the northern Nigerian town of Damasak.
Islamic State video purports to show Kurdish peshmerga beheadings
ERBIL, Iraq (Reuters) – Islamic State has published a video purporting to show the beheading of three Kurdish peshmerga fighters in northern Iraq by militants who threatened to kill “dozens” more of those being held captive.
Energy and Crimean Tatars top agenda as Turkey’s Erdogan visits Ukraine
ANKARA (Reuters) – Energy ties and the fate of Crimean Tatars will top the agenda when Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets his Ukrainian counterpart in Kiev on Friday, but concrete deals are unlikely as he seeks to avoid straining relations with Mos…
Chinese military denies role in reported U.S. hacking
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s Defense Ministry on Friday denied that it had anything to do with a cyber attack on Register.com, a unit of Web.com, following a report in the Financial Times that the FBI was looking into the Chinese military’s involvement….
Thailand jails brothers of former princess for five-and-a-half years
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand on Friday jailed three brothers of a former princess for 5-1/2 years, in the latest court decision giving prison time to family members after her dramatic fall from grace last year.
Australia honors victims of deadly siege as Sydney cafe reopens
SYDNEY (Reuters) – A Sydney cafe that was the scene of a siege three months ago reopened on Friday with plaques honoring two victims killed during the 16-hour standoff, which prompted tighter Australian immigration controls and a review of anti-terror …
Thai military court sentences man to one-and-a-half years for anti-monarchy graffiti
BANGKOK (Reuters) – A Thai military court sentenced a man to one-and-a-half years in prison on Friday for writing graffiti insulting Thailand’s king, the latest in a mounting number of lese-majeste cases following a May coup.
China investigates provincial environment official for graft
BEIJING (Reuters) – The former environment chief in China’s coal-rich northern Shanxi province is being investigated, the country’s anti-graft watchdog said, the latest official to come under suspicion in a broad crackdown on corruption.
Japan to expand SE Asia security ties with Indonesia pact
TOKYO/JAKARTA (Reuters) – Japan will sign a defense pact with Indonesia next week, officials in both governments said, the latest effort by Tokyo to forge closer security ties with Southeast Asian nations and build a counter-balance to China.
Militants attack Kashmir police camp, two dead: police
SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) – Militants stormed a police camp in Indian Kashmir on Friday, killing two policeman and wounding three, a police official said, snapping a three-month lull in attacks that India’s nationalist government has sworn to end.
