North Korea fires short-range missiles ahead of U.S. defense chief visit to Seoul
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea on Friday test-fired four missiles off its west coast, a week ahead of a visit to Seoul by the U.S. defense secretary, in what South Korea called a bid to stoke tension during its joint military drills with the United Stat…
Moscow condemns ‘anti-Russian campaign’ in U.S.
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia expressed outrage on Friday over a “frenzied anti-Russian campaign” by U.S. media and political analysts, stepping up a war of words that has intensified during the Ukraine crisis.
Silencing of Crimean Tatar TV sparks outcry from rights bodies, Ukraine, Turkey
KIEV (Reuters) – The silencing of a TV station for the Tatar people in Crimea, annexed by Russia from Ukraine a year ago, sparked an outcry on Friday, with Kiev accusing Moscow of trying to stamp out non-Russian influence on the peninsula.
Egypt militant group claims responsibility for Sinai attack on soldiers
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian militant group allied with Islamic State claimed responsibility on Friday for attacks on military checkpoints which killed 15 soldiers and two civilians in the Sinai.
Zimbabwe’s Mugabe ruling party fires former deputy Mujuru
HARARE (Reuters) – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s ruling ZANU-PF has expelled former vice president Joice Mujuru, completing the purging from national politics of a woman who only a year ago was seen as frontrunner to succeed the 91-year-old lead…
Tunisia arrests more suspected militants for Bardo attack
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian security forces have arrested 23 more suspected Islamist militants as part of a crackdown after last month’s Bardo museum attack in which two gunmen killed 21 foreign tourists, the interior ministry said on Friday.
Russia, Greece to discuss EU sanctions, economy in Moscow
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras plan to discuss economic ties and the European Union’s sanctions against Moscow when they meet for talks next week, a Kremlin spokesman said on Friday.
Turkey decries rights abuses of Crimean Tatars, to send observer mission
VILNIUS (Reuters) – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Friday described the situation in Crimea as “unacceptable”, decrying rights abuses against Turkic-speaking Tatars and saying Ankara would dispatch an informal observer mission soon.
China arrests environmental reporter suspected of extortion
BEIJING (Reuters) – Beijing police have arrested an environmental reporter and his associates in an apparent extortion scandal, as China works to crack down on corruption in the news media.
German police doesn’t have staff to check passports in Schengen zone: union
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s police force does not have enough employees to carry out passport checks for flights within Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone, the deputy chairman of the police union said on Friday.
