Algeria’s Bouteflika consolidates curbs on state intelligence agency
ALGIERS (Reuters) – President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has signed a decree to curb the presence of Algeria’s military intelligence service in public institutions, government sources said, to downgrade his rivals and ensure a smooth transition when he steps…
Botswana votes in poll set to test ruling party dynasty
GABORONE (Reuters) – Botswanans went to the polls on Friday in an election that is expected to see President Ian Khama’s ruling party win a reduced majority as young and middle-class voters send out a warning to a political dynasty which has ruled for …
Japan could deploy minesweepers off S. Korea in war with North, U.S. admiral says
TOKYO (Reuters) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s decision to let Japan’s military fight overseas could open the way for the country to deploy minesweepers in South Korean waters in the event of a war with North Korea, a senior U.S. admiral said on Friday….
Poland lodges appeal with European court over CIA jail ruling
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland has lodged an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights against a ruling made by the court in July that Poland hosted a secret CIA prison on its soil, the Polish foreign ministry said in a statement.
France says air strikes take out weapons arsenal in Iraq
PARIS (Reuters) – French fighter jets destroyed 12 buildings in Iraq holding an arsenal of weapons under control of Islamic State militants, France’s chief of staff of armed forces said on Friday.
Merkel, Putin express hope for gas talks success on October 29: Kremlin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of reaching an agreement on gas supplies to Ukraine in a telephone call, the Kremlin said on Friday.
Three Kurdish militants killed in attack on Turkish power plant
DIYARBAKIR Turkey (Reuters) – Turkish soldiers killed three Kurdish militants who were part of a group that attacked a power plant in the eastern province of Kars, Turkish sources said on Friday.
Chief Palestinian negotiator issues statehood ultimatum
RAMALLAH West Bank (Reuters) – The Palestinians’ chief peace negotiator has laid out in the clearest terms yet plans to establish an independent Palestinian state within three years, even if it means ignoring pleas from the United States not to push ah…
China’s top diplomat to visit Vietnam again amid sea dispute
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s top diplomat will visit Vietnam next week, China said on Friday, five months after he last visited during a period of tension over a Chinese oil drilling rig working in part of the South China Sea both countries claim.
Former Japan PM Fukuda to meet China’s Xi next week: source
TOKYO (Reuters) – Former Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next Wednesday in Beijing, a source familiar with the matter said, setting the stage for a possible meeting between the leaders of Japan and China in N…
