German government agrees to keep Patriot missiles in Turkey until 2016
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s cabinet on Wednesday agreed to keep two German Patriot missile batteries in southern Turkey for another year, where they are deployed as part of a NATO mission to defend Turkey’s border with Syria.
Violence against Sri Lanka opposition must stop as polls loom: rights body
NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Sri Lanka must take all necessary steps to ensure voters have safe and secure access as the country heads for one of the closest and most significant presidential elections in decades, Human Rights Watch said on…
Pro-Russian group claims cyber attack on German government websites
BERLIN (Reuters) – German government websites, including Chancellor Angela Merkel’s page, were hacked on Wednesday in an attack claimed by a group demanding Berlin end support for the Ukrainian government, shortly before their leaders were to meet.
Berlusconi asks for community service to end early
MILAN (Reuters) – Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi has asked for a one-year community service sentence he is serving for tax fraud to be reduced by 45 days, legal sources said on Wednesday.
Boko Haram threatens Cameroon with violence in video
ABUJA (Reuters) – A man purporting to be the leader of Nigerian militant sect Boko Haram has threatened to step up violence in neighboring Cameroon unless it scraps its constitution and embraces Islam.
Exclusive: Japan seeks to sell sub-hunting jet to UK as Abe pushes arms exports
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan is asking Britain to buy its P-1 submarine-hunting jet in a deal that could top $1 billion, a major step in Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s push to arms exports after decades of self-imposed restrictions, people with knowledge of th…
AirAsia jet tail found underwater, black box may be close by
JAKARTA/PANGKALAN BUN, Indonesia (Reuters) – The tail of a crashed AirAsia jet has been found upturned on the sea bed about 30 km (20 miles) from the plane’s last known location, Indonesia’s search and rescue agency said on Wednesday, indicating the cr…
Three soldiers killed as Ukraine marks Orthodox Christmas
KIEV (Reuters) – Three Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in attacks by Russian-backed separatists in the past 24 hours, Kiev’s military said on Wednesday, in fresh violation of a ceasefire regularly flouted since it was announced in September.
Turkey detains second Dutch journalist in as many days
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Turkish authorities on Wednesday briefly detained a second Dutch journalist in as many days amid growing concern that media freedom in the country is under threat.
African Union says military still weakening Somalia’s al Shabaab
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – A military offensive by Somali and African Union forces has pushed al Shabaab Islamists into two dwindling pockets of territory, in the north and south, the AU’s special envoy said.
