Ukraine troops break out of encirclement, 15 troops killed
KIEV (Reuters) – Ukrainian army units which had been trapped by separatists on the border with Russia broke out of the blockade on Friday and rejoined government forces, but 15 soldiers and border guards were killed in the operation, the Ukrainian mili…
Nigerian army fights to push Boko Haram out of two northeast towns
MAIDUGURI Nigeria (Reuters) – Nigeria’s military fought gun battles with Boko Haram Islamists in two key northeastern towns on Friday, after the militants killed dozens of people and drove soldiers out of Gwoza town two days ago, security sources and t…
Militants say seeking prisoner swap with Lebanon
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamist militants holding 19 Lebanese soldiers seized during an incursion into Lebanon said on Friday they had demanded the release of Islamist prisoners in exchange for letting their captives go.
Spanish civil war nostalgics join fight alongside Ukrainian rebels
DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) – Angel Davilla-Rivas, a Spaniard who came to east Ukraine to fight alongside pro-Russian rebels, proudly shows off two big monochrome portraits of Soviet leaders Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin, tattooed on the right and lef…
China sentences GSK-linked investigators to prison
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China sentenced a British corporate investigator to 2-1/2 years in prison on Friday for illegally obtaining private records of Chinese citizens and selling the information on to clients including drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc.
McCain confident of support for easing arms embargo on Vietnam
HANOI (Reuters) – U.S. Senator John McCain said on Friday he was confident of bipartisan support in Washington for easing restrictions on arms sales to Vietnam as early as next month.
Rival Afghan presidential candidates sign deal to cooperate
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s rival presidential candidates have signed a deal to cooperate on the formation of a government of national unity, both candidates told a news conference following meetings with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Frida…
An independent Scotland could face currency limbo: British lawmakers
LONDON (Reuters) – Scotland may be left in a currency limbo if it votes for independence because it is uncertain if it could continue using the pound or immediately join the euro, British lawmakers warned on Friday.
Bahrain bans three clerics from preaching; opposition condemns move
MANAMA (Reuters) – Bahrain has banned three Muslim clerics from preaching in mosques, accusing them of violating the “ethics and principles of religious discourse”, in what opposition activists said was part of a crackdown on dissent.
Czechs call for EU farm ministers to discuss response to Russia sanctions
PRAGUE (Reuters) – The Czech Republic will call for a meeting of European Union farm ministers to discuss ways to mitigate the impact of Russian ban on imports of European food products, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said on Friday.
