Russia expels Bulgarian diplomat in tit-for-tat move
The Russian government has expelled a Bulgarian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move after Sofia declined a visa to Russia’s incoming defense attache, Bulgaria’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.
Cyprus petitions The Hague to safeguard offshore rights
Cyprus has petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to safeguard its offshore mineral rights, its president said on Thursday, upping the ante with neighbor Turkey which disputes its claims.
India may force social media platforms to offer user verification: government sources
India’s proposed new privacy bill may require large social media platforms to offer an identify-verification option, a potentially precedent-setting effort to rein in the spread of “fake news”, two government sources told Reuters on Thursday.
China too distracted to worry about Taiwan, Taipei mayor says
China has too many other issues to worry about at the moment, from protests in Hong Kong to a slowing economy, to give much thought to Taiwan, the mayor of Taipei, sometimes seen as a potential future president, said on Thursday.
Finland’s Social Democrats set to pick PM candidate on Sunday
Finland’s Social Democrats, who lead the five-party government, will hold a council meeting on Sunday, Dec. 8 where they are set to pick a candidate for prime minister after incumbent Antti Rinne was forced out by coalition partner the Centre Party.
Striking unions cripple Paris in stand-off with Macron
France’s public transport networks ground to a near halt on Thursday as unions dug in for a nationwide strike aimed at forcing President Emmanuel Macron to abandon plans to overhaul the country’s Byzantine pension system.
Five dead in gas explosion at Polish ski resort
Five people died after a three-story building in the southern Polish ski resort of Szczyrk collapsed on Wednesday following a gas explosion, local authorities said on Thursday.
Japanese doctor made the Afghan deserts green, until deadly attack
Tetsu Nakamura, the Japanese doctor and aid worker killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, was inspired to make the country’s deserts green by the deaths of children in a clinic he ran in a drought-stricken rural area.
Four dead in gas explosion at Polish ski resort
Four people have died after a three-story building in the southern Polish ski resort of Szczyrk collapsed on Wednesday following a gas explosion, a local police spokesman said on Thursday.
A weakened Trudeau seen reaching out to Canada’s opposition as parliament convenes
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will formally unveil the agenda of his weakened minority government on Thursday and looks set to reach out to the opposition for support on tax cuts, healthcare and fighting climate change.
