Missing ex-Interpol chief’s wife wants asylum in France
Grace Meng, wife of missing former Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, applied for asylum in France fearing for her life, her lawyer said on Friday.
Dutch PM to May: difficult to ‘tweak’ rejected Brexit deal
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday he had told his British counterpart, Theresa May, he does not see how the current deal on Britain’s exit from the European Union can be “tweaked”.
EU’s Tusk, UK’s May discuss ‘next steps’ on Britain’s side on Brexit
European Council President Donald Tusk and British Prime Minister Theresa May discussed on the phone on Friday “the next steps on the UK side” on Brexit, Tusk said in a Tweet without giving any more detail.
Jailed ex-Mozambican finance minister drops South Africa bail plan
Former Mozambican finance minister Manuel Chang, arrested in South Africa in a case related to $2 billion of fraudulent loans, has abandoned plans to apply for bail, one of his lawyers said on Friday.
At least five people killed in Kashmir avalanche
At least five people were killed when an avalanche hit the truck they were traveling in Kashmir on Friday, and five more people were missing, officials said.
Zimbabwe court rules pastor Mawarire to stand trial for subverting government
A magistrates court in Harare ruled on Friday that Zimbabwean activist pastor Evan Mawarire would stand trial for allegedly subverting the government and that he must appear in court on January 31.
Bulgaria detains 43 people in raids on suspected terrorist financing ring
Bulgarian special police forces arrested 43 people on Friday in coordinated raids across the country on a suspected terrorism financing ring.
Divisions overshadow Lebanon’s Arab summit as few leaders come to Beirut
Divisions among Arab states over Syria, and internal Lebanese disputes, have overshadowed a summit to be held in Beirut this weekend, with several leaders who had planned to come now staying away.
Canada dismisses China’s warning of repercussions over Huawei ban
Canada’s government on Friday dismissed China’s warning of repercussions if Ottawa banned Huawei Technologies Co Ltd [HWT.UL] from supplying equipment to 5G networks, saying it would not compromise on security.
Popcorn to hand, EU watches Brexit show but frets for own future
EU Brexit negotiators are “watching the BBC and eating popcorn”, in the words of one of them, as Britain’s domestic rows over leaving make for compelling TV but frustrate Europe’s hopes for a clean break.
