U.S. films, hip hop inspire young immigrants’ ‘American dream’
Jimmy Martinez, a 22-year old Salvadoran who has traveled north since October in a caravan of Central American migrants seeking to reach the United States, wears his shorts low and baggy and his hair slicked back like his favorite U.S. hip hop artists….
Kurdish-led forces in Syria may not be able to contain IS prisoners, official says
Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria may not be able to continue to detain Islamic State prisoners if the situation in the region gets out of control, top Syrian Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed said on Friday.
Russia launches investigation into BBC as dispute with Britain escalates
Russia’s media regulator said on Friday it had launched an investigation into the activities of British public broadcaster the BBC, a move it described as a response to pressure being put on a Russian TV channel in Britain.
EU extends Mediterranean mission by three months despite Italian threats
The European Union has prolonged the mandate of its naval security mission in the Mediterranean until the end of March, it said in a statement on Friday.
Indonesian Muslims protest against China’s treatment of Uighurs
Hundreds of Muslims held a rally outside the Chinese embassy in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, on Friday to protest against the treatment of members of the mostly Muslim ethnic Uighur minority in China’s far western Xinjiang region.
Japan protests to South Korea over ‘extremely dangerous’ radar lock on plane
Japanese Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya “strongly protested” to South Korea on Friday after a South Korean destroyer locked its targeting radar on a Japanese surveillance plane, he said.
U.S. withdrawal from Syria does not affect German mandate: ministry
The United States’ sudden change of course on Syria has no direct impact on Germany’s mandate in the fight against Islamic State, a German defense ministry spokesman said in a regular government news conference on Friday.
Myanmar army pauses operations in north in rare conciliatory action
The Myanmar military on Friday announced a more than four-month cessation of its activities in northern areas where it is fighting ethnic minority insurgents, in what appeared to be a rare conciliatory move aimed at kick-starting peace talks.
Belgian king accepts PM resignation, installs caretaker government
Belgian King Philippe accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Michel on Friday and requested his administration stay on in a caretaker capacity.
Germany calls for clarity from U.S. after Mattis resignation
Germany’s Defense Minister Ursula Von der Leyen on Friday called for clarity from the United States after the abrupt resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
