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North and South Korea stand their ground as deadline looms

By Ju-min Park and James Pearson SEOUL (Reuters) – North and South Korea appeared headed toward another clash, as Seoul refused an ultimatum that it halt anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts by Saturday afternoon or face military action, and North Korea said its troops were on a war footing. South Korean Vice Defense Minister Baek Seung-joo said on Friday it was likely the North would fire at some of the 11 sites

MH370 debris exposes divisions over air crash investigations

By Tim Hepher PARIS (Reuters) – Air crash investigators risk being sidelined in a tussle to unlock the secrets of lost flight MH370, fuelling concerns that their role in making flying safer could be diminished. By drifting on to Reunion Island, the barnacled remains of a Boeing wing part from the Malaysia Airlines jet have given the upper hand to a French judicial investigation, exposing for the second time this

China's land reclamation in South China Sea grows: Pentagon report

China has reclaimed more land in the disputed Spratly islands of the South China Sea than previously known, according to a new Pentagon report, which says Beijing is also completing construction of a runway on one of its seven man-made outposts. Once the airstrip on Fiery Cross Reef is operational, China could potentially use it as an alternative runway for carrier-based planes, allowing the Chinese military to conduct “sustained operations”

Far left splits from Tsipras as Greece heads to elections

By George Georgiopoulos and Renee Maltezou ATHENS (Reuters) – Rebels opposed to Greece’s international bailout walked out of the leftist Syriza party on Friday, formalising a split after its leader Alexis Tsipras resigned as prime minister and paved the way for early elections. Greece’s president gave the conservative opposition a chance to form a new government following Tsipras’s resignation on Thursday, but the country appears almost certain to be heading

Second group of U.S-trained Syrian rebels could be deployed 'within weeks'

By Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A second group of rebel fighters trained in Turkey by the U.S.-led coalition could be deployed to Syria within weeks as part of a campaign to push Islamic State insurgents away from the border, diplomatic sources told Reuters on Friday. The United States and Turkey plan to provide air cover for what Washington judges to be moderate Syrian rebels, in a joint operation to

Houthis say 43 killed in air strikes on central Yemen city

Iranian-allied fighters controlling much of Yemen said on Friday air strikes led by Saudi Arabia killed 43 people in the central city of Taiz. Taiz has become the latest focus of fighting for supporters of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, who was driven into exile in Saudi Arabia by the Houthi fighters. The Saba news agency run by the Houthis said the Saudi-led air raids late on Thursday targeted Taiz’s republican palace