in May
AP, Brasilia
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday he hoped his U.S counterpart Donald Trump would come to Russia to mark Victory Day on May 9 next year and that Moscow was ready for talks with Washington
Putin said it would be the “right” thing for Trump to attend a commemorative event in Moscow to mark the 75th anniversary of victory in World War Two, even as the U.S president is campaigning for re-election
Dozens blinded by police shots in Chile protests
AFP, Santiago
Running away as shots rang out, Carlos Vivanco turned to see where they were coming from. Then he felt his left eye closing and his face dripping with blood.
The 18-year-old student had become one of scores of people hit in the eyes, and in some cases blinded, by police rubber bullets in Chile’s recent wave of anti-government protests. Police have fired tear gas, water cannons and rubber shot cartridges. Vivanco was hurt during the first week of the protests, when President Sebastian Pinera sent soldiers onto the streets.
Turkey detains 4 elected mayors on terror charges
AP, Ankara
Turkey’s state-run news agency says police have detained four mayors over their suspected links to Kurdish rebels, as part of an ongoing crackdown on the country’s pro-Kurdish party.
Anadolu Agency said the mayors of the towns of Savur, Derik and Mazidagi in Mardin province and the town of Suruc in Sanliurfa province were detained along with some 20 municipality officials on Friday.
Spread of pornography in digital world growing rapidly: Pope
Reuters, Vatican City
Pope Francis has warned of the dangers that young people face when accessing the Internet and called on digital companies to boost protective measures.
“The companies that provide services have been considered mere providers of technological platforms, neither legally nor morally responsible for their use,” Francis told a gathering of representatives from tech giants such as Facebook, Google and Amazon during a Vatican forum on the protection of minors in the digital world on Thursday, Efe news reported.
Assad says ‘resistance’ will force US troops out
AP, Damascus
Syrian President Bashar Assad says the American presence in Syria will lead to armed “resistance” that will eventually force the U.S. troops to leave. Assad spoke in an interview with Russia24 TV and Rossiya Segodnya news agency that was broadcast on Friday.
He says the Americans should remember the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and that “Syria will not be an exception.”
