Reuters, Beijing
China’s defence budget this year is likely to rise at its slowest pace since 2010, in line with the decelerating economy and by a much lower figure than had been expected in military and diplomatic circles, though it probably does not represent true spending. Fu Ying, spokeswoman for China’s parliament, said the figure would increase by about seven to eight percent from 2015, following a nearly unbroken two-decade run of double-digit budget increases.
Car bomb kills two cops in Turkey
Reuters, Diyarbakir
A car bomb and rocket attack by Kurdish militants killed two police officers and wounded 35 people in the southeastern Turkish province of Mardin on Friday, security sources told Reuters.
The attack was carried out around 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in the town of Nusaybin, near the Syrian border, they said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Doubts over planned polls in Ukraine
AFP, Paris
Crucial elections should be held in eastern Ukraine by the end of July, the foreign ministers of Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France agreed, but questions remain over Kiev and Moscow’s ability to seal the deal. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said that the Paris meeting was a “step forward” for the restive region, but his German and Ukrainian counterparts painted a gloomier picture of negotiations.
Bus crash kills 30 in Zimbabwe
AFP, Harare
At least 30 people died and 36 were injured when two buses collided on the main road between Zimbabwe’s capital Harare and Bulawayo in the southwest, police said Friday.
“I can confirm there was a horrific road accident yesterday involving a conventional bus and a minibus,” said police spokeswomen Charity Charamba.
