Russia
Libyan military commander Haftar visiting Russia: RIA
MOSCOW Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar was due to arrive in Moscow on Saturday ahead of a meeting with Russia's foreign minister, RIA news agency reported, citing a Russian negotiator.
Trump says was being 'sarcastic' in thanking Putin for embassy staff cuts
BEDMINSTER, NJ President Donald Trump said on Friday he was being sarcastic when he thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for saving the United States money by ordering cuts in U.S. diplomatic staff in Russia.
Russia says bellicose rhetoric on North Korea is 'over the top'
MOSCOW Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday the risks of a military conflict over North Korea's nuclear program are very high, and Moscow is deeply worried by the mutual threats being traded by Washington and Pyongyang. | Video
Special Report: Vladimir's Venezuela - Leveraging loans to Caracas, Moscow snaps up oil assets
CARACAS/HOUSTON Venezuela’s unraveling socialist government is increasingly turning to ally Russia for the cash and credit it needs to survive – and offering prized state-owned oil assets in return, sources familiar with the negotiations told Reuters. | Video
Russian dopers ordered to return Olympic medals, some say no
MOSCOW The silver medals Russian sprinter Tatyana Firova won at the Beijing and London Olympics are stored in a safe in her apartment near Moscow in defiance of the International Olympic Committee, which has wanted them back for months. | Video
Russia-linked hackers targeted hotel guests across Europe: security firm
FRANKFURT A cyber-spying group with suspected links to Russian military intelligence was probably behind a campaign targeting hotel guests in eight mostly European countries last month, researchers at security firm FireEye said on Friday.
Friday Morning Briefing
Chinese tourists continue to flock to North Korea as tensions between Pyongyang and the U.S. mount, Amazon explores technology to keep food fresh without refrigeration as it muscles into the grocery business and Saudi Arabia’s Aramco favors New York over London to host its foreign listing.
Arctic Ocean thaw helps Russian shipping as old ice blows west
OSLO Russian shipping in the Arctic is benefiting from winds that are driving the oldest and thickest sea ice towards North America, further opening a remote region that is thawing amid global warming, scientists say.
Arctic fjords help Russia combat fish shortage problems
(This version of story removes erroneous paragraph 9 in 10th August story that referred to processing plant turning the fish into fillets and steaks)
Trump thanks Putin for slashing U.S. diplomatic staff
WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for ordering the United States to slash its diplomatic staff in Russia, remarks likely to rekindle criticism of Trump's kid-gloves handling of Putin.
In call with Trump, China's Xi urges restraint over North Korea
BEDMINSTER, N.J./BEIJING China's President Xi Jinping said there needs to be a peaceful resolution to the North Korean nuclear issue, and in a telephone call with U.S. President Donald Trump he urged all sides to avoid words or action that raise tensions. | Video
