Nigeria has brought in hundreds of mercenaries from South Africa and the former Soviet Union to give its offensive against Boko Haram a shot in the arm before a March 28 election, according to regional security, defense and diplomatic sources.
A Singapore court has ordered a freeze on the assets of a Swiss businessman who operates high-security warehouses and who has been sued by two companies linked to a Russian billionaire for manipulating prices of art and failing to deliver a painting.
Russian state television aired what it said was footage of President Vladimir Putin working at his residence outside Moscow on Friday, a first appearance since he dropped out of sight days ago, triggering rumors he was ill or sidelined by internal conflict.
Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who heads the group of finance ministers from countries that use the euro, said on Friday that Greeks were wrong to blame Germany for their problems.
