Lawyers

• North Korea's black market becoming the new normal

  When North Korea's late "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il opened the Pothonggang Department Store in December 2010, he called on it to play "a big role" in improving living standards in the capital Pyongyang, official media said. Five years later, judging by the long lines inside the three-storey store that sells everything from electronic gadgets and cosmetics, to food and household goods, the Pothonggang is meeting Kim's expectations - at least for privileged Pyongyang residents.

• Top U.S. spy skeptical about U.S.-China cyber agreement

  The top U.S. intelligence official said he was skeptical that a new U.S.-China cyber agreement would slow a growing torrent of cyber attacks on U.S. computer networks, adding that his approach will be to "trust but verify."

• Castro sees Cuba, U.S. breaking with past, coexisting in peace

  Cuba is prepared to break with the contentious past and peacefully coexist with the United States, Cuban President Raul Castro said on Wednesday as the two former adversaries are set to restore diplomatic ties.

• Historic meeting of pope and Russian Orthodox head seen nearer

  An historic meeting between Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church is "getting closer every day," a senior Orthodox prelate said in an interview published on Sunday.

• Baltic military chiefs to call for permanent NATO presence

  Baltic states Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are preparing an appeal to NATO command for a permanent presence of NATO troops on their territory to counter increased Russian air and naval activity, the Lithuanian army said on Thursday.

• "What does Moscow want?" asks Georgian president

  The former Soviet republics of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are moving inexorably from the orbit of a Russian state that promotes values fundamentally alien to its neighbors, according to Georgia's president.

• As Armenia marks 1915 massacre, Berlin calls it genocide

  Armenia marked the centenary on Friday of a mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks with a simple flower-laying ceremony attended by foreign leaders as Germany became the latest country to respond to its calls for recognition that it was genocide.

• Nigeria drafts in foreign mercenaries to take on Boko Haram

  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.

• U.S. asks Vietnam to stop helping Russian bomber flights

  The United States has asked Vietnam to stop letting Russia use a former U.S. base to refuel nuclear-capable bombers engaged in shows of strength over the Asia-Pacific region, exposing strains in Washington's steadily warming relations with Hanoi.

• Cuba frees Canadian businessman Tokmakjian after three years in jail

  Cuba has freed Canadian businessman Cy Tokmakjian after more than three years in jail, his company said on Saturday, resolving a case that had strained Cuban-Canadian relations and alarmed foreign investors.

• Israeli parties hunt 'caviar vote' before March election

  In this seaside city once ruled by the Greeks and Phoenicians but now largely populated by Russians, the talk in the caviar-stocked delis and jewelry stores is of upcoming elections and Israel's powerful Russian vote.

• Russian patriarch says halving abortions would solve population crisis

  Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill called on Thursday for a deep cut in the "horrifyingly high" number of abortions, which he linked to a Western rejection of moral norms.

• U.S. and EU hail pro-West election outcome in Ukraine, Russia guarded

  Pro-Western parties will dominate Ukraine's parliament after an election handed President Petro Poroshenko a mandate to end a separatist conflict and to steer the country further away from Russia's orbit towards mainstream Europe.

• Pro-West parties secure big win in Ukraine election: partial vote count

  Pro-Europe parties secured a big win in an election in Ukraine, a partial vote count showed on Monday, with President Petro Poroshenko hailing people's support for his plan to end a separatist war and pursue democratic reforms sought by the West.

• Egypt's Sisi delivers economic reforms but hurdles remain

  In his first 100 days in office, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made a fast start on economic reform: slashing costly fuel subsidies, raising taxes and devising infrastructure projects to secure long-term revenues and ease unemployment.