Berlin / AFP German federal prosecutors said on Thursday they had brought charges against a 19-year-old Syrian man accused of having scouted targets in Berlin for a potential attack by the IS group. The man identified only as Shaas Al-M. allegedly joined the extremist group in 2013 and took part in various military operations in Syria, they said in ...

  Hanoi / AFP Vietnam customs officials have seized nearly one tonne of ivory hidden in a timber shipment from Kenya, an official said on Thursday, the third major illegal haul of precious tusks in less than a month. The communist nation is a popular transit route for illegal ivory from Africa heading to other parts of Asia, namely China, ...

  Brussels / AFP NATO and the European Union are partners in defence, not rivals, top officials said on Thursday, downplaying any suggestion EU military ambitions might undermine the US-led alliance which has protected Europe for decades. “I strongly believe it is absolutely possible to strengthen European defence without duplicating efforts by NATO,” alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said. “EU leaders ...