Russia

Russia, China urge freeze in North Korea missile launches

Both countries also called for a simultaneous suspension of US-South Korea large-scale military exercises.

North Korea said its missile could hit anywhere in the world, but both the US and Russia said the missile presented no threat to either country.

Though the country appears to have made progress, experts believe the device cannot accurately hit a target.

Russia behind cyber-attack, says Ukraine

The country's security service, the SBU, said it had obtained data that points to a link with an attack on the nation's capital, Kiev, in December.

Ukrainian firms were among the first to report issues with malicious software on Tuesday, before the virus spread.

Moscow denied any involvement, adding that the allegations were "unfounded".

The virus, which disrupted IT systems across the globe, froze computers and demanded a ransom be paid in the digital currency Bitcoin, which is untraceable.

900 held in Russia anti-corruption protests

Navalny's wife, Yulia, reported news of his detention at his home in Moscow on his official Twitter feed. She also posted a picture showing police officers at the scene.

He had planned to attend a rally in the capital, but is now facing a possible 30-day jail term, according to a post on Twitter by his lawyer, Vadim Kobzev.

State news agency Tass confirmed he had been arrested, reporting that he faces allegations of violating laws governing demonstrations.

Is Russia really fighting WannaCry Ransomware by spraying holy water on computers?

It’s becoming viral on social media and news websites are busy tagging it as a recent image. They are reporting that Putin has summoned top Russian priest to fight WannaCry ransomware.

Russian officials bragged they could use Flynn to influence Trump

The officials believed they could use him to influence Donald Trump and his team, sources told CNN.

The conversations deeply concerned US intelligence officials, some of whom acted on their own to limit how much sensitive information they shared with Flynn, who was tapped to become Trump's national security adviser, current and former governments officials said.

Syria and Russia condemn US-led attack on pro-Assad forces

Syria said the strikes were a "blatant attack on forces fighting terrorism", while Russia said they breached the country's sovereignty.

The convoy was hit on Thursday as it neared a group of US-backed rebels and a Western special forces unit in Tanf.

The US said Russia was told in advance and that warning shots were ignored.

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said the strikes were "completely unacceptable", according to state-run news agency Ria Novosti.

Syria: Safe zones to come into force at midnight - Russia

The accord on four zones was reached at Thursday's talks in Kazakhstan between Russia and Iran which back Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey, which supports Syrian rebel groups, agreed to act as a guarantor. Moscow says the US, the UN and Saudi Arabia also support the idea.

But some delegates from the rebel forces angrily rejected the plan.

At Friday's news briefing in Moscow, Russian Deputy Defence Minister Alexander Fomin said attacks by all sides in the "de-escalation" zones should halt from midnight.

Syria: Rebels storm out as 'safe zones' plan signed

Russia's plan for "de-escalation" zones was backed by Iran at talks in Kazakhstan. Both countries support Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Turkey, which supports rebel groups, also agreed to act as a guarantor.

But some delegates from the rebel forces angrily rejected the plan.

As the three countries were invited to sign the document on Thursday in the Kazakh capital, Astana, rebel delegates angrily shouted that they did not accept it and walked out.

Russian MP Seleznev incensed after son jailed in US

Roman Valeryevich Seleznev, 32, was convicted in August for stealing credit card data from US restaurants, causing nearly $170m (£132m) in damages.

Russian MP Valery Seleznev said the sentence was "passed by man-eaters" and that his son was "abducted".

Seleznev made millions by selling the data on the dark web, US officials say.

Russia tried to use Trump advisers to infiltrate campaign

The new information adds to the emerging picture of how the Russians tried to influence the 2016 election, not only through email hacks and propaganda but also by trying to infiltrate the Trump orbit. The intelligence led to an investigation into the coordination of Trump's campaign associates and the Russians.

These officials made clear they don't know whether Page was aware the Russians may have been using him. Because of the way Russian spy services operate, Page could have unknowingly talked with Russian agents.