Briefly

RUSSIA

Moscow vows response to Norway's expulsion

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it would respond to Norway's expulsion of 15 Russian diplomats, state-owned news agency TASS reported. The Foreign Ministry of Norway, a NATO member, said earlier on Thursday that the 15 people it had decided to expel were intelligence officers operating under the cover of diplomatic positions. The two countries, which have long had close ties, especially in the far north, have seen their relations deteriorate considerably as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.

FRANCE

Unions rally supporters ahead of key ruling

France braced for a further day of street protests over the government's plans to make people work longer for their pension, as striking workers disrupted garbage collection in Paris and blocked river traffic on part of the Rhine river. Trade unions urged a show of force on the streets a day before the Constitutional Council's ruling on the legality of the bill that would raise the retirement age by two years to 64. If the Council gives its approval, possibly with some caveats, the government will be entitled to promulgate the law, and will hope this will eventually put an end to protests, which have at times turned violent.

INDIA

Army base shooting suspects on the run

Indian police were hunting on Thursday two masked men responsible for the predawn killing of four soldiers at an army base near the Pakistan border. The attack took place on Wednesday morning at the Bathinda military station in Punjab, a northern state where tensions have been high over the resurgence of a separatist movement. India's military reported the attack on the morning it happened, saying four soldiers had been shot in their sleep, without giving further details.

UNITED STATES

New York appoints its first rat 'czar'

New York appointed its first rat "czar" on Wednesday, tasked with cracking down on one of the more unappealing aspects of life in the Big Apple. The appointment of Kathleen Corradi came four months after the city posted a tongue-in-cheek advert seeking "somewhat bloodthirsty" candidates for the role. Rats are regularly seen in the metropolis, often spotted scurrying between subway tracks and sniffing around garbage bags on sidewalks.

Agencies Via Xinhua