APRNEWS - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was sentenced to 50 weeks in prison by a British court on Wednesday for skipping bail when he holed up in Ecuador’s London embassy for seven years until police dragged him out last month.

APRNEWS - President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday signed into law a “sovereign internet” bill which will allow Russian authorities to isolate the country’s internet, a move decried by rights groups.

Russian lawmakers insist the new law is necessary to ensure the security of Russia’s online networks but critics say the vaguely worded bill gives new censorship powers to government monitors.

APRNEWS - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived by train in the city of Vladivostok on Wednesday for his first trip to Russia aimed at galvanising support from President Vladimir Putin while nuclear talks with Washington are in a limbo.

APRNEWS - Russian President Vladimir Putin is travelling to Crimea on Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of Moscow's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula from Ukraine, condemned by the West but celebrated by most Russians.

Putin will take part in celebrations in the contested territory, where he is also due to launch a new power station, the Kremlin said.

REUTERS - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russia would be forced to respond if the United States exits the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces arms control treaty.

REUTERS - The G20 summit in Argentina failed to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin accountable for his actions with regard to Ukraine, despite significant efforts by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in bilateral meetings, a key Merkel ally said.

REUTERS - Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S President Donald Trump will meet for a long session on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina in a month’s time, a Kremlin aide said on Friday.

REUTERS - Russia’s military spies are being mocked abroad as bunglers but the army’s influence over Kremlin foreign policy is growing and there is little likelihood it will halt its “black operations”.

REUTERS - The European Union needs a strategic relationship with Turkey, including in defense matters, and should modernize its post-Cold War relations with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday.

REUTERS - Russia is preparing for President Vladimir Putin to visit Saudi Arabia after he received an invitation from Saudi King Salman, agencies cited Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as saying on Friday.