Eurasia

ANKARA – Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has accused opponents of the Islamic-style headscarf for women of trying to sow division in secular but predominantly Muslim Turkey.

MOSCOW – Europe’s main election watchdog warned Russia on Wednesday it would not monitor a presidential vote next month unless Moscow eased restrictions on its work.

MOSCOW – Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Friday said Europe’s main election watchdog was seeking to sabotage plans for monitoring the March 2 presidential election.

MOSCOW – Russia on Friday sent 12 air force bombers to take part in naval exercises over the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans, Itar-Tass news agency quoted a spokesman for Russia’s air force as saying.

ISTANBUL – At least 20 people were killed and 117 were injured on Thursday when an explosion ripped through an Istanbul building that housed an illegal fireworks factory, the city governor’s office said.

BRUSSELS – The European Union is keeping any doubts over the fairness of Russia’s March 2 election to itself to avoid needlessly antagonizing its large neighbor at a delicate time in their ties, analysts and diplomats say.

MOSCOW – President Vladimir Putin’s chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, will win 71 percent of the votes in March’s Russian presidential election, state-owned pollster VTsIOM predicted on Thursday.

MOSCOW – Europe’s election watchdog complained on Tuesday of “serious restrictions” in the invitation it has received to monitor Russia’s March 2 presidential poll.

PENZA, Russia – Who looks like President Vladimir Putin, speaks and moves like Putin — but is not the man himself? Step forward Dmitry Medvedev, Putin’s chosen successor for the top Kremlin job.

MOSCOW – Russia warned the United States and European Union on Monday that it would take a series of unidentified measures if Serbia’s breakaway province of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence.