Syrian army, allies capture Idlib air base: state TV
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian troops and allied forces seized an air base in Idlib province on Saturday, pressing their offensive into the country’s largest insurgent stronghold, state television said.
Philippine troops fight first clash with militants since Marawi battle, six wounded
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine troops clashed briefly with pro-Islamic State militants in the volatile south on Saturday, the army said, in their first engagement since the government retook Marawi city in the country’s biggest battle since World War Tw…
Russian, U.S. army chiefs discussed Syria by phone – RIA
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Chief of the General Staff of the armed forces Valery Gerasimov and his U.S. counterpart Joseph Dunford have discussed the situation in Syria by phone, RIA news agency reported on Saturday, citing the Russian Defence Ministry…
Germany weighs new sanctions against Iran: report
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany is lobbying among European allies to agree new sanctions against Iran in an attempt to prevent U.S. President Donald Trump from terminating an international deal curbing Tehran’s nuclear program, Der Spiegel magazine reported…
North Korea says to send delegation to prepare for Olympics on Sunday: South Korea ministry
SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korea will send a delegation to South Korea on Sunday to prepare for a trip by an art troupe during next month’s Winter Olympics, pushing the visit back a day after earlier cancelling it, South Korea’s Unification Ministry has s…
German SPD leaders upbeat as biggest branch backs coalition talks
BERLIN (Reuters) – Senior members of Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD) said on Saturday they were confident the party would approve the start of formal coalition talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives at a special congress this weekend.
Turkish military operation in Syria’s Afrin has begun: Erdogan
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday a military operation in Syria’s Kurdish-controlled Afrin region had begun after cross-border shelling by the Turkish army.
Iraqi parliament postpones vote on election date
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s parliament failed on Saturday to approve May 12 as the election date, as suggested by the government, as Sunni and Kurdish lawmakers demanded a delay to allow hundreds of thousands of war-displaced people to return home.
Two Americans, two Canadians freed after kidnapping in Nigeria: police
KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) – Two Americans and two Canadians have been freed after being kidnapped in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna, a police spokesman said on Saturday, as it emerged that five oil workers had been abducted in the southern Niger…
McDonald to succeed Adams as Sinn Fein leader in striking shift
BELFAST (Reuters) – Mary Lou McDonald will succeed Gerry Adams as Sinn Fein leader, the party said on Saturday, completing a generational shift for the Irish nationalist party as it bids to enter government on both sides of the Irish border.
