Mosul Old City battle goes house to house as Islamic State fighters defend
MOSUL/BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) – Islamic State fighters defended their remaining stronghold in the Old City of Mosul on Monday, moving stealthily along narrow back alleys as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces slowly advanced.
New assertive generation of Gulf leaders at heart of Qatar rift
DUBAI (Reuters) – Two years after launching headfirst into a conflict in Yemen that has no end in sight, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have astonished the world again, this time with a severe boycott of neighboring Qatar.
Qatar says it will not negotiate unless neighbors lift ‘blockade’
DOHA/PARIS (Reuters) – Qatar will not negotiate with its neighbors to resolve the Gulf dispute unless they first lift the trade and travel boycott they imposed two weeks ago, its foreign minister said, but added Doha still believed a solution was poss…
Merkel wants good Brexit deal that works for both sides
BERLIN (Reuters) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wanted a “good agreement” for both Britain and the European Union in the Brexit negotiations that started on Monday.
Britons cry for London fire victims as death toll rises to 79
LONDON (Reuters) – The death toll from a fire that ravaged a London tower block last week has risen to 79, police said on Monday, as the government tried to show it was improving its handling of a tragedy that has angered the public.
Settlement tours: a new frontline in Israel’s ideological conflict
HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) – The heart of the old city of Hebron is divided, with Israeli military checkpoints, mechanical turnstiles and closed-circuit cameras controlling the movement of Palestinians in and out of an area inhabited by some 800 Jewis…
U.S.-backed SDF will retaliate if Syrian govt attacks again: spokesman
BEIRUT (Reuters) – U.S.-backed Syrian militias accused the Syrian government on Monday of bombing their positions southwest of Raqqa city in recent days and threatened to retaliate if the attacks continue.
Greek PM says court decision to not extradite Turkish soldiers must be respected
ATHENS (Reuters) – A court ruling to not extradite eight Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece following a failed coup attempt last year must be respected, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Monday.
BRICS foreign ministers call for diplomacy to tackle Korean tensions
BEIJING (Reuters) – Foreign ministers from BRICS nations called for the use of “preventative diplomacy” to tackle the situation on the Korean Peninsula, according to a communique on Monday.
EU extends Crimea sanctions, same seen for curbs on Russia
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union on Monday extended for another year its trade sanctions on the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014, and diplomats said they expected the bloc to do the same for its sanctions on …
