Italian court reviews vote law; Renzi keen for early election
ROME (Reuters) – Italy’s highest court will rule on Wednesday on the legality of its latest electoral legislation, a court spokesman said on Tuesday, a decision likely to influence the timing of the next election.
Saris swirl at rare transgender ‘birthday’ party in Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – At a party in Peshawar, the guests’ saris twirled as they danced to the music and fed each other pieces of cake, but armed police guarding the door indicated this was no normal carefree birthday gathering.
China says hopes Mongolia learned lesson after Dalai Lama visit
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said on Tuesday it hopes Mongolia has learned a lesson and will keep a promise not to invite the Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama again after his visit in November led to a chill in relations.
Tensions rise in Austrian coalition with do-or-die talk
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said on Tuesday he was losing patience with his conservative coalition partners, raising the prospect of a government collapse that could play into the hands of the far-right Freedom Party.
U.N. ‘racing’ to prepare aid for civilians ahead of battle for west Mosul
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The United Nations said on Tuesday it is “racing against the clock” to prepare emergency aid for hundreds of thousands of endangered civilians in Mosul with an Iraqi army offensive looming to oust Islamic State from the western half…
Trump administration offers to increase assistance to Iraq: Abadi
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The new U.S. administration under Donald Trump has sent messages offering to increase the level of assistance to Iraq, Iraqi state television cited Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi as saying on Tuesday.
Saudi Arabia says militants in Jeddah shootout were linked to Islamic State
DOHA (Reuters) – Two Saudi men who blew themselves up during a gunbattle with security forces in Jeddah last week had ties with Islamic State and were linked to past attacks on mosques and security forces in Saudi Arabia, the interior ministry said on …
China says will protect South China Sea sovereignty
BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China said on Tuesday it had “irrefutable” sovereignty over disputed islands in the South China Sea after the White House vowed to defend “international territories” in the strategic waterway.
East Mosul Iraqis crave stability as army defeats Islamic State
MOSUL (Reuters) – The teenage Islamic State militants who took over Mohamed Abdel Wahab’s house and terrorized his family for three months are gone. But an Iraqi army victory in his east Mosul district hasn’t made life easier, at least not yet.
Bomb classes and gun counts: trauma of Mosul children under Islamic State
MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – Schools in the east of the Iraqi city of Mosul are seeking to return to a semblance of normality after two years under Islamic State rule when they were either shuttered or forced to teach a martial curriculum that included less…
