Losing in Iraq, Islamic State seeks to shore up Syria presence
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State is fighting hard to reinforce its presence in Syria as it loses ground in Iraq, deploying fighters to seize full control of a government-held city in the east while at the same time battling enemies on three other front…
Kosovo launches drive to encourage women to claim property rights
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Kosovo is to revolutionize its land laws and will, for the first time, clearly define formal ownership and encourage women to inherit and own land in their own right.
Germany says U.S. under Trump must abide by trade deals
BERLIN (Reuters) – The United States must stick to international agreements under the presidency of Donald Trump, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said on Friday, adding he did not expect a major trade war despite Trump’s attack on German car…
Air strike kills dozens at jihadist camp, Syrian Observatory says
BEIRUT (Reuters) – An air strike killed more than 40 members of the jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham in northwestern Syria on Thursday night, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Romanian president urges cabinet to scrap ‘decriminalization’ decree
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romania’s president urged the government on Friday to scrap draft decrees pardoning thousands of prisoners and decriminalizing some graft offences, joining other critics who accuse it of undermining an anti-corruption drive.
In Trump We Trust: Inauguration prompts celebration in Russia
MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin may have spent years reviling America, but Russians hoping Donald Trump will usher in a new era of detente marked his inauguration on Friday with parties and trinkets from commemorative coins to “matryoshka” nesting doll…
Islamic State destroys famous monument in Syria’s Palmyra: antiquities chief
DAMASCUS/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamic State militants have destroyed one of the most famous monuments in the ancient city of Palmyra, the Tetrapylon, and the facade of its Roman Theatre, Syrian antiquities chief Maamoun Abdulkarim told Reuters on Friday….
Syrian rebels bitterly divided before new peace talks
BEIRUT/AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s opponents appear more divided than ever as they prepare for peace talks next week, demoralized by their defeat in Aleppo and unable to unite into a single force to defend their remaining terri…
Berlin: No reason to speculate about return to G8 format with Russia
BERLIN (Reuters) – There is no reason to speculate about a return to the Group of Eight (G8) meetings that included Russia, a spokesman for the German government said on Friday.
Four dead, more than 20 hurt when driver ploughs into Australian pedestrians
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – A man deliberately drove into pedestrians, killing four and injuring more than 20, in the center of Australia’s second largest city of Melbourne on Friday, but police said the incident was not terrorism-related.
