Polish president sends freedom of assembly bill to constitutional court
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s President Andrzej Duda has declined to sign the government’s freedom of assembly bill into law in the first such rejection since the Law and Justice party (PiS) took power in November last year.
Man purporting to be Boko Haram leader denies Sambisa forest defeat
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – A man purporting to be the leader of Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, denied the jihadist group has been pushed out of its stronghold in the Sambisa forest.
Iraqi forces launch second phase of Mosul offensive against Islamic State
NEAR MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi security forces on Thursday began the second phase of their offensive against Islamic State militants in Mosul, pushing from three directions into eastern districts where the battle has been deadlocked for nearly a mo…
Exclusive: Bangladesh police detail suspicions of inside help in central bank heist
DHAKA (Reuters) – A top investigator into the electronic theft of $81 million from the Bangladesh central bank is turning his attention to some IT technicians from the bank whom he suspects hooked up its transactions system to the public Internet, givi…
Germany releases Tunisian suspect in Berlin truck attack
KARLSRUHE, Germany (Reuters) – German authorities have released a Tunisian man detained on suspicion of involvement in the truck attack on a Berlin Christmas market last week that killed 12 people, a spokeswoman for the federal prosecutor’s office said…
Syrian Kurdish groups, allies say approve blueprint for federal system
RMEILAN, Syria (Reuters) – Syrian Kurdish groups and their allies said on Thursday they approved a blueprint for a system of federal government in northern Syria.
Tunisia breaks up militant cell near Sousse: interior ministry
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian security forces said on Thursday that they had broken up an al Qaeda-linked militant cell with 10 members that was active near the coastal city of Sousse.
Russia says no sign of fire or blast in Black Sea jet crash wreckage: TASS
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that no signs of damage from an explosion or fire had been found on the wreckage of a military plane that crashed into the Black Sea on Sunday, killing all 92 people on board, the TASS news …
Philippines’ Duterte calls U.S. envoys ‘spies’ over alleged ouster plot
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte derided U.S. ambassadors as “spies” on Thursday, responding to a media report of an alleged American plot to destabilize his government, a job he said some envoys were appointed solely to do.
Russia’s Putin says Syrian government, opposition sign ceasefire deal
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian government had signed a number of documents including a ceasefire deal that would take effect at midnight on the night of Dec. 29-30.
