France seeks urgent U.N. Security Council briefing on East Aleppo: diplomats
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – France has asked U.N. aid officials to urgently brief the 15-member U.N. Security Council “on the modalities of the evacuation of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid in East Aleppo,” according to the request seen by Reuter…
After Aleppo, a chapter closes on Turkey’s ambitions in Syria
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The recapture of Aleppo by Syrian government forces deals a humiliating blow to years of Turkish policy in Syria, leaving in ruins its efforts to force President Bashar al-Assad from power and handing a major victory to main region…
NATO-Russia Council to meet on Monday: Stoltenberg
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO envoys will hold a formal meeting with Russia on Monday after Moscow agreed to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine and as the alliance seeks to avoid any escalation of the East-West standoff.
Russia conducting operation in Samara linked to Islamic State threat: RIA
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian security services are conducting a special anti-terrorist operation after receiving information about a possible threat from Islamic State militants in the city of Samara, the RIA news agency reported on Thursday.
China defends its right to ‘ready slingshot’ in South China Sea
BEIJING (Reuters) – China defended its right on Thursday to put “necessary military installations” on artificial islands in the South China Sea, after a U.S. think-tank said Beijing appeared to have deployed weapons such as anti-aircraft and anti-missi…
Freed from Mosul, Iraqi brothers carry scars of Islamic State rule
AL-DHIBANIYAH, Iraq (Reuters) – His right arm strapped with a tourniquet and numbed by anaesthetic, Azad Hassan sat before the crowd waiting for Islamic State militants to chop off his hand as a punishment.
Gulf states rebuke Assad over violence in Aleppo
CAIRO (Reuters) – Gulf Arab countries condemned the Syrian government’s handling of a ceasefire and evacuation in Aleppo and called on Thursday for civilians trying to flee the war-torn city to be protected.
Hatred spills beyond South Sudan along with refugees
BIDI BIDI, Uganda (Reuters) – Besides bags, blankets and tales of horror, some of the thousands of refugees fleeing South Sudan’s civil war each day carry something else – the ethnic hatred the United Nations says is “fertile ground” for genocide.
‘Tiger’ Israel has wary eye on Iran after Syrian rebels lose Aleppo
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – The fall of Aleppo to Syrian government forces backed by Russia and Iran has heightened alarm in Israel about potential threats to its borders and a wider reshaping of the region.
Congo braces for unrest as president’s mandate expires
KINSHASA (Reuters) – When protests erupt in Kinshasa, Congo’s sprawling riverside capital, politicians usually trot out the adage that they won’t last more than a couple days because people need to find food for their families.
