Sri Lanka approves 2017 budged aims to raise revenue through taxes
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Sri Lanka’s coalition government on Saturday won the final vote on its 2017 budget which aims to boost revenue and cut the fiscal deficit to 4.6 percent of GDP from this year’s 5.4 percent with a more than two-thirds majority.
Syria, Russia pound rebel-held Aleppo but advances halt
ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s military and Russian warplanes bombarded rebel-held districts of Aleppo on Saturday as Damascus’s allies said victory was near, but insurgents fought back and army advances halted after rapid gains during the we…
Suicide bomber kills at least 40 Yemeni troops in Aden
ADEN (Reuters) – A suicide bomber killed at least 40 Yemeni soldiers and wounded at least 70 others at a base in the city of Aden, a local security official said, in another major attack on forces allied to a Saudi-led military campaign.
Taliban chief reinforces position with backing of two key members
KABUL (Reuters) – Hardline cleric Mullah Haibatullah Akundzada has reinforced his position as the new leader of the Afghan Taliban by winning the support of two senior members, the insurgent group said on Saturday.
Iraq says army makes gains in grueling Mosul battle
BAGHDAD/GENEVA (Reuters) – The Iraqi army said it took full control of two more districts of east Mosul on Saturday, pushing back Islamic State militants in a slow and hard-fought advance into the city whose 1 million residents face growing shortages o…
Colombian Nobel Prize winner sees a “ray of hope” for Syria, Sudan
OSLO (Reuters) – Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said an accord to end a 52-year civil war with Marxist rebels was a “ray of hope” for solving conflicts from Syria to South Sudan as he collected the Nobel Peace Prize on Saturday.
Syria, Russia pound rebel-held Aleppo but advances halt
ALEPPO, Syria/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian’s military and Russian warplanes bombarded rebel-held districts of Aleppo on Saturday as Damascus’s allies said victory was near, but insurgents fought back and army advances halted after rapid gains during the w…
After impeachment of South Korean president, anti-Park rallies resume
SEOUL (Reuters) – Protesters demanding that South Korean President Park Geun-hye step down marched on Saturday for a seventh straight weekend, a day after parliament voted overwhelmingly to impeach her and put the fate of her presidency in the hands of…
CIA says Russia intervened to help Trump win White House
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The CIA has concluded that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help President-elect Donald Trump win the White House, and not just to undermine confidence in the U.S. electoral system, a senior U.S. official said on Friday….
Lawyers seek to launch fresh Brexit challenge in Irish courts
DUBLIN (Reuters) – A group of British and Irish lawyers are seeking to challenge Britain’s decision to leave the European Union in the Irish High Court to try to establish if Brexit can be reversed once divorce talks have been triggered.
