Iraqi forces edge into Mosul’s Old City, Nuri mosque in sight
MOSUL, Iraq/BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi forces battling Islamic State in Mosul edged into the Old City and around the al Nuri mosque on Friday trying to seal off a main road to prevent militants sending in suicide bombers to attack their positions.
Philippines tells EU lawmakers to butt out after criticism of drugs war
MANILA (Reuters) – The Philippines derided the European parliament on Friday for interfering in its affairs after it issued a resolution calling for the release of a top critic of the president’s war on drugs, which it said should target narcotics netw…
UK says U.S. claims about spying will not be repeated
LONDON (Reuters) – The White House has assured British Prime Minister Theresa May it would not repeat allegations that Britain’s GCHQ spy agency had helped former U.S. President Barack Obama eavesdrop on Donald Trump, May’s spokesman said on Friday.
Missing from Trump’s grand Navy plan: skilled workers to build the fleet
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to build dozens of new warships in one of the biggest peace-time expansions of the U.S. Navy. But interviews with ship-builders, unions and a review of public and internal documents show …
NATO head urges Turkey, Austria to solve conflict
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged Austria and Turkey on Friday to resolve a diplomatic dispute that has led to some cooperation programmers being blocked.
China to build on disputed shoal in South China Sea
BEIJING (Reuters) – China will begin preparatory work this year for an environmental monitoring station on Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea, an official said, as two U.S. senators introduced a bill to impose sanctions on its activities in the d…
Denmark orders extradition of daughter of ousted South Korean president’s friend
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark will extradite to South Korea the daughter of the central figure in an influence-peddling scandal that led to the ouster of its president, the Danish public prosecutor said on Friday, but her lawyer said she will fight th…
Top South Korean presidential candidate would review THAAD process: advisers
SEOUL (Reuters) – The liberal South Korean politician most likely to become the country’s next president would, if elected, review how the government would deploy an advanced U.S. missile defense system and would consult China, two of his top advisers …
Syrian army says it shot down Israeli jet
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s army high command said in a statement on Friday Israeli jets breached Syrian air space early in the morning and attacked a military target near Palmyra in what it described as an act of aggression that aided Islamic State.
Sirens blare as Japan, fearing North Korea, holds first missile drill
OGA, Japan (Reuters) – Sirens blared and loudspeakers broadcast warnings in Japan’s first civilian missile evacuation drill on Friday, conducted in a fishing town by officials wary about the threat of North Korean missiles.
