To Mosul and back: Sunni Arabs seek place in a shifting Iraq
NEAR BASHIQA, Iraq (Reuters) – When Kurdish forces began rounding up his relatives and friends, 23-year-old Iraqi Omar Abdallah fled with his pregnant wife and four brothers to Mosul. At the time, life under Islamic State seemed preferable for the Sunn…
U.N. council extends inquiry into Syria toxic gas attacks
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The U.N. Security Council on Thursday extended for one year an international inquiry to determine blame for chemical weapons attacks in Syria, paving the way for a showdown between Russia and Western powers over how to punish…
U.N. says Aleppo faces ‘bleak moment’, Syria convoys all blocked
GENEVA (Reuters) – The besieged population of eastern Aleppo faces a “very bleak moment” with no food or medical supplies, winter approaching, and an increasingly fierce attack by Syrian and allied forces, U.N. humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said on …
Myanmar’s training for non-Muslim police stokes fear in Rakhine
SITTWE, Myanmar (Reuters) – Ever since deadly attacks by alleged Muslim militants in Myanmar’s troubled northwestern Rakhine State, Myint Lwin says he has been unable to sleep at night. As rumors spread of fresh violence, even the sound of dogs barking…
Italy’s maverick 5-Star Movement faces difficult path to power after referendum
ROME (Reuters) – If Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi loses his referendum on constitutional reform, the chances of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement winning power will recede rather than grow.
Japan’s PM Abe meets Trump, says confident can build trust
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described Donald Trump as a “trustworthy leader” after meeting the U.S. president-elect on Thursday to get clarity on statements Trump had made while campaigning that had caused concern about the a…
More academics, mayors detained as Turkish purges enter fifth month
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkish police detained more than 70 academics at an Istanbul university, NATO said Turkish soldiers had sought asylum and more pro-Kurdish mayors were arrested on Friday as a crackdown after July’s failed coup entered its fifth mo…
Sri Lanka says 32 ‘elite’ Muslims have joined IS in Syria
COLOMBO (Reuters) – Thirty-two Sri Lankan Muslims from “well-educated and elite” families have joined Islamic State in Syria, the justice minister said on Friday, adding that the government would not allow the spread of extremism in the island nation.
Pakistan navy ‘pushed’ Indian submarine clear of its waters
KARACHI (Reuters) – The Pakistani navy detected an Indian submarine off the Pakistani coast and prevented it from entering its waters, it said in a statement on Friday, prompting a denial by India as tension between the nuclear-armed rivals simmers.
China, U.S. look past tensions with joint relief drill
KUNMING, China (Reuters) – China and the United States wrapped up a three-day humanitarian relief military drill on Friday, looking past simmering tensions over the disputed South China Sea and uncertainty at what Donald Trump’s presidency will mean fo…
