Syrian rebels battle each other north of Aleppo
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian insurgents clashed in a town near the Turkish border on Monday as inter-rebel tensions spilled over, playing to President Bashar al-Assad’s advantage with the government tightening its grip on rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
Car bombs kill eight in former Islamic State stronghold west of Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Eight people were killed and nearly 20 wounded on Monday in two separate car bomb blasts that hit police checkpoints in Falluja, a former stronghold of Islamic State west of Baghdad, police sources said.
Afghan president asks U.N. to add Taliban leader to sanctions list
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan’s president asked the United Nations on Monday to add the Taliban’s new leader to its sanctions list, in a further blow to efforts to revive the stalled peace process.
Explosion in Istanbul suburb wounds ten: Turkey’s NTV
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – A steam boiler explosion in a cosmetics manufacturing plant in an Istanbul suburb wounded ten people on Monday, Turkish broadcasters NTV and CNN Turk said.
Turkey could put EU talks to a referendum next year: Erdogan
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey could hold a referendum on whether to continue membership talks with the European Union next year, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, and repeated his warning to Brussels that it needed to “make up its mind” on Turkish a…
Conservative cardinals challenge Pope over teachings on family
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Four conservative Roman Catholic cardinals on Monday made a rare public challenge to Pope Francis over some of his teachings in a major document on the family, accusing him of sowing confusion on important moral issues.
‘Utter devastation’ after major quake, aftershocks hit New Zealand
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake pummeled central New Zealand early on Monday, killing at least two people, damaging roads and buildings and setting off hundreds of strong aftershocks.
Turkey-backed Syria rebels poised to attack IS-held city
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian rebels backed by Turkey were poised to begin an assault to try to drive Islamic State from the Syrian city of al-Bab, two of their commanders said on Monday, a battle that could also prompt new fighting with Kurdish groups tha…
Islamic State uses wooden tanks and bearded mannequins in decoy attempts
BAWIZA, Iraq (Reuters) – Islamic State is using wooden replicas of tanks and Humvees in a bid to subvert an air campaign by the U.S.-led military coalition supporting Iraqi forces in the Mosul operations, even using bearded mannequins to simulate jihad…
Julian Assange questioned by prosecutors at Ecuador’s embassy in London
LONDON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange faced questioning on Monday by prosecutors at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been holed up for four years, over allegations he committed rape in 2010.
