U.S. ready to resume air strikes in Libya if needed: Pentagon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States is prepared to carry out more air strikes against Islamic State militants in Sirte if requested by Libya’s U.N.-backed government, even though the militant group no longer controls much territory there, the Pent…
U.S.-led strikes bolster Syrian fighters’ advance toward Raqqa
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S.-led coalition has carried out a series of air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria to aid a new offensive by armed groups toward the city of Raqqa, the militant group’s de facto capital in Syria, the Pentagon …
German defense minister wants EU military to match NATO
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s defense minister said on Monday the European Union must modernize its military defense and security to match NATO’s drive to beef up its own security forces in the wake of a major Russian build-up.
Vatican warns Chinese Catholics over ordination of bishops
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – The Vatican on Monday sent an apparent warning to Catholics in China who are loyal to the pope not to take things into their own hands if they oppose a rapprochement between the communist government and the Holy See.
Israeli court jails 14-year-old Palestinian attacker for 12 years
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An Israeli court sentenced a 14-year-old Palestinian boy to 12 years in prison on Monday for his part in a stabbing attack that wounded two Israelis in October last year.
Swiss upper house seeks to avoid immigration clash with EU
ZURICH (Reuters) – Switzerland’s push to curb immigration from the European Union by giving hiring preference to local people rather than setting quotas for newcomers will go the upper house of parliament next month, after a draft bill supporting that …
Saudi oil shipments to Egypt halted indefinitely, Egyptian officials say
CAIRO/ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia has informed Egypt that shipments of oil products expected under a $23 billion aid deal have been halted indefinitely, suggesting a deepening rift between the Arab world’s richest country and its most populous.
Venezuelan first lady’s nephews’ U.S. drug trial gets underway
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A U.S. prosecutor on Monday told jurors that two nephews of Venezuela’s first lady sought to use a presidential airport hangar to carry out a multimillion-dollar drug deal, charges that defense lawyers said would not stand up at tr…
Iraq peshmerga storm Islamic State town as army battles in Mosul
BASHIQA, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces stormed an Islamic State-held town northeast of Mosul on Monday, clearing a pocket of militants outside the city while Iraqi troops wage a fierce urban war with the jihadists in its eastern neigh…
Polish minister accuses Facebook of censorship over right-wing symbol
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland’s digital economy minister accused Facebook of censorship on Monday after the company suspended some users’ profiles for using a little-known far-right symbol.
