Libyan forces in fresh clashes with Islamic State in Sirte
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libyan forces engaged in renewed clashes with Islamic State militants in Sirte on Thursday, a day after capturing a convention complex that had been a symbol of the militant group’s authority in the city.
Convicted spy Pollard loses challenge to U.S. parole conditions
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. Navy intelligence officer convicted of spying for Israel, on Thursday lost a bid to overturn restrictive probation conditions imposed when he was released in November after serving 30 years in prison…
Russia announces war games after accusing Ukraine of terrorist plot
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Vladimir Putin summoned his security council and the Russian Navy announced war games in the Black Sea a day after the Russian president accused Ukraine of trying to provoke a conflict over Crimea, which Moscow seized and annexed in …
Macau billionaire calls U.S. case over U.N. bribe scheme political
NEW YORK (Reuters) – A Macau billionaire accused of bribing a former United Nations General Assembly president on Thursday accused the U.S. government of prosecuting him for geopolitical reasons to slow China’s influence over developing nations.
Kurds say Islamic State oil overseer killed in joint ops with U.S
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Islamic State militant in charge of the group’s oil operations in Iraq and Syria was killed on Thursday in a joint operation between the Iraqi Kurdish and U.S. Special forces, the Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a stat…
Venezuela is a ‘powder keg,’ government will fall: opposition boss
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela is on the verge of a “political earthquake” that will cause the government to collapse because the country’s massive economic problems mean the current situation is not sustainable, opposition chief Jesus Torrealba said.
Exclusive: Paperwork, rights concerns hold up U.S. aid for Central America
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress approved $750 million in aid last December to help El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras combat the violence and poverty that are driving migrants toward the U.S. border, but the money has yet to reach the struggl…
Intensifying fight for Aleppo chokes civilian population
BEIRUT (Reuters) – An upsurge of intense fighting around Aleppo has killed scores of Syrians in the past weeks, displaced thousands and cut water and power to up to two million people on both sides of the front line, worsening the already dire conditio…
U.S. would welcome Turkish-Russian military cooperation against Islamic State
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States would welcome Turkish-Russian military cooperation in Syria if it were truly designed to target Islamic State, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said in a press briefing on Thursday.
Paris condemns Israeli demolition of French-funded buildings in West Bank
PARIS (Reuters) – France on Thursday condemned the Israeli army’s demolition of French-funded buildings in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, saying it was a violation of international law.
