Turkey aims to fully secure borders early next year with Syria campaign
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey aims to have fully secured its borders in the first half of next year, Defence Minister Fikri Isik said on Thursday, as Turkish-backed forces pursue a campaign to clear Islamic State and Kurdish fighters from a strip of northe…
Islamic State killed 300 former policemen south of Mosul, HRW says
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Islamic State militants probably killed more than 300 Iraqi former police three weeks ago and buried them in a mass grave near the town of Hammam al-Alil south of Mosul, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.
South Korea to appoint special prosecutor to probe Park scandal
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s parliament on Thursday approved a bill to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate a favors scandal engulfing President Park Geun-hye, sharply raising political pressure on her amid calls for her to step down.
South African police probing allegation of rhino poaching against minister
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South Africa’s cabinet said on Thursday the police were investigating allegations that State Security Minister David Mahlobo was involved in a rhino-poaching syndicate.
Italy’s Renzi rules out government role if he loses referendum
ROME (Reuters) – Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said on Thursday he would not take any part in efforts to form a temporary or technocratic government if he loses next month’s referendum on constitutional reform.
France’s Le Pen second favorite to win power, Juppe evens: bookmaker
LONDON (Reuters) – France’s far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen is now second-favorite to win power in next year’s presidential election, just behind conservative Alain Juppe, British bookmaker William Hill said.
Turkey detains mayor, appoints administrators in southeast – sources
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Turkey detained the mayor of the southeastern city of Van on Thursday, replacing him and two other mayors in the region, security sources said, pressing on with a crackdown on pro-Kurdish politicians.
China sees THAAD deployment as ‘weather vane’ under Trump
BEIJING (Reuters) – Whether President-elect Donald Trump goes through with a deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea will be a key indicator to how political ties unfold with China, sources with ties to the leadership in Beijing said.
In battered town seized from IS, Iraq’s Yazidis dream of return
BASHIQA, Iraq (Reuters) – For the first time since Islamic State militants swept into Bashiqa two years ago forcing him to flee, 61-year-old Barakat has finally found work – on Sunday he will be coming back to help clear debris from the destruction wro…
Storm lashes New Zealand quake zone, more buildings evacuated
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (Reuters) – Rain and strong winds battered central New Zealand on Thursday, threatening further damage just days after a powerful earthquake killed two people and devastated parts of the country’s South Island with huge landsl…
