Iraqi army aims to reach site of Islamic State executions south of Mosul
SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) – The Iraqi army was trying on Thursday to reach a town south of Mosul where Islamic State has reportedly executed dozens to deter the population against any attempt to support the U.S.-led offensive on the jihadists’ las…
Colombia delays peace talks with ELN rebels until captive freed
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia is delaying peace talks with Marxist ELN rebels until they free a politician held captive for six months, President Juan Manuel Santos said on Thursday, as he struggles to salvage a peace deal with FARC guerrillas that was r…
U.S. says politics drove Venezuela first lady’s nephews in drug deal
NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors claimed that two nephews of Venezuela’s first lady sought to carry out a multi-million-dollar drug deal to obtain a large amount of cash to help the family stay in power, court documents showed.
Putin says U.S. ‘hysteria’ over Russia is election ploy
KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused American politicians of whipping up hysteria about a mythical Russian threat as a ploy to distract voters from their own failings in the run-up to the U.S. presidential e…
NATO seeks to manage Russia’s new military deployments
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – President Vladimir Putin’s high-profile military deployments aim to showcase Russian power in any global confrontation with the West, NATO officials say, but the alliance will not seek to match Moscow’s actions.
India, Pakistan to expel diplomats amid Kashmir tension
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – India and Pakistan on Thursday announced they would each expel one of the other’s diplomats amid growing tension between the nuclear-armed arch-foes over the disputed region of Kashmir.
Egypt’s Sisi pledges reviews of protest law, detentions
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promised on Thursday to amend a law that human rights groups say has severely restricted protest rights and hinted at possible pardons for young people imprisoned without conviction.
Venezuela crisis enters dangerous phase as Maduro foes go militant
CARACAS (Reuters) – In a curious convergence of events on the same day last week, four Venezuelan provincial courts issued identical rulings, state governors quickly hit Twitter to celebrate, then the election board emailed a short but bombshell statem…
Sunny French village takes in migrants from gloomy ‘Jungle’ camp
CHAMPTERCIER, France (Reuters) – Champtercier, a tiny hillside village in sunblessed southeastern France, was joined early on Thursday by dozens of migrants who fled their homes with a dream – now more remote – of reaching Britain.
Iraqi villagers celebrate freedom from Islamic State, but still haunted by terror
FADILIYA, Iraq (Reuters) – When Kurdish fighters cleared Islamic State from the northern Iraqi village of Fadiliya, some residents celebrated by passing around cigarettes – an act that would have earned them a public whipping under the group’s reign of…
