U.S.-backed Syrian forces clash with Islamic State on outskirts of Manbij
AMMAN (Reuters) – U.S.-backed Syrian forces were fighting through Islamic State defenses on the edge of Manbij city, a militant stronghold near the Turkish border, a senior military official with the American-led coalition fighting the group said on Th…
Car bomb in eastern Turkey kills one civilian, wounds 2 soldiers: security sources
ANKARA (Reuters) – A car bomb killed one civilian and wounded at least two soldiers when it exploded near a gendarmerie station in southeastern Turkish province of Mardin on Thursday, security sources said.
U.S. begins targeted sanctions on Congo official
WASHINGTON/KINSHASA (Reuters) – The U.S. government imposed sanctions on a senior police official in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday for his role in what it described as the violent suppression of opposition to President Joseph Kabila’s g…
Saudi prince aims for Silicon Valley appeal to gleam at home
DUBAI/RIYADH (Reuters) – The powerful young prince behind modernizing reforms in Saudi Arabia presents himself as the champion of his nation’s plugged-in youth, and his visit to Silicon Valley this week sought to bolster that image.
Obama speaks with Kenya president about support for refugees
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama spoke by telephone on Thursday with Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta about the need for strong international support for refugees living in the East African country, the White House said.
In Turkey’s judicial overhaul, Erdogan’s critics see payback time
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Two days after calling for Turkey’s justice minister to resign on Facebook, prosecutor Menderes Arican received a letter reassigning him from a western province to a relative backwater in the east with immediate effect.
Death toll in South African protests rises to five
PRETORIA (Reuters) – The death toll from street violence in South Africa’s capital has risen to five, police said on Thursday, after two more bodies were found following clashes triggered by the ruling party’s choice of a mayoral candidate for a local …
Tornado, hail storms kill at least 78 people in eastern China
BEIJING (Reuters) – A tornado, hail storms and driving rain killed at least 78 people and injured some 500 in eastern China on Thursday, flattening power lines, overturning cars and ripping roofs off houses in Jiangsu province.
Turk who depicted Erdogan as Gollum gets suspended jail term
ANKARA (Reuters) – A man who depicted Tayyip Erdogan as the ‘Lord of the Rings’ character Gollum was convicted of insulting the president on Thursday and warned he faced a year in jail if he committed another crime, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.
Israel’s Netanyahu aims to head off criticism with diplomatic blitz
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will fly to Rome on Sunday to try to fend off pressure from the United States and Europe over his settlements policy and opposition to a French-led effort to forge peace with the Palestinians.
