Libyan forces advance in Sirte, 14 troops killed, officials say
SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – Libyan pro-government forces have advanced into another area in their battle to liberate Sirte from Islamic State in fighting that killed 14 of their troops, military officials and hospital sources said.
China graft watchdog criticizes Hong Kong affairs office
BEIJING (Reuters) – The anti-graft watchdog of China’s ruling Communist Party has criticized the Beijing government department in charge of Hong Kong affairs for weak leadership and not properly following policy following a routine inspection.
Two Polish men arrested in A$145 million Australian MDMA bust
SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian Federal Police said on Saturday they had arrested two Polish men in connection with the seizure of 1.2 tonnes of crystal MDMA, the main chemical used in ecstasy pills.
‘Elect more women to build sustainable, inclusive cities’: female mayors’ group
BOGOTA (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Less than five percent of cities are led by women and their lack of political participation is hampering progress in meeting international goals on making cities more sustainable and inclusive, a group of female mayors said on Friday.
Venezuela’s Maduro signs 2017 budget, bypassed Congress cries foul
CARACAS (Reuters) – President Nicolas Maduro on Friday signed off on Venezuela’s 2017 budget, drawing fire from the opposition-led National Assembly which accused the unpopular leftist leader of despotism for bypassing the legislature.
Aleppo rebels outgunned but confident as siege bites
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A senior rebel commander said on Friday that Syrian government forces would never be able to capture Aleppo’s opposition-held east, more than three weeks into a ferocious offensive, but a military source said the operation was going …
French couple is put under formal investigation for ties to jihadist
PARIS (Reuters) – A man and his pregnant, teenage girlfriend suspected of plotting to kill in the name of the Islamic State were put under formal investigation on Friday following their arrest on Tuesday in the Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Sec, a judicial …
Berlin bombing suspect radicalized by imams in Germany, brother says
BERLIN (Reuters) – Berlin bomb suspect Jaber Albakr showed signs of radicalization in Germany, posting jihadi videos online before traveling to the Islamist-controled Syrian city of Idlib earlier this year, his brother told Reuters.
U.S. official calls attack on Yemen funeral gathering ‘egregious’
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A weekend attack on a funeral gathering in Yemen widely blamed on Saudi-led warplanes was “egregious,” a senior U.S. official said on Friday in one of Washington’s strongest condemnations of the incident.
No pay, no expenses, no laws for Venezuela’s opposition lawmakers
CARACAS (Reuters) – They say they have not been paid for two months, have had their electricity cut and are sometimes banned from flights – and the laws they pass are blocked anyway.
