Georgia, with eye on 2016 election, switches prime minister
TBILISI (Reuters) – Lawmakers in Georgia voted on Tuesday to approve Georgy Kvirikashvili as the ex-Soviet state’s new prime minister, an appointment widely seen as an attempt to boost the ruling coalition’s flagging popularity amid an economic slump.
Obama to host Colombia’s Santos for Feb. 4 White House visit
HONOLULU (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama will host Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos for an “official working visit” in Washington on Feb. 4, the White House said on Tuesday.
Syrian army, backed by air strikes, advances toward southern town
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian troops backed by heavy aerial bombardment pushed toward a strategic town in the southern province of Deraa on Tuesday after capturing a nearby military base, the army said.
Iraq’s Abadi plants flag in Ramadi to mark Islamic State defeat
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi planted the national flag in Ramadi on Tuesday after the army retook the city center from Islamic State a day earlier, a victory that could help vindicate his strategy for rebuilding the military…
U.S.-led air strikes kill IS leaders linked to Paris attacks
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S.-led coalition has killed 10 Islamic State leaders in the past month with targeted air strikes, including individuals linked to last month’s attacks in Paris, a spokesman for the coalition said on Tuesday.
Exclusive: Islamic State ruling aims to settle who can have sex with female slaves
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Islamic State theologians have issued an extremely detailed ruling on when “owners” of women enslaved by the extremist group can have sex with them, in an apparent bid to curb what they called violations in the treatment of captu…
Saudi Arabia, Turkey to set up ‘strategic cooperation council’: Saudi FM
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia and Turkey agreed on the need to set up a “strategic cooperation council” to strengthen military, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday.
Kabul to host peace talks meeting next week, official says
KABUL (Reuters) – Afghanistan will host a meeting with officials from Pakistan, the United States and China next week to prepare the way for possible peace talks with the Taliban, an official at the Afghan president’s office said on Tuesday.
British couple convicted of preparing London attack
LONDON (Reuters) – A British couple were convicted on Tuesday of plotting an attack in London after the husband sent out tweets asking for advice on which targets he should hit, alerting police to a stockpile of chemicals at their home.
Exclusive: Iraqi army needs Kurds’ help to retake Mosul – Zebari
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The Iraqi army will need the Kurds’ help to retake Mosul, the largest city under the control of Islamic State with the planned offensive expected to be very challenging in a region home to rival religious and ethnic groups, an Iraqi…
