Turkish ‘cleansing’ operation rocks southeastern cities
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – Explosions and gunfire resounded around the southeastern Turkish town of Cizre on Friday after a clash overnight that the army said killed six Kurdish militants and one soldier, as a security operation there entered its 1…
Buses to ship out 2,000 besieged Syrian Islamist fighters: Hezbollah TV
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Two thousand Syrian Islamist fighters are expected to be evacuated soon from besieged, rebel-held areas of southern Damascus in a deal brokered by the United Nations, a Hezbollah TV station said on Friday.
Accusations fly over Saudi hospital fire that killed 24
DUBAI (Reuters) – Accusations flew over who was to blame for the deaths of at least 24 people in a Saudi hospital fire, with one official saying a crowd that gathered there had obstructed rescue workers and some Twitter users blaming lax safety standar…
Russia, U.S. agree on who to call major terrorist groups in Middle East: RIA
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia and the United States have common understanding on major groups which should be considered terrorist ones in the Middle East, RIA news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying on Friday.
Bomb attack on Bangladesh mosque kills one, wounds dozen
DHAKA (Reuters) – A bomb attack on a Bangladeshi mosque during Friday prayers killed one person and wounded at least a dozen, police said, the latest in a series of attacks in the Muslim-majority nation.
Confusion, corruption among Afghan forces hit Helmand defense
KABUL (Reuters) – More foreign troops died fighting in Helmand than in any other province in Afghanistan but little more than a year after NATO left, the region risks being overrun by the Taliban because of confusion, corruption and mismanagement in Af…
Australians flee bushfires, lose homes to flames on Christmas Day
MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Fire crews battled into the night on Friday after raging bushfires reduced homes to ashes in a famous Australian beauty spot on Christmas Day, sending residents fleeing for their lives to the sound of blaring sirens.
Qatar opposes creation of opposition lists before Syria peace talks
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah said on Friday he opposed the creation of lists of opposition before peace talks on Syria.
Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric Sistani calls for the release of Qatari hunters kidnapped in Iraq
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq’s top Shi’ite Muslim cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for the release of a group of Qatari hunters kidnapped in the south of the country, his representative said on Friday. A large group of unidentified armed men ab…
Death sentence for Myanmar men prompts protest at ‘shameless’ Thais
YANGON/BANGKOK (Reuters) – Hundreds called for the release of two Myanmar migrant workers in a protest in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, on Friday, a day after a Thai court sentenced the two to death for the 2014 murders of two young British tourists….
