IS fighters’ families to leave southern Damascus in U.N. deal: group
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hundreds of families of Islamic State militants and some injured fighters are expected to leave rebel-held areas of southern Damascus under a U.N.-brokered deal, a monitoring group said on Thursday.
Clashes persist in Turkey’s southeast; PKK militants killed in attack on police
DIYARBAKIR (Reuters) – Three Kurdish rebels were killed in clashes with police in Turkey’s southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Thursday, security sources said, and shots and shellfire could be heard around an area that has been focus of an army offensiv…
United Nations states agree on flat budget for next two years
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The 193-member United Nations General Assembly has agreed a core budget of $5.4 billion for the next two years, marginally smaller than the amount allocated for 2014/2015, as top contributor the United States pushes for impro…
Russia plans to build at least six nuclear units in India in 20 years: Putin
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia plans to build at least six new nuclear power units in India in the next 20 years, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday.
Central African Republic postpones pivotal elections
BANGUI (Reuters) – Crucial elections scheduled to take place in the Central African Republic on Sunday have been postponed by three days until Dec. 30, Prime Minster Mahamat Kamoun said on Thursday.
U.S.-backed alliance pushes toward Islamic State-held dam in northern Syria
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A U.S.-backed alliance of Syrian Kurds and Arab rebel groups advanced toward a dam in northern Syria held by Islamic State fighters on Thursday, in an assault aimed at capturing the militants’ stronghold of Raqqa, rebels and a monito…
Turkish PM accuses pro-Kurdish party head of treason over Russia comments
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu accused the head of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party of treason on Thursday for using a trip to Moscow to condemn Ankara’s shooting down of a Russian warplane over Syria.
Israeli forces kill four Palestinian assailants in West Bank
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli forces killed four Palestinian assailants in separate incidents in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the army said, as a 12-week surge in street violence showed no sign of abating.
Poland asks Council of Europe about constitutional court rules
WARSAW (Reuters) – Poland has asked human rights body the Council of Europe to comment on its plans to overhaul rules governing its constitutional tribunal that have raised European Union concerns about the rule of law.
Syria ready to take part in Geneva peace talks: minister
BEIJING (Reuters) – Syria is ready to take part in peace talks in Geneva and hopes that the dialogue will help it form a national unity government, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Thursday during a visit to Beijing.
