U.S. asks NATO allies for flexibility in Afghan drawdown plans
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The United States asked NATO allies on Thursday for flexibility as the alliance reviews its plans to rapidly withdraw troops from Afghanistan, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Thursday after talks in Brussels.
Islamic State overtakes al Qaeda as leader of extremist movement: U.S. official
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Islamic State militant group has overtaken al Qaeda as leader of the global violent extremist movement and has access to a large pool of potential recruits in Western countries, U.S. national counter terrorism center chief Ni…
Pro-Kurdish party hopeful of PKK ceasefire as Turkish election nears
ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition said on Thursday it hoped Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants would announce a halt to hostilities soon to ease security concerns ahead of a Nov. 1 parliamentary election.
Hungary hopes to decide Croatian border closure in a week
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungary will decide in a week whether to close its border with Croatia, where a double fence to stop a massive flow of migrants through the country is “99 percent finished,” a top government official said on Thursday.
India’s Modi breaks silence, calls for peace after violence over beef
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for religious harmony on Thursday, breaking a week-long silence after the mob killing of a Muslim man rumored to have slaughtered a cow sparked fears that Hindu zealots were targeting min…
Israel says Facebook, YouTube videos encouraging Palestinian attacks
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel said on Thursday it had asked Facebook and YouTube to remove videos it says have been encouraging Palestinian violence against Israelis in the past week.
Arrest, advertisements spotlight Pakistan army detentions
KARACHI, Pakistan (Reuters) – Paramilitary troops in Pakistan’s biggest city arrested a prominent politician on Thursday, fuelling jitters about a showdown between the powerful Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party and the military-run Rangers.
Failure to pay soldiers threatens Somalia’s war on Islamists
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Somalia’s inability to pay and even feed its soldiers threatens to undermine years of hard-won military gains against Islamist al Shabaab rebels, with corruption sapping morale and weakening the army in the war against the militants…
Yemeni president dismisses Houthi concessions as ‘maneuver’
DUBAI (Reuters) – Yemen’s government dismissed as a “maneuver” on Thursday the Houthis’ acceptance of a U.N.-sponsored peace plan and demanded that the Iran-backed group hand back territory it has seized since last year.
Kosovo lawmaker fills parliament with smoke to protest Serbia deal
BELGRADE (Reuters) – An opposition lawmaker in Kosovo set off what appeared to be a smoke bomb in parliament on Thursday, in a deepening political standoff over an EU-brokered deal to improve ties between Serbia and its former southern province.
