Russia’s Syria force grows to 4,000, U.S. officials say
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Moscow’s military force in Syria has grown to about 4,000 personnel, but this and more than a month of Russian air strikes have not led to pro-government forces making significant territorial gains, U.S. security officials and in…
U.S. says unclear if Taiwan-China meeting will influence Taiwan elections
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – America’s top diplomat for Asia said on Wednesday it was hard to see which Taiwanese political party would benefit most in January elections from a meeting this week between the country’s leader and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Iranian military hackers focus on U.S. administration officials: WSJ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards stepped up hacking of email and social media accounts of Obama administration officials in recent weeks in cyber attacks believed linked to the arrest of an Iranian-American businessman in Tehran, the …
Colombia’s highest court legalizes adoption by gay couples
(Reuters) – Colombia’s constitutional court lifted a restriction on adoptions by gay couples on Wednesday, overturning a previous ruling that banned same-sex partners from adopting unless one of the pair was a biological parent of the child.
Amnesty condemns Syria for disappearance of detainees
LONDON (Reuters) – The Syrian state and allied militia have detained and abducted tens of thousands of people since 2011 in a campaign of enforced disappearances that is a crime against humanity, Amnesty International said in a report on Thursday.
France ends law banning blood donation from gay men
PARIS (Reuters) – France has decided to end a more than 30-year-old law that banned gay men from donating blood, a measure originally put in place to stop the spread of diseases such as HIV.
Canada PM Trudeau sworn in, reveals diverse gender-equal Cabinet
OTTAWA (Reuters) – Liberal leader Justin Trudeau named a young, ethnically diverse and gender-equal Cabinet on Wednesday as he was sworn into office as Canada’s 23rd prime minister, marking the end of nearly a decade of Conservative rule.
U.S. eyes more arms for Syria rebels after latest advance
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. military said on Wednesday it was moving toward providing additional weaponry to Syrian opposition forces battling Islamic State after territorial gains in the past week by the U.S.-backed fighters.
Pentagon chief to visit U.S. aircraft carrier in South China Sea
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will visit a U.S. aircraft carrier transiting the South China Sea on Thursday, a move sure to raise the ire of China as tensions between Washington and Beijing simmer over the disputed water…
Canadian fighting with Syrian rebels killed in northeast: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A Canadian national fighting alongside Syrian rebels was killed in the northeast of the country on Wednesday in a suicide bomb attack carried out by Islamic State, monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
