Syria’s army says battles rebels near president’s homeland
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s army said on Sunday it had stepped up air strikes and retaken villages in a new offensive on Islamist insurgents in areas close to President Bashar al Assad’s ancestral homeland in the coastal province of Latakia.
Burundi talks suspended ahead of polls after government fails to show
BUJUMBURA (Reuters) – Peace talks to resolve Burundi’s violent political crisis ahead of polls next week were suspended on Sunday after the government side failed to show up, the mediator said.
Explosions hit Hamas, Islamic Jihad cars in Gaza
GAZA (Reuters) – Explosions destroyed six cars belonging to members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups in Gaza City on Sunday, witnesses said, injuring no one but drawing threats of a response.
Houthi bombardment in Yemen’s Aden kills 43: exiled government
ADEN (Reuters) – A bombardment in Aden by the Houthi militia and forces loyal to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh killed 43 people and injured 173 on Sunday, the health ministry of Yemen’s exiled government said two days after declaring the city had…
Mexican kingpin’s home town stunned by ‘bad ass’ escape
BADIRAGUATO, Mexico (Reuters) – In Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman’s home town, some thought they were dreaming and others shed tears of joy when they heard the drug lord had broken out of Mexico’s top maximum security prison through a tunnel built into his …
Briton jailed in U.S. for supporting Taliban is released
LONDON (Reuters) – A British man who was last year sentenced by a U.S. court to 12-1/2 years in prison after pleading guilty to running a website that supported the Taliban, has been released, his family said on Sunday.
Colombian FARC rebels release soldier day before ceasefire begins
BOGOTA (Reuters) – Colombia’s FARC rebels released a soldier they had held for nearly two weeks on Sunday, President Juan Manuel Santos said, a day before a unilateral ceasefire declared by the group was set to start.
Nuclear deal could herald major change within and beyond Iran
BEIRUT (Reuters) – An unlikely group in the Middle East has found common ground in recent days: Saudi Arabia, Israel and hardliners within Iran have all made clear they consider the landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers a very bad idea….
U.S., allies target Islamic State with 16 strikes in Iraq, nine in Syria
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants with 16 air strikes in Iraq and nine in Syria on Saturday, the U.S. military said.
South Korea spy found dead with note denying agency targeted citizens
SEOUL (Reuters) – A South Korean intelligence agent found dead in an apparent suicide left a note denying his team had used spyware to tap the mobile phones and computers of private citizens in the latest scandal involving the spy agency.
