Turkey extends mandate to send troops to Syria if needed
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s parliament voted late on Thursday to extend by a year a mandate authorizing the deployment of troops to Syria and Iraq, weeks after it stepped up its role in the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State.
Leading Islamist party faces test in local Moroccan elections
IMIDER, Morocco (Reuters) – Campaigning for Friday’s local elections, Moroccan lawmaker Ahmed Sakdi made sure to hammer home his Islamist party’s anti-corruption message to a few dozen voters listening to his speech in the desert town of Imider.
Greek leftists put on brave face as poll shows conservatives pulling ahead
ATHENS (Reuters) – Former Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras’s leftist Syriza party said on Thursday it remained confident of winning an outright victory in a Sept. 20 election despite an opinion poll that showed its main conservative rival edging ahe…
U.S., allies conduct 23 air strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States and its allies conducted 23 air strikes against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, the U.S. military said in a statement on Thursday.
Iran’s Khamenei backs parliamentary vote on nuclear deal with powers – state TV
ANKARA (Reuters) – Iran’s Supreme Leader said on Thursday he favored a parliamentary vote on its nuclear deal reached with world powers and called for sanctions against Tehran to be lifted completely rather than suspended, state television reported.
Ireland and Britain set Northern Irish crisis talks next week
DUBLIN (Reuters) – The British and Irish governments will start talks next week with Northern Ireland’s political parties to try to avert a crisis over a murder linked to the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the country’s prime ministers said on Thursday.
U.S. to offer families option of leaving Turkey base, consulate
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States will give families of American personnel at a military base and consulate in Turkey the option of relocating now that the base has become central to the air campaign against Islamic State militants, officials sa…
U.S. sanctions Russia’s state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has imposed sanctions on Russian and Chinese companies, including Russian state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport, for violating a U.S. law restricting weapons trade with Iran, North Korea and Syria.
Immigration into Germany in 2014 at highest level for two decades
BERLIN (Reuters) – Net immigration into Germany last year hit its highest level since 1992 and the number of people claiming asylum benefits jumped by 61 percent, the Statistics Office said on Thursday, with expectations that figure will rise this year…
Double suicide bombing in north Cameroon kills 19, wounds 143
YAOUNDE (Reuters) – A double suicide bombing killed 19 people and wounded 143 on Thursday in northern Cameroon, where soldiers are battling Boko Haram fighters from Nigeria, officials said.
