Syrian forces, Kurds push Islamic State out of Hasaka city: monitor
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian government forces and a Kurdish militia have driven Islamic State fighters out of Hasaka city in Syria’s far northeast, a month after the hardline group attacked it, a group monitoring the four-year-old war said on Tuesday.
Lawyer calls for release of Washington Post reporter in Iran
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran should free Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian because there was no evidence to support charges, including spying, made against him, the Iranian-American reporter’s lawyer was quoted by Iran’s Tasnim news agency as saying o…
Syrian Kurds’ spending plans reflect rising ambition
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Kurdish authorities who control a growing area of Syria have ambitious spending plans for their territory, pointing to the rising influence of a minority that believes it is the real target of Turkey’s intervention in the Syrian war….
Big rebel attack in Syria targets area vital to Assad
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Insurgents have launched a major offensive on government-held areas in northwestern Syria in a bid to advance towards a coastal region vital to President Bashar al-Assad’s control of the west, a monitoring group and activists said on…
Indian court puts off last-minute decision on death-row bomb convict
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India’s Supreme Court has put off by a day a decision on whether to stay the execution of the only person sentenced to death for India’s deadliest bomb attack, meaning the convict will learn his fate just hours before he is due to…
Huckabee’s gas chamber reference to Iran deal draws Israeli criticism
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee drew rare criticism from Israel on Tuesday for comments in which he accused President Barack Obama of marching Israelis “to the door of the oven” in a nuclear deal with Iran.
Obama says Ethiopia should not jail journalists, restrict opponents
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that Ethiopia “cannot unleash the full potential of its people” if it jails journalists and restricts legitimate opposition groups.
China conducts air, sea drills in South China Sea
BEIJING (Reuters) – China said it conducted air and sea drills in the South China Sea on Tuesday as it stakes an increasingly assertive claim to virtually the whole sea despite rival claims by neighbors.
Malaysian PM reshuffles cabinet, dumps deputy after 1MDB criticism
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak sacked his deputy and four other ministers in a cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, and replaced the attorney general, in a bid to stifle questions over a graft scandal at debt-laden state investm…
At least 25 people killed by militants in Nigeria’s northeast
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – At least 25 people were killed by suspected Boko Haram militants during raids on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning on three communities in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno state, military and police sources said.
