North Korean defector lifts lid on world’s most secret state
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – As a schoolgirl in North Korea, Hyeonseo Lee was forced to watch executions, denounce her friends for fabricated transgressions and dig tunnels in case of a nuclear attack.
Civilians in Yemen’s Aden struggle to survive fighting, shortages: Red Cross
GENEVA (Reuters) – Civilians struggling to survive street battles and Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden are also facing shrinking supplies of food and fuel, a senior official from the International Committee of the Red Cross (…
Somalia reached ‘tipping point,’ can secure peace, U.N. official says
NAIROBI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Somalia has made “remarkable” progress in the last two years and has reached a “tipping point” where it can secure peace, the chief United Nations official in Somalia said on Thursday.
Gulf states tighten security for frightened Shi’ites after mosque blasts
DUBAI (Reuters) – It may have been a prank, albeit a malevolent one, or a genuine threat of violence, when flyers featuring the Islamic State flag were placed near a Shi’ite Muslim mosque in Bahrain this week.
U.S. Treasury sanctions commanders of opposing South Sudanese forces
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Thursday placed sanctions on leaders from opposing military forces in South Sudan for their roles in the country’s conflict.
Serbia says three EU states to help it tackle tide of illegal migrants
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Police chiefs from Germany, Austria and Hungary have agreed to help Serbia crack down on waves of illegal migrants transiting its territory heading for the European Union, Serbia’s police chief was quoted on Thursday as saying.
Morocco breaks up militant cell linked to Islamic State
RABAT (Reuters) – Morocco said on Thursday security forces had dismantled an Islamist militant cell affiliated to the Islamic State group, including members with knowledge in handling weapons and explosives.
Russia, Ukraine trade barbs over politics, gas as hostility deepens
MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) – Russia expressed “deep concern” on Thursday over Ukraine’s plans to decentralize power as part of a peace deal with separatist rebels, underlining the gulf between Moscow and Kiev as the conflict rumbles on despite a ceasefire.
U.S., allies target Islamic State with 28 air strikes in Syria, Iraq
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S.-led coalition forces conducted 18 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and 10 in Syria on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.
Tunisia hunts for Libya-trained suspects after hotel attack
TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisian authorities were on Thursday hunting further suspects in the Sousse hotel attack identified by officials as part of a group trained in a Libyan jihadist camp alongside gunmen who carried out a massacre at a Tunis museum.
