Iraq regains ground from Islamic State; mass deaths reported in Palmyra
BAGHDAD/BEIRUT (Reuters) – Iraqi forces recaptured territory from advancing Islamic State militants near the recently-fallen city of Ramadi on Sunday, while in Syria the government said the Islamists had killed hundreds of people since capturing the to…
China clamps down on 181 ‘terror gangs’ in west
BEIJING (Reuters) – China has cracked down on 181 “terror gangs” in its restive far western region of Xinjiang, which has suffered a string of violent attacks, state media reported on Monday.
Hezbollah says it will step up presence in Syria as needed
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Hezbollah is fighting across all of Syria alongside the army of President Bashar al-Assad and is willing to increase its presence there when needed, the leader of the Lebanese Shi’ite movement said on Sunday.
China officials taken on prison visits in warning against corruption
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Chinese authorities have taken government officials and members of their families on tours of prisons as a “warning” against corruption, the official China Daily newspaper reported on Monday, citing the country’s top disciplinary b…
Spain’s ruling PP gets worst local election result in 20 years
MADRID/VALENCIA, Spain (Reuters) – Spain’s ruling People’s Party (PP) took a battering in regional and local elections on Sunday after voters punished Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for four years of severe spending cuts and a string of corruption scanda…
Polish president concedes election defeat to conservative challenger
WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski conceded defeat to conservative challenger Andrzej Duda in Sunday’s presidential election, a result that will set alarm bells ringing for the government, which faces its own election race later t…
Indonesia’s military creeps back into civilian affairs
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Nearly two decades after Indonesia’s military was squeezed out of civilian affairs with the downfall of strongman leader Suharto, President Joko Widodo is drawing the army more closely into his wars on drugs, terrorism, and corrupti…
Libyan government warplanes attack oil tanker docked at Sirte
SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) – Warplanes from Libya’s official government attacked an oil tanker docked outside the city of Sirte on Sunday, wounding three people and setting the ship on fire, officials said.
Colombia’s FARC rebels kill one in first attack since halting ceasefire
BOGOTA (Reuters) – One police officer was killed and two more were wounded in a bombing by Colombia’s FARC rebels on Sunday in the first attack by the group since it called off a unilateral ceasefire during peace talks with the government.
Italy coast guard rescues 70 Afghan, Iraqi migrants from crowded boat
ROME (Reuters) – Seventy Afghan and Iraqi migrants were rescued from a packed boat off the southeastern coast of Italy and brought to shore on Sunday, Italy’s coast guard said.
