Syrian army recaptures territory north of Aleppo in fierce fighting
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s army seized an area north of Aleppo on Sunday and killed insurgents as fierce battles raged over the strategic territory, a group monitoring the war and state media reported.
Austria to close Saudi school for not naming teachers
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austria is to close a Saudi school in Vienna for failing to provide the names of its teachers and director and is also looking into allegations that it used anti-Semitic books, Vienna’s school board said on Monday.
U.N. Sahel envoy says Libya turmoil could destabilize neighbors
DAKAR (Reuters) – The United Nations special envoy to the Sahel region said on Monday talks to resolve a crisis in Libya had stalled and warned several countries in the region risked being destabilized unless it was resolved quickly.
Iraq’s new premier battles to unite a fractured nation
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Three months after he took office with a mission to unite his broken, warring country, Iraq’s new prime minister has swept away the divisive legacy of his predecessor with a burst of rapid and dramatic measures.
Three Israelis charged with torching Jerusalem Arab-Jewish school
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Three Israelis from a far-right group were charged on Monday with setting fire to a classroom in an Arab-Jewish school that has been a symbol of co-existence in Jerusalem.
Sultan’s absence raises worries over Oman succession
DUBAI (Reuters) – Looking frail, Oman’s Sultan Qaboos appeared on television last month to reassure his people about his health. But after a long absence abroad for medical treatment, many Omanis are worried that their childless leader has no publicly …
China demotes 1,000 officials with family abroad in graft fight
BEIJING (Reuters) – Authorities in China have demoted about 1,000 government officials with relatives abroad who refused to return home, state media said on Monday, in the latest clamp down in a sweeping anti-corruption campaign.
Indian pro-Islamic State Twitter account back up as police seek clues
NEW DELHI (Reuters) – A popular pro-Islamic State Twitter account traced to an Indian engineer was back up on Monday as police combed through tens of thousands of followers to identify sympathizers of the militant group.
French police arrest 10 people in suspected jihadist network
PARIS (Reuters) – Anti-terrorism police arrested 10 people across France on Monday in a sweep aimed at disrupting a suspected jihadist network sending young fighters to Syria, the Paris prosecutors’ office said.
Iranian support seen crucial for Yemen’s Houthis
SANAA (Reuters) – Iran has supplied weapons, money and training to the Shi’ite Houthi militia that seized Yemen’s capital in September, as Tehran steps up its regional power struggle with Saudi Arabia, Yemeni and Iranian officials say.