Islamic State fighters attack Samarra ahead of army offensive
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Islamic State suicide bombers and fighters struck targets on Saturday in the northern Iraqi city of Samarra, where security forces and their Shi’ite militia allies have been gathering for an offensive against the radical Sunni milit…
Syrian army takes villages in south
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian government forces have taken control of villages in southern Syria, state media said on Saturday, part of a campaign they started this month against insurgents posing one of the biggest remaining threats to Damascus.
Egypt court sentences top Brotherhood leader to life
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court sentenced the Muslim Brotherhood’s top leader Mohamed Badie to life in prison on Saturday while other members received the death penalty, as part of a sustained crackdown by authorities on Islamists.
Sri Lanka concerned by China loans, rules out submarine visits
BEIJING (Reuters) – Sri Lanka is concerned with the roughly $5 billion in Chinese loans it has and will send its finance minister to Beijing to discuss the issue, the foreign minister said on Saturday, as he also ruled out future Chinese submarine visi…
Thousands protest Boko Haram, support army in Cameroon
YAOUNDE (Reuters) – Thousands of people marched in Cameroon’s capital on Saturday to protest against Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgency and support the Central African nation’s army, which is fighting alongside regional neighbors to defeat the Islamist gr…
Iraq says to track down antiquities after Islamic State museum rampage
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Islamic State militants who destroyed priceless antiquities from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul have kept some artifacts to sell, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday, vowing to prevent the radical Islamists from smuggl…
Kurd rebel leader in Turkey calls on militants to attend disarmament talks
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Jailed militant leader Abdullah Ocalan called on his followers to attend a conference on disarmament, according to a statement on Saturday, a crucial step in Turkey’s drive to end a 30-year insurgency with Kurdish militants
Dozens of Syrian and Iraqi migrants rescued off Romanian coast
BUCHAREST (Reuters) – Romania’s coast guard rescued 70 migrants – mostly Syrians and Iraqis – packed on to a small fishing boat that was in danger of sinking as they attempted to make the crossing to Europe in stormy seas on Saturday.
Lesotho goes to polls in bid for stability six months after coup attempt
MASERU (Reuters) – The people of Lesotho voted on Saturday in a tense election they hope will restore stability six months after an attempted coup in the southern African nation.
U.S. drone attack in Yemen kills four suspected al Qaeda militants: security sources
SANAA (Reuters) – A U.S. drone attack in Yemen killed four suspected al Qaeda militants on Saturday in the southern province of Shabwa, local Yemeni security officials told Reuters.
