Fighting shakes Lebanon’s north as army battles Islamists for third day
TRIPOLI Lebanon (Reuters) – Lebanese soldiers battled Islamist gunmen across northern Lebanon for a third day on Sunday in the worst fighting linked to the civil war in neighboring Syria since militants briefly seized a border town in the summer.
Syrian Kurds repulse Islamic State attack on border gate
MURSITPINAR Turkey (Reuters) – Islamic State militants tried to seize a border post in the Syrian town of Kobani on the Turkish frontier overnight but were repulsed by Kurdish fighters, Kurdish officials and a monitoring group said on Sunday.
Iran frees leading human rights campaigner after short detention
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iranian security forces have released leading human rights advocate Nasrin Sotoudeh, who was detained after leading a protest against what she called unfair legal practices in the Islamic Republic, she said on Sunday.
Egypt, after Sinai attacks, postpones talks on Gaza’s future
CAIRO/GAZA (Reuters) – Egypt announced on Sunday it was postponing talks in Cairo on cementing the Gaza war ceasefire after closing its border with the Palestinian enclave in response to deadly attacks in the Sinai peninsula.
At U.N., China asked to back rights case against North Korea
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – The chief U.N. investigator into human rights cases in North Korea said on Wednesday he has appealed to China to support calls to refer Pyongyang’s actions to The Hague on suspicion of crimes against humanity.
Somali president, prime minister spar over cabinet reshuffle
MOGADISHU (Reuters) – Somalia’s president has instructed his cabinet to ignore a cabinet reshuffle by the prime minister, highlighting a possible rift at a time when Somalia is looking to build confidence in its government and reassure donors.
Egyptian court jails 23 activists for violating protest law
CAIRO (Reuters) – An Egyptian court jailed 23 young activists for three years on Sunday for violating a law banning protests without a permit, judicial sources said, in a case rights group say reflects an increasingly repressive climate in the country….
Iraqi forces seize four villages after victory near Baghdad
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraqi government forces retook four villages on Sunday near a mountain ridge overlooking Islamic State supply lines, security officials said, in a campaign which has struggled to make advances against the Sunni Islamist insurgents.
Britain looking at curbing migrant workers from EU: government minister
LONDON (Reuters) – Limiting the number of European Union citizens who are allowed to work in Britain is among proposals to curb immigration being looked at by the government, Defense Minister Michael Fallon said on Sunday.
Taxiing German plane clips control tower in Algeria, no injuries
ALGIERS (Reuters) – A German plane accidentally hit an airport control tower while taxiing before take off in the Algerian city of Tamanrasset, but there were no injuries, local officials said on Sunday.
