Consumed by Islamic State, Iraq’s Anbar province a key battleground again
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – In recent weeks, the world has watched the battle to save Syria’s border town of Kobani from Islamic State. But the radical jihadists have for longer been engulfing another strategically more vital target – Iraq’s western Anbar province and its road to Baghdad.
In Afghan north, Taliban gains ground and courts local support
KUNDUZ CITY Afghanistan (Reuters) – Sardar, a 23-year-old working in his brother’s barber shop in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz, said local officials had asked for bribes to resolve a long-running family dispute over land.
Pistorius starts five-year term for killing Reeva Steenkamp
PRETORIA (Reuters) – Olympic and Paralympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius started his five-year jail sentence on Tuesday for killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, marking the end of a trial that has gripped South Africa and millions around the world.
No Russia-Ukraine gas deal at EU talks; Moscow queries finances
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Russia and Ukraine failed to reach an accord on gas supplies for the coming winter in EU-brokered talks on Tuesday but agreed to meet again in Brussels in a week in the hope of ironing out problems over Kiev’s ability to pay.
Burkina Faso government seeks referendum to extend president’s rule
OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – Burkina Faso’s government will submit a bill for parliament to call a referendum on removing a two-term limit for the presidency, the interior minister said after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
U.S. involved in seven air strikes on Islamic State targets
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. military forces carried out four air strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria on Monday and Tuesday and were joined by partner nations in three attacks in Iraq, the U.S. Central Command said.
Rival Libyan PM meets Turkish envoy in first known meeting with foreign visitor
CAIRO/TUNIS (Reuters) – Libya’s self-declared prime minister, who runs a rival government not recognized by the international community, met a Turkish envoy on Tuesday, in the first publicly known diplomatic meeting with a foreign representative.
U.N. condemns top human rights official’s expulsion from Congo
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday condemned the expulsion of the top U.N. human rights official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and called on the U.N. Security Council to consider possible action…
Japan’s power failure: Bid to forge national grid stumbles
TOKYO (Reuters) – After the Fukushima disaster crippled Japan’s nuclear energy sector three years ago, the government pledged the biggest shake up in the history of the fragmented electricity industry to boost competition and contain a surge in power p…
Jailed Kurdish leader says peace talks with Turkey entered new phase
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – The jailed Kurdish separatist leader said on Tuesday the peace process with the Turkish government had entered a new phase since Oct. 15 and he was upbeat over the chances of success.
