Assad’s forces advance in northern Syria towards Aleppo
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad captured on Friday the last of three towns on the south-eastern approaches of Aleppo, state television said, advancing on the city after similar gains around the capital Damascus this week.
Eight killed in Pakistan in attack on Shi’ite procession
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Eight people were killed when gunmen opened fire on a Shi’ite Muslim religious procession in Pakistan on Friday, hospital officials said, in what appeared to be the latest incident of spiraling sectarian violence.
Iran averts big rise in sensitive nuclear stockpile, report shows
VIENNA (Reuters) – Iran appears to have moved quickly to prevent a large increase in its most disputed nuclear stockpile, a new U.N. watchdog report indicates, in what may be an attempt not to undermine talks on a nuclear deal with six world powers nex…
Ex-Cyprus president, unity advocate Clerides dies at 94
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Former president Glafcos Clerides, a conservative who ushered Cyprus into the European Union but failed in efforts to heal the island’s decades-old ethnic partition, died on Friday, his doctor said. He was 94.
China unveils boldest reforms in decades, shows Xi in command
BEIJING (Reuters) – China unwrapped its boldest set of economic and social reforms in nearly three decades on Friday, relaxing its one-child policy and further freeing up markets in order to put the world’s second-largest economy on a more stable footi…
Turkish army says Kurdish militants attack convoy
ISTANBUL (Reuters) – Turkey’s military said Kurdish militants attacked a convoy of military vehicles with rifles and a rocket-propelled grenade in southeast Turkey on Friday.
Albanian ‘No’ deals blow to Syria chemical weapons plan
THE HAGUE/TIRANA (Reuters) – Albania rejected on Friday a U.S. request to host the destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons, dealing a blow to a U.S.-Russian accord to eliminate the nerve agents from the country’s protracted civil war.
Spain must probe civil war disappearances, U.N. watchdog says
GENEVA (Reuters) – A U.N. human rights watchdog urged Spain on Friday to investigate the disappearances of civilians during and after the 1936-1939 civil war, despite Madrid’s objection to re-examining past crimes.
Polish transport minister steps down over undisclosed watch
WARSAW (Reuters) – Polish transport minister Slawomir Nowak stepped down on Friday after the prosecutor’s office said there were grounds to believe Nowak broke the law, Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced.
Guinea-Bissau postpones post-coup election until March
BISSAU (Reuters) – Guinea-Bissau’s transitional government has delayed elections meant to draw a line under a 2012 military coup until March next year, according to a presidential decree on Friday.
