Islamic State calls on members to carry out jihad in Russia

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State called on its group members to carry out jihad in Russia in a nine-minute YouTube video on Sunday.

Read more

'Give them a bloody nose': Xi pressed for stronger South China Sea response

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's leadership is resisting pressure from elements within the military for a more forceful response to an international court ruling against Beijing's claims in the South China Sea, sources said, wary of provoking a clash with the United States.

Read more

Explosion heard in Afghan capital Kabul: Reuters witnesses

KABUL (Reuters) - A loud explosion was heard in the Afghan capital Kabul in the early hours of Monday and power appeared to be cut in parts of the city, according to Reuters reporters.

Read more

After attacks, German president says absolute security impossible

MUNICH (Reuters) - No government can guarantee its citizens full security from terror strikes, Germany's president said on Sunday, calling for national unity as the best defense after attacks in the past two weeks left 15 people dead.

Read more

As 'caliphate' shrinks, Islamic State looks to global attacks

BAGHDAD/CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State, losing territory and on the retreat in Iraq and Syria, has claimed credit for a surge in global attacks this summer, most of them in France and Germany.

Read more

'Download a good heart', Pope tells young as Polish visit ends

KRAKOW, Poland (Reuters) - Pope Francis wrapped up his Polish visit on Sunday with a huge outdoor Mass where he told young people to look beyond the instant gratification afforded by technology, and instead to try to change the world.

Read more

Suicide car bomb hits CID headquarters in Somalia: police

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suicide attacker rammed a car bomb into the gates of the headquarters of Somalia's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in the capital Mogadishu on Sunday, then fighters stormed in, police said.

Read more

Militants storm Iraq gas compressor station: security sources

KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - Suicide bombers stormed a gas facility in northern Iraq on Sunday and clashing with police guards, security sources said.

Read more

Hong Kong pro-independence candidate disqualified from election

HONG KONG (Reuters) - A member of the pro-independence Hong Kong National Party has been disqualified from running in next month's Legislative Council elections after he declined to sign a controversial new form saying the city is an "inalienable" part of China.

Read more

Many Islamic State leaders trying to flee to Syria: Iraqi minister

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Many Islamic State leaders have fled Mosul with their families toward Syria ahead of a planned offensive by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces on the city, Iraq's defense minister said on Saturday.

Read more

EU's Juncker sees 'great risk' to migrant deal with Turkey: paper

ZURICH (Reuters) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker is concerned that a deal struck with Turkey in March on handling a wave of migrants bound for Europe could collapse, he told an Austrian newspaper.

Read more

Scores of families leave besieged Aleppo under Russia-Damascus plan

BEIRUT (Reuters) - More than 150 civilians, mostly women and children, left besieged eastern parts of Aleppo through a safety zone that Moscow and its Syrian ally say they have set up to evacuate people trapped in opposition-held areas.

Read more

UK's May made decision to delay Hinkley nuclear project: source

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May personally intervened to delay the French and Chinese-backed Hinkley Point nuclear project so she could further consider the deal, a government source said, explaining Friday's shock move.

Read more

Russia says spyware found in state computer networks

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's intelligence service said on Saturday that the computer networks of 20 organizations, including state agencies and defense companies, have been infected with spyware in what it described as a targeted and coordinated attack.

Read more

Turkey's anti-Gulen crackdown ripples far and wide

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Barely 12 hours after a failed coup in Turkey, Somalia's cabinet met in Mogadishu to consider a request from Ankara to shut down two schools and a hospital linked to Fethullah Gulen, the Muslim cleric Turkey blames for the attempted putsch.

Read more

Belgium arrests two men suspected of planning attack

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Police arrested two men suspected of planning an attack in Belgium after house searches on Friday evening, federal prosecutors said on Saturday.

Read more

Turkey kills 35 militants after they try to storm base, officials says

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey's army killed 35 Kurdish militants after they attempted to storm a base in the southeastern Hakkari province early on Saturday, military officials said.

Read more

Libyan forces battle Islamic State snipers for streets of Sirte

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan forces made a fresh push on Friday to capture ground from Islamic State militants besieged in the center of their former North African stronghold of Sirte.

Read more

CIA chief Brennan not optimistic about Syria's future as one country

ASPEN, Colo. (Reuters) - Central Intelligence Agency Director John Brennan said on Friday he was not optimistic about the future of Syria.

Read more

Syrian maternity hospital supported by Save the Children bombed: charity

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian maternity hospital in a rebel-held area of Idlib province was extensively damaged on Friday after a direct hit, international charity Save the Children, which supports the hospital, said.

Read more

Turkey shakes up armed forces, U.S. says purges harming cooperation

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan angrily rejected Western criticism of purges under way in Turkey's military and other state institutions after a failed coup, suggesting some in the United States were on the side of the plotters.

Read more

French church attacker: from troubled childhood to altar killer

SAINT-ETIENNE-DU-ROUVRAY, France (Reuters) - Adel Kermiche was an attention-seeking child whose behavioral problems frequently led him to a psychiatric hospital and later a specialist school. He died a cold blooded killer who slit the throat of an elderly French priest in the name of Islamic State.

Read more

U.S. military prepares for biggest Okinawa land return since 1972

TOKYO (Reuters) - The United States military said on Friday it was preparing for the biggest land return in Okinawa since 1972, as it faces a surge in opposition to its presence following the arrest of one its civilian contractors for the murder of a local woman.

Read more

Attempt at U.S.-Russia cooperation in Syria suffers major setbacks

GENEVA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's attempt to elicit Russian military cooperation in the fight against Islamic State in Syria suffered two potentially crippling blows on Thursday.First, the Syrian army said it had cut off all supply routes into the eastern part of the city of Aleppo - Syria's most important opposition stronghold - and President Bashar al-Assad's government asked residents to leave the city.

Read more

U.S. assessing reports an air strike in Syria caused civilian casualties

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military is investigating reports that an air strike near Manbij, Syria, on Thursday caused civilian casualties, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.

Read more

Syria's Nusra Front says ending al Qaeda ties; U.S. fears for Aleppo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Al Qaeda's powerful Syrian branch, the Nusra Front, announced on Thursday it was ending its relationship with the global jihadist network founded by Osama bin Laden, to remove a pretext used by world powers to attack Syrians.

Read more

Turkey military purge harming fight against Islamic State: Clapper

ASPEN, Colo. (Reuters) - Turkey's purge of its military after a failed coup attempt is hindering cooperation in the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State, James Clapper, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said on Thursday.

Read more

Erdogan wants army under president's control after coup: Turkish official

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wants the armed forces and national intelligence agency brought under the control of the presidency, a parliamentary official said on Thursday, part of a major overhaul of the military after a failed coup.

Read more

Fervent jihadist or suicidal refugee: the many faces of Bavarian bomber

ANSBACH, Germany (Reuters) - Mohammad Daleel made a mess of his escape from Syria to Europe three years ago - he was detained and fingerprinted in Bulgaria before a mysterious benefactor gave him a free plane ticket to help him get to Germany.

Read more

Turkey has intelligence cleric Gulen could flee United States: justice minister

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is receiving intelligence that the Muslim cleric it blames for orchestrating a coup attempt this month could flee his residence in the United States, Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Thursday.

Read more

China, Russia navies to hold drills in South China Sea: China

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Russia will hold "routine" naval drills in the South China Sea in September, China's defense ministry spokesman Yang Yujun told a news conference on Thursday.

Read more

Russia beefs up military on southwestern flank as NATO approaches

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has strengthened its southwestern flank as NATO builds up its military presence and Ukraine remains unstable, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday in remarks the United States called contrary to efforts to lower tensions.

Read more

After attacks, Merkel cuts short holiday to face refugee policy storm

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel interrupted her vacation on Thursday to face down accusations at home and abroad that her open-door refugee policy allowed Islamist terrorism to take hold in Germany.

Read more

Islamic state posts video of men it says were French church attackers

CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State's news agency on Wednesday posted a video of two men it said were those who attacked a church in France in which they pledged allegiance to the group's leader.

Read more

Two Turkish soldiers killed in bomb attack in Kurdish southeast: sources

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Two soldiers were killed and one wounded when a roadside bomb detonated by Kurdish militants hit a passing military vehicle in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast on Wednesday, security sources said.

Read more

Police confirm evacuation of German mall, no 'anti-terror' operation

BERLIN (Reuters) - Police in Bremen, Germany confirmed the evacuation of a local shopping center on Wednesday and said they were searching for a 19-year-old Algerian man who fled a psychiatric facility earlier in the day, but said it was "not an anti-terror operation".

Read more

Germany bomber influenced in chat by unknown person: minister

BERLIN (Reuters) - A Syrian asylum seeker who blew himself up in the southern German town of Ansbach on Sunday was influenced by an unknown person in a chat conversation on his mobile phone, Bavaria's Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said on Wednesday.

Read more

Conspiracy theories flourish after Turkey's failed coup

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's failed coup was financed by the CIA and directed by a retired U.S. army general using a cell in Afghanistan, said one Turkish pro-government newspaper. CIA agents used an island hotel off Istanbul as a nerve center for the plot, said another.

Read more

Suitcase filled with aerosols detonated near Nuremberg: German broadcaster

BERLIN (Reuters) - An explosion went off around 200 meters (220 yards) from a reception center for migrants in a town close to Nuremberg on Wednesday, German broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk said, adding that it was not yet known whether there were any casualties.

Read more

Investigation begins into allegations of civilians killed in Syria: U.S. military spokesman

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States military has found enough credible information to begin a formal investigation into allegations that U.S.-led coalition air strikes killed civilians on July 20 in Syria, a spokesman for the coalition fighting Islamic State, Colonel Chris Garver, said on Wednesday.

Read more

Turkey detains more journalists in clampdown on cleric's followers

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey ordered another 47 journalists detained on Wednesday, part of a large-scale crackdown on suspected supporters of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is accused by Ankara of masterminding a failed military coup.

Read more

France's Hollande meets religious leaders amid row over attacks security

PARIS (Reuters) - President Francois Hollande displayed interfaith solidarity with France's religious leaders on Wednesday after two Islamist militants killed a Roman Catholic priest in a church, igniting fierce political criticism of the government's security record.

Read more

Bombings kill at least 31 in northeast Syria city, state TV says

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Two bomb blasts claimed by Islamic State hit the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli near the Turkish border on Wednesday, killing at least 31 people and wounding 170 others, state television reported.

Read more

Israeli forces kill Hamas militant in West Bank raid

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli troops shot dead a Hamas fighter on Wednesday who the military said was responsible for an attack that killed a rabbi in a drive-by shooting in the occupied West Bank earlier this month.

Read more

Knife attacker in Japan moved from jail to see prosecutors: NHK

TOKYO (Reuters) - A Japanese man accused of breaking into a facility for the disabled in a small town near Tokyo before stabbing and killing 19 patients was taken from a regional jail to see prosecutors on Wednesday, footage on public broadcaster NHK showed.

Read more

Pope's trip to Poland overshadowed by killing of priest in France

KRAKOW, Poland (Reuters) - Pope Francis will start his first trip to Poland on Wednesday to preside at an international Catholic youth jamboree, a usually joyous event that has been dampened by the murder of a Catholic priest in France.

Read more

Turkish troops hunt remaining coup plotters as crackdown widens

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish special forces backed by helicopters, drones and the navy hunted a remaining group of commandos thought to have tried to capture or kill President Tayyip Erdogan during a failed coup, as a crackdown on suspected plotters widened on Tuesday.

Read more

Two hostage takers in northern France 'neutralized': police source

PARIS (Reuters) - Two men who took several people hostage in a church in France's northern Normandy region have been "neutralized", a police source said on Tuesday.

Read more

Two more arrested in France in connection with Nice attack: sources

PARIS (Reuters) - Two more people have been arrested in connection with the Nice attacker who killed 84 people in the French Riviera city of Nice on July 14, sources close to the investigation told Reuters on Tuesday.

Read more

Kerry meets Russia's Lavrov on Syria cooperation plan

VIENTIANE (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, met on Tuesday to discuss a U.S. proposal for closer military cooperation on Syria.

Read more

China asks U.S. to support resumption of talks with Philippines

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign minister has asked the U.S. secretary of state John Kerry to support the resumption of talks between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea, following a ruling against Beijing over the dispute earlier this month.

Read more

Erdogan vows to stick to migrant deal, but questions EU's commitment

BERLIN (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Monday to keep Turkey's promises in a migrant deal with the European Union but said the EU was failing to deliver on its side of the bargain.

Read more

Nineteen feared dead after knife attack in Japan: media reports

(Reuters) - Nineteen people were feared dead and as many as 24 others wounded after an attack by a knife-wielding man at a facility for the disabled in Japan early on Tuesday, NHK reported.

Read more

Cooperation with Russia in Syria would not be based on trust -U.S. general

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Any military or intelligence cooperation between the United States and Russia to strike targets in Syria would include measures to ensure U.S. operational security and would not be based on trust, a top U.S. military official said on Monday.

Read more

Turkey detains 42 journalists in crackdown as Europe sounds alarm

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey ordered the detention of 42 journalists on Monday, broadcaster NTV reported, under a crackdown following a failed coup that has targeted more than 60,000 people, drawing fire from the European Union.

Read more

U.S. praises confidence-building measures with Chinese military

BEIJING (Reuters) - The U.S. and Chinese militaries have reduced the risk of encounters between them having "unintended consequences", a top U.S. official said on Monday, while China reiterated it would not accept interference in the South China Sea.

Read more

London's Golders Green station closed due to security alert over abandoned car

LONDON (Reuters) - London's Golders Green underground train station was closed on Monday while police investigated an abandoned vehicle outside.

Read more

Suicide car bomber kills at least 14 north of Baghdad: police

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide car bomber killed at least 14 people including women and children packed into a minibus at a checkpoint outside a central Iraqi town on Monday morning, police and hospital sources said.

Read more

ASEAN breaks deadlock on South China Sea, Beijing thanks Cambodia for support

VIENTIANE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations overcame days of deadlock on Monday when the Philippines dropped a request for their joint statement to mention a landmark legal ruling on the South China Sea, officials said, after objections from Cambodia.

Read more

Turkey ruling, opposition parties rally together after coup

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkey's ruling and main opposition parties, usually bitter foes, rallied together on Sunday in support of democracy following a failed military coup as President Tayyip Erdogan tightens his grip on the country.

Read more

Blast near Nuremberg caused by explosive device: news site

BERLIN (Reuters) - An explosion that killed one person in Ansbach, Germany near Nuremberg was caused by an explosive device, the mayor of Ansbach told reporters, according to the Nordbayern.de news website.

Read more

Munich gunman planned attacks for a year: Bavarian officials

MUNICH (Reuters) - The 18-year-old German-Iranian gunman who killed nine people in Munich on Friday began planning the attack a year ago after visiting the German city of Winnenden where another teenager killed 15 people in 2009, Bavarian officials said on Sunday.

Read more

Al Qaeda chief urges kidnappings of Westerners for prisoner swaps: SITE

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Al Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri has appeared in an audio interview calling on fighters to take Western hostages and exchange them for jailed jihadists, the monitoring service SITE Intelligence Group said on Sunday.

Read more

Kerry's Syria plan with Russia faces deep skepticism in U.S., abroad

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Skeptics in the U.S. government, European allies in the anti-Islamic State coalition and the main Syrian opposition, distrustful of Russia's intentions, are questioning Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest proposal for closer U.S.-Russian cooperation against extremist groups in Syria.

Read more

ASEAN deadlocked on South China Sea after Cambodia blocks statement

VIENTIANE (Reuters) - Southeast Asian nations failed to find common ground on maritime disputes in the South China Sea on Sunday after Cambodia stuck to its demand the group make no reference to an international court ruling against Beijing in a statement, diplomats said.

Read more

Anger, mourning in Afghanistan after Kabul suicide attack

KABUL (Reuters) - Relatives of some of those killed in a big suicide attack in Kabul searched through a bloodied assortment of belongings left after the twin blasts as they prepared for funerals on Sunday in a mood of growing anger with political leaders.

Read more

Kurdish militants kill policeman in eastern Turkey

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Kurdish militants attacked a police checkpoint in the eastern Turkish province of Tunceli overnight, killing one police officer and wounding two others, the provincial governor's office said on Sunday.

Read more

Blast in northwest Baghdad kills six, sources say

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least six people were killed and 20 wounded when a suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at the entrance to Kadhimiya, a mostly Shi'ite Muslim district in northwest Baghdad, police and medical sources said on Sunday.

Read more

Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul attack, 80 dead

KABUL (Reuters) - Twin explosions tore through a demonstration by members of Afghanistan's mainly Shi'ite Hazara minority in Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 80 people and wounding more than 230 in a suicide attack claimed by Islamic State.

Read more

Turkey's Erdogan orders closure of more schools, extends detention period

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has ordered the closure of more than 1,000 private schools and extended the period in which some suspects can be detained without charge, in his first decree since declaring a three-month state of emergency.

Read more

Malaysian police say bomb plot on top officers foiled, 14 held

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian authorities said on Saturday they had foiled a bomb attack on top police officers and arrested 14 suspected Islamic State (IS) operatives in a week-long operation.

Read more

Heavy rain in China kills at least 24, millions evacuated

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Heavy rain in China has killed at least 24 people and forced 16 million from their homes, state media reported on Saturday.

Read more

Kerry's Syria plan with Russia faces deep skepticism in U.S., abroad

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Skeptics in the U.S. government, European allies in the anti-Islamic State coalition and the main Syrian opposition, distrustful of Russia's intentions, are questioning Secretary of State John Kerry’s latest proposal for closer U.S.-Russian cooperation against extremist groups in Syria.

Read more

Kerry, Russian foreign minister to discuss Syria in coming days

PARIS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that he would meet his Russian counterpart in the coming days to discuss an American proposal for closer military cooperation and intelligence sharing on Syria.

Read more

Shots fired at shopping center in Munich: police

BERLIN (Reuters) - Police have closed off a wide area around a large Munich shopping center after shots were fired, a spokeswoman for the police said on Friday.

Read more

American fighting with Kurds against Islamic State killed in Syria

BEIRUT (Reuters) - An American man who died fighting alongside Syrian Kurdish fighters to oust Islamic State from the northern Syrian city of Manbij has been named as Levi Jonathan Shirley.

Read more

Libyan forces claim gains in fierce fighting against IS in Sirte

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan forces said on Friday they had edged further into the center of Sirte as they seek to recapture the city from Islamic State, following heavy battles until late the previous evening that left dozens dead.

Read more

Exclusive: Top Obama aide to take call for South China Sea calm to Beijing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice will urge Beijing next week to avoid escalation in the South China Sea when she makes the highest-level U.S. visit to China since an international court rejected its sweeping claims to the strategic waterway.

Read more

Philippines' oil still in troubled waters after South China Sea ruling

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines, eager to resume development of vital oil and gas reserves off its coast, will likely need to reach an accord with a Chinese government infuriated by last week's ruling that granted Manila a big victory in the South China Sea.

Read more

Turkey's Erdogan says military to be restructured after abortive coup

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Reuters on Thursday that there were significant failures in intelligence ahead of last Friday's attempted military coup and that the armed forces would quickly be restructured and have fresh blood.

Read more

Exclusive: Possible early North Korean nuclear site found - report

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. policy institute said it may have located a secret facility used by North Korea in the early stages of building its program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, which if confirmed would be critical to the success of any future nuclear deal, according to a report seen by Reuters on Thursday.

Read more

Hollande says understands UK needs time to prepare for Brexit

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Thursday he understood Britain needed time to prepare for negotiations on quitting the European Union, but that it should be done as soon as possible.

Read more

As Islamic State spreads, U.S. officials urge more information sharing

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials on Thursday called on partners in the coalition against Islamic State to increase information sharing to counter the militant group's expanding reach beyond Iraq and Syria, and said a victory in the northern city of Mosul was now in sight.

Read more

Brazil arrests group plotting 'acts of terrorism' before Olympics: source

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's federal police on Thursday arrested members of a group that was preparing "acts of terrorism," a justice ministry source told Reuters, just over two weeks before the Olympics start in Rio de Janeiro.

Read more

France orders Nice policing inquiry after July 14 attack

PARIS (Reuters) - France's government, facing intense criticism over security on the night of last week's deadly truck attack in Nice, said on Thursday it was ordering an inquiry by the national police inspectorate.

Read more

U.S.-backed Syrian force gives Islamic State 48 hours to leave Manbij

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A U.S.-backed force fighting to drive Islamic State out of Manbij said on Thursday it was giving the jihadist group 48 hours to pull out of the surrounded northern Syrian city.

Read more

Trusted allies: why Putin won't fire sports minister over doping scandal

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin risks personal humiliation if all Russian competitors are banned from the Rio Olympics over doping, as now seems possible; yet the man on whose watch this may happen, Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, is not being fired.

Read more

South Korea's Park calls for unity over THAAD deployment

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean President Park Geun-hye said on Thursday the move to deploy a THAAD missile defense system was "inevitable" because of a growing threat from North Korea and that division in the South over its deployment is what Pyongyang seeks.

Read more

Syrian opposition calls for suspension of U.S.-led air strikes

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition called for a suspension of the U.S.-led air campaign against Islamic State in Syria while reports of dozens of civilian deaths from air strikes around the northern city of Manbij are investigated.

Read more

Waste fears as Afghan soldiers cash in on spent ammo

KABUL (Reuters) - Zahir Jan, a scrap metal dealer in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, pays about 175 Afghani ($2.55) per kilo of spent cartridge casings and has no trouble finding supplies from poorly paid soldiers and policemen looking for extra cash.

Read more

Kerry warns of new challenge in securing Iraq after Islamic State

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The battlefield momentum in Iraq and Syria has shifted against Islamic State, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday, but the international community must now also confront the challenge of stabilizing newly liberated areas.

Read more

U.S. blacklists three al Qaeda members living in Iran

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday blacklisted three members of al Qaeda living in Iran, saying they had helped the Islamist militant group on the battlefield, with finance and logistics, and in mediating with Iranian authorities.

Read more

Bodies of 21 women, one man found on migrant boat in Mediterranean: MSF

ROME (Reuters) - The bodies of 21 women and one man were found on a rubber dinghy adrift in the central Mediterranean on Wednesday, humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said.

Read more

On anniversary, U.S. and Cuba cite progress toward closer ties

HAVANA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Marking the one-year anniversary of the renewal of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic ties, the former Cold War foes said on Wednesday they were working hard on further deepening their detente this year, as the clock ticks down on the Obama administration.

Read more

U.S. defense chief says coalition to probe report of civilian deaths in Syria

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S.-led coalition to defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria will investigate reports of civilian casualties in an air strike near Manbij, in northern Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Wednesday.

Read more

Germany fears more 'lone wolf' attacks after train rampage

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is likely to face more Islamist attacks, its interior minister said on Wednesday, although he played down any link between the government's open-door refugee policy and Monday's ax assault aboard a train in Bavaria.

Read more

U.S. says its forces will keep operating in South China Sea

BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. military forces will continue to operate in the South China Sea in accordance with international law, the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations John Richardson said on Wednesday during a visit to a Chinese naval base.

Read more

French lawmakers back emergency rule after Nice attack, inquiry demanded

PARIS (Reuters) - French lawmakers approved a six-month rollover of emergency rule on Wednesday in the wake of last week's truck attack in Nice, the third deadly assault in 18 months for which Islamist militants have claimed responsibility.

Read more

Czech court jails American Dahlgren for life for murdering relatives

PRAGUE (Reuters) - A Czech court on Wednesday sentenced U.S. citizen Kevin Dahlgren to life in prison for the 2013 murder of a family of four relatives with whom he had been staying.

Read more

North Korea says missile test simulated attack on South's airfields

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Wednesday it had conducted a ballistic missile test that simulated preemptive strikes against South Korean ports and airfields used by the U.S. military, a likely reference to the launches of three missiles on Tuesday.

Read more

Palestinian boy killed during clash with Israeli troops in West Bank: Palestinians

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A Palestinian boy was killed on Tuesday during a clash with Israeli troops in the occupied West Bank on the outskirts of Arab East Jerusalem, the Palestinian health ministry said.

Read more

Trump's 'politics of fear' dangerous for U.S., world: German foreign minister

BERLIN (Reuters) - Donald Trump, having clinched the Republican Party's nomination for the Nov. 8 presidential election, threatens U.S. and world security with his "politics of fear and isolation," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Wednesday.

Read more

As Mosul fight approaches, worries about the day after

WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Dozens of defense and foreign ministers will meet in Washington on Wednesday and Thursday to take stock of the fight against Islamic State, their focus increasingly on a major prize: the militant group's bastion in Mosul, Iraq.

Read more

North Korea fires three ballistic missiles, flew up to 600 km: South Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired three ballistic missiles early on Tuesday into the sea off its east coast that had a range of between 500 and 600 kilometers (300 and 360 miles), South Korea's military said.

Read more

Man shot dead after ax attack on German train: reports

BERLIN (Reuters) - A man who attacked passengers with an ax on a train in the German state of Bavaria late on Monday was later shot dead, broadcasters BR and NTV reported.

Read more

Brutality of Turkey's failed coup caught on phones, social media

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A tank rolls through five lanes of deadlocked traffic towards the Bosphorus Bridge, crushing cars. A military helicopter shoots at people dashing across a highway. Mutinous soldiers open fire on civilians outside an air base.

Read more

Pakistani 'selfie' cleric investigated over Qandeel Baloch's murder

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A prominent Muslim cleric in Pakistan who was censured for appearing in "selfie" photographs with murdered social media celebrity Qandeel Baloch is being investigated in connection with her killing, police said on Monday.

Read more

Iran hardliners gain authority in backlash that could sideline Rouhani

ANKARA (Reuters) - A year after Iran's nuclear deal with the West, hardliners are gaining authority in a backlash against pragmatic President Hasan Rouhani that his allies say could leave him sidelined or push him out of power in an election next year.

Read more

Faith in government drops, politicians jeered as France mourns Nice victims

PARIS/NICE, France (Reuters) - Confidence in the capacity of Francois Hollande's government to combat terrorism has plummeted in the wake of the truck attack that killed 84 people in the southern French coastal city of Nice, an opinion poll published on Monday suggested.

Read more

'No excuse' for Turkey to abandon rule of law: EU's Mogherini

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini warned the Turkish government on Monday against taking steps that would damage the constitutional order following a failed weekend coup.

Read more

At height of Turkish coup bid, rebel jets had Erdogan's plane in their sights

ANKARA/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - At the height of the attempt to overthrow Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, the rebel pilots of two F-16 fighter jets had Erdogan's plane in their sights. And yet he was able to fly on.

Read more

Turkey widens crackdown on military, judiciary after failed coup

ISTANBUL/ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey widened a crackdown on suspected supporters of a failed military coup on Sunday, taking the number of people rounded up in the armed forces and judiciary to 6,000, and the government said it was in full control of the country and economy.

Read more

Syrian army reaches main road into rebel-held Aleppo: rebels

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Pro-Syrian government forces reached the only main road into the rebel-held part of Aleppo on Sunday, further tightening their control around opposition areas of Syria's main northern city.

Read more

Armed men seize police station, hostages in Armenia: security service

YEREVAN (Reuters) - A group of armed men seized a police station in Armenia's capital Yerevan along with an unknown number of hostages on Sunday morning, the country's security service said.

Read more

Bahrain court dissolves main Shi'ite opposition group Wefaq-Arabiyah

DUBAI (Reuters) - Bahrain's highest court dissolved the country's main Shi'ite Muslim opposition group al-Wefaq, and liquidated the group's funds, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported on Sunday.

Read more

Two arrested in Nice over truck attack: judiciary source

NICE, France (Reuters) - Police arrested a man and a woman in the French city of Nice on Sunday morning in connection with the truck attack that killed at least 84 people celebrating Bastille Day, a judiciary source said.

Read more

Turkey has made clear to U.S. that Gulen behind coup plot

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's foreign minister said on Saturday he had made clear in a call with U.S. counterpart John Kerry that followers of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen were behind a coup attempt, but had not directly discussed the cleric's possible extradition.

Read more

Police arrest three in Nice as Islamic State claims truck attack

NICE, France (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility on Saturday for the truck attack that killed at least 84 people celebrating Bastille Day in the French city of Nice and police arrested three more people there in connection with the seafront carnage.

Read more

Britain's May says won't trigger Article 50 until have UK-wide approach

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday that the government would not trigger Article 50, the formal trigger of divorce talks with the European Union, until a "UK approach" had been agreed.

Read more

South Koreans protesting over U.S. missile defense plan block PM's bus

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Koreans protesting against a plan to deploy a U.S. missile defense system in their district blocked a minibus carrying the prime minister for several hours on Friday, preventing him from leaving an office.

Read more

U.S. military likely to seek additional troops in Iraq: U.S. army general

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The U.S. military expects to seek additional troops in Iraq, even beyond the hundreds announced this week, as the campaign against the Islamic State advances, the head of the U.S. military's Central Command told Reuters.

Read more

China says Laos supports it on South China Sea case

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has won the support of Laos in rejecting the outcome of a court ruling against China's claims in the South China Sea, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday.

Read more

Shovels and old planes: As North Korea pursues the bomb, its military wanes

SEOUL (Reuters) - Like many in North Korea's army of 1.2 million, Eom Yeong-nam spent more time holding the wooden handle of a shovel than a Kalashnikov rifle during his years in the 501 Construction Brigade.

Read more

U.S. House passes Iran sanctions, financial services measures

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed two pieces of legislation linked to the international nuclear agreement with Iran on Thursday, one year after the landmark pact was announced, defying President Barack Obama's veto threat.

Read more

Kerry takes Syria strikes cooperation proposal to Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry took a proposal to boost military and intelligence cooperation against Islamic State and al Qaeda in Syria to Moscow on Thursday, despite doubts among U.S. defense and intelligence officials.

Read more

Obama will meet with Mexican president at White House on Friday, July 22

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Friday, July 22, at the White House, the White House said.

Read more

Truck plows into crowd in Nice, France, many dead: paper

PARIS (Reuters) - At least 30 people were killed in the southern French town of Nice when a truck ran into a crowd celebrating the Bastille Day national holiday on Thursday night, French TV channel BFM TV said.

Read more

U.S. launches quiet diplomacy to ease South China Sea tensions

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is using quiet diplomacy to persuade the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam and other Asian nations not to move aggressively to capitalize on an international court ruling that denied China's claims to the South China Sea, several U.S. administration officials said on Wednesday.

Read more

Kerry seeks Russian cooperation despite deep misgivings within U.S. administration

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry heads to Moscow on Thursday to again seek closer Russian cooperation in the war against Islamic State in Syria, but he faces strong opposition from defense and intelligence officials who argue that Washington and Moscow have diametrically opposite objectives in the country.

Read more

May shakes up British government to prepare for Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) - New Prime Minister Theresa May showed a ruthless streak on Thursday in building a cabinet to lead Britain's exit from the European Union, while her finance minister said he would do whatever was necessary to restore confidence in the economy.

Read more

Death of Islamic State's Shishani may damage foreign recruitment

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The death of Islamic State's "minister of war" may disrupt its operations, a senior U.S. military officer said on Thursday, and an Iraqi security expert said it could damage IS's important recruitment efforts in ex-Soviet republics.

Read more

Islamic State says 'minister of war' Shishani killed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Abu Omar al-Shishani, who the Pentagon described as Islamic State's "minister of war", was killed in combat in the Iraqi city of Shirqat, south of Mosul, a news agency that supports the militant group said on Wednesday.

Read more

Russia offers to fly warplanes more safely over Baltics

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Moscow offered to fly its jets over the Baltic region with their transponders engaged, an apparent concession to NATO powers who accuse Russia's air force of endangering aviation by turning off the devices that allow them to be detected by ground radar.

Read more

Car bomb kills seven north of Baghdad, second bombing in two days: sources

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least seven people were killed and 11 wounded north of Baghdad on Wednesday when a suicide bomber a car detonated his explosives at a checkpoint, security and medical sources said, the second bombing in the district in as many days.

Read more

South Korea to announce site of THAAD anti-missile system

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's defense ministry said it will announce later on Wednesday the location of a U.S. military THAAD anti-missile defense unit, a planned deployment that has angered China and prompted North Korea to threaten retaliation.

Read more

Next U.N. chief ballots remain secret, despite televised debates

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Ten of the 12 candidates vying to be the next United Nations Secretary-General took part in live televised debates on Tuesday, a first for the world body, but attempts to bring unprecedented transparency to the race will not extend to the Security Council selection process.

Read more

Iraqi forces link up south of Mosul, tightening noose around Islamic State

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi government forces advancing on the Islamic State-held city of Mosul retook a village from IS on Tuesday and linked up along the Tigris river with army units pushing from a separate direction, Defence Minister Khalid al-Obeidi said.

Read more

At least 10 killed, dozens injured as trains collide in Italy

BARI, Italy (Reuters) - At least 10 people died and dozens were injured when two passenger trains collided head-on in the southern heel of Italy on Tuesday, a spokesman for the fire service said.

Read more

U.S. to send more troops to Iraq ahead of Mosul offensive

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The United States is stepping up its military campaign against Islamic State by sending hundreds more troops to assist Iraqi forces in an expected push on the city of Mosul, the militants' largest stronghold, later this year.

Read more

South African twins planned attacks on U.S. Embassy, Jewish buildings

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African twins arrested over the weekend were planning attacks on the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Pretoria, as well as on buildings owned by Jewish people, police said on Monday.

Read more

Britain's May wins PM race after pro-Brexit rival quits

LONDON (Reuters) - Interior minister Theresa May will become Britain's prime minister on Wednesday, with the task of steering its withdrawal from the European Union, after rival Andrea Leadsom abruptly terminated her disastrous leadership campaign.

Read more

High stakes legal ruling looms in South China Sea dispute

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - An arbitration court in The Hague will rule on Tuesday in a dispute about the South China Sea in which the Philippines is challenging China's right to exploit resources across vast swathes of the strategic territory.

Read more

Images show high level of activity at North Korea nuclear site: monitor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Satellite images from last week show a high level of activity at North Korea's nuclear test site but it is unclear whether this was for maintenance or preparation for a fifth nuclear test, a U.S.-based North Korea monitoring project said on Monday.

Read more

After nuclear deal, Iran sticks to wary tactics in key Gulf waterway

ABOARD THE USS NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday dispatched five military vessels to monitor a U.S. warship hosting one of America's top generals on a day trip through the Strait of Hormuz, coming as close as 500 yards (meters).

Read more

North Korea says will treat U.S. detainees under 'wartime law'

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Monday it has told the United States it will sever the only channel of communication between them, at the United Nations in New York, after Washington blacklisted leader Kim Jong Un last week for human rights abuses.

Read more

Cameron says UK must stay close to the EU after Brexit

FARNBOROUGH, England (Reuters) - David Cameron said it was in Britain's fundamental interest to remain very close to the European Union when it renegotiates a new relationship with the bloc it voted to leave in a referendum last month.

Read more

German ministry sees possible delay in signing missile defense contract

LONDON (Reuters) - Germany may not finish negotiations with Europe's MBDA and Lockheed Martin Corp on the MEADS missile defense system by the end of the year as planned, according to a document sent to lawmakers by a senior German defense ministry official.

Read more

Frontrunner in British PM race May vows corporate governance reforms

LONDON (Reuters) - Theresa May, the favorite to succeed David Cameron as British prime minister, will pledge on Monday to overhaul corporate governance rules if elected, including putting workers on company boards and making shareholder votes on pay binding.

Read more

Israeli attorney-general orders inquiry linked to Netanyahu

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's attorney-general has ordered an inquiry into "matters" related to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the justice ministry said on Sunday, without saying what they were.

Read more

Merkel expects new British PM to launch formal EU exit talks

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany expects Britain to trigger article 50 of the European Union's Lisbon treaty to begin the formal process of leaving the bloc once it has picked a new prime minister, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday.

Read more

Renewed fighting in South Sudan, former rebel side blames government

JUBA (Reuters) - Renewed fighting erupted in South Sudan's capital on Sunday and forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar said his residence was attacked by the president's troops, raising fears of a slide back into full-blown conflict in the five-year-old nation.

Read more

Family of killed U.S. journalist Marie Colvin sues Syria

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The family of American journalist Marie Colvin, who died in Syria in 2012, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in a U.S. court, accusing the Syrian government of deliberately killing her.

Read more

Bin Laden's son threatens revenge for father's assassination: monitor

DUBAI (Reuters) - The son of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has threatened revenge against the United States for assassinating his father, according to an audio message posted online.

Read more

Australia’s prime minister declares victory in marathon election

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull declared victory on Sunday in a marathon national election, with his coalition government retaining power and the opposition Labor Party conceding defeat.

Read more

Critic of Cambodian government shot dead in capital

PHNOM PENH (Reuters) - A critic of the Cambodian government was shot dead in the capital on Sunday at a time of rising political tension between Prime Minister Hun Sen and an opposition hoping to challenge his grip on power in elections as soon as next year.

Read more

Gunmen kidnap three Indonesians off Malaysian state of Sabah

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Gunmen kidnapped three Indonesian tugboat crew off Malaysia's eastern state of Sabah, police said on Sunday, the latest in a string of abductions in a region noted for kidnappings by Islamist militants.

Read more

Coalition air strikes, Turkish army kill eight Islamic State militants: Anadolu

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Air strikes by U.S.-led coalition warplanes and artillery fire from Turkey killed eight Islamic State fighters in northern Syria, state-run Anadolu Agency cited the Turkish military as saying on Sunday.

Read more

Kurdish militant bomb attack on Turkish army outpost kills two: Anadolu

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Kurdish militants carried out a car bomb attack on a military outpost in southeast Turkey, killing one soldier and a member of the state-sponsored village guard militia, Anadolu Agency reported on Sunday.

Read more

Afghan forces' casualties climbing in 2016, top U.S. commander says

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan forces are suffering rising levels of battlefield casualties this year after unprecedented numbers of police and soldiers were killed and wounded in 2015, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said. 

Read more

Former UK deputy PM Prescott says now believes Iraq invasion illegal

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain broke international law when it invaded Iraq in 2003, its deputy prime minister at the time, John Prescott, said on Sunday in the wake of a critical report on the decision.

Read more

Two Russian helicopter pilots shot down, killed in Syria: Interfax

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Militants shot down a military helicopter near Palmyra in Syria, killing two Russian pilots on board, Interfax news agency said, quoting Russia's defense ministry.

Read more

Venezuela detains suspect linked to Panama Papers law firm

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan authorities have arrested a representative of the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca at the center of the Panama Papers scandal on accusations of seeking clients interested in investing "illicit funds", state prosecutors said.

Read more

At least 38 civilians killed in rebel fire on government-held part of Syria's Aleppo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Rebel shelling into government-held parts of Syria's second city Aleppo killed at least 38 civilians on Saturday, a war monitor said, as Syrian government forces continued their offensive to completely encircle rebel-held parts of the city.

Read more

British government rejects petition calling for second EU referendum

LONDON (Reuters) - The British government has rejected an online petition signed by 4.1 million people calling for a new referendum on whether to leave the European Union.

Read more

Despite fatigue, NATO commits to fund Afghan forces to 2020

WARSAW (Reuters) - NATO allies have promised the United States they will help fund Afghan security forces to the tune of around $1 billion annually over the next three years despite public fatigue in Western countries about their involvement in the long-running conflict.

Read more

Iran, criticizing Merkel, says to press on with missile program

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will press on with its missile program "with full force" based on national security needs, a foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying on Saturday, adding that critical comments by Germany's leader were unhelpful.

Read more

China holds combat drill in the South China Sea

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - The Chinese navy conducted combat drills near its southern island province of Hainan and the Paracel islands in the South China Sea, the Ministry of Defense said on Saturday.

Read more

Don't give UK a generous Brexit deal, EU voters say: poll

LONDON (Reuters) - Voters in Germany, France, Sweden and Finland think Britain should not be given a generous deal when it tries to renegotiate its ties with the European Union, an opinion poll published on Friday showed.

Read more

Air strikes kill 23 at holiday spot in Syria's Idlib during ceasefire: monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes killed 23 people at a holiday spot in northwestern Syria on Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, the last day of a 72-hour ceasefire announced by the Syrian army.

Read more

Bangladesh seeks to account for missing youth to head off attacks

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh's prime minister has urged parents whose children have gone missing to provide information after some of the militants who attacked a Dhaka cafe last week turned out to be young men who had broken contact with their well-to-do families.

Read more

Obama urges NATO to stand firm against Russia despite Brexit

WARSAW (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama urged NATO leaders on Friday to stand firm against a resurgent Russia over its seizure of Crimea from Ukraine, saying Britain's vote to leave the European Union should not weaken the Western defense alliance.

Read more

U.S. troop cut won't impact mission in Afghanistan: U.S. general

KABUL (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's decision to withdraw roughly 1,400 U.S. troops from Afghanistan won't adversely impact America's mission there, a top general said before arriving in Kabul on Friday, adding that some jobs could be done from abroad.

Read more

South Korea, U.S. to deploy THAAD missile defense, drawing China rebuke

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea and the United States said on Friday they will deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea to counter a threat from North Korea, drawing sharp and swift protest from neighboring China.

Read more

Super typhoon Nepartak hits Taiwan, disrupts power supplies, transport

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Super typhoon Nepartak hit eastern Taiwan early on Friday, driving thousands of people from their homes, disrupting power supplies and forcing the cancellation of more than 500 flights, emergency authorities said.

Read more

Syrian army fire cuts only road into rebel-held Aleppo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian government forces took a step toward completely encircling rebel-held parts of Aleppo on Thursday, capturing ground overlooking the only road into the opposition half of the city and effectively putting those areas under siege.

Read more

At least 20 killed in attack on Shi'ite mausoleum north of Baghdad: sources

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 20 people were killed and 50 others wounded on Thursday evening in an attack on a Shi'ite mausoleum north of Baghdad, security sources said.

Read more

Possible wreckage from EgyptAir crash washes up in Israel

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Debris apparently from the crash of EgyptAir MS804 was found on a beach north of Tel Aviv on Thursday, an official in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said.

Read more

U.S.-backed forces drive into Islamic State-held city, monitors say

BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed fighters advanced further into the Islamic State-held city of Manbij in Syria on Thursday, as part of a campaign to drive the group from areas near the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Read more

Obama to broach Syria, Russia, Brexit at NATO summit: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will speak with European leaders about the Syrian refugee crisis, Russia and Ukraine, and the aftermath of Britain's decision to pull out of the EU during the NATO summit on Friday, the White House said.

Read more

Kerry hopes for continued Chinese cooperation on North Korea

KIEV (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday he hoped China would continue to cooperate with the United States on sanctions on North Korea, a day after Beijing criticized new U.S. sanctions targeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Read more

Germany arrests Algerian suspected of helping Paris attack ringleader

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police have arrested a man suspected of being a member of Islamic State and of feeding information to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who planned last year's Paris attacks, federal prosecutors said on Thursday.

Read more

Baghdad bombing death toll rises to 281, health ministry says

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The death toll from a massive suicide bombing in Baghdad over the weekend has reached 281, Iraq's Health Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Read more

Migrants put Sweden's cozy Nordic Model under pressure

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedes rarely use cash, but building firm owner Piotr can’t get enough of the stuff. Every week, he spends hours racing from ATM to ATM using four credit cards to withdraw up to 80,000 Swedish crowns ($9,400). He needs the cash, he says, to pay the undocumented immigrant workers he employs.

Read more

Blast in Bangladesh kills one, wounds six: officials

(Reuters) - A Bangladeshi policeman was killed and six people were wounded on Thursday in a blast in a town hosting the country's biggest celebrations for the end of the Ramadan fasting month, officials said.

Read more

Multinational crew blasts off for space station

(Reuters) - A three-member multinational crew blasted off aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan on Thursday for a two-day trip to the International Space Station, a NASA TV broadcast showed.

Read more

China warns U.S. on sovereignty ahead of South China Sea ruling - Xinhua

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China's foreign minister spoke with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry by telephone on Wednesday ahead of a key international court ruling on China's South China Sea claims and warned Washington against moves that infringe on China's sovereignty, Beijing's official Xinhua news agency reported.

Read more

U.S. sanctions North Korea leader, others, over rights abuses

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States sanctioned top North Korean officials on Wednesday, including leader Kim Jong Un, for what it said were "notorious abuses of human rights."

Read more

Obama to deliver statement on Afghanistan: White House

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will deliver a statement on the war in Afghanistan at 10:25 a.m. (1425 GMT), the White House said on Wednesday.

Read more

China chides U.N. group over criticism of 'arbitrary' detention

BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Wednesday U.N. authorities should respect its judicial independence after a U.N. agency said last week an American businesswoman who is accused of spying in China had been detained arbitrarily.

Read more

Blair led Britain into Iraq war based on flawed intelligence: inquiry

LONDON (Reuters) - A British inquiry into the Iraq war strongly criticized former Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government on Wednesday, saying they had led the country into war based on flawed intelligence that should have been challenged.

Read more

In shadow of Brexit, NATO considers Russian deterrence

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO leaders meet in Warsaw on Friday to cement a new deterrent against what they see as an emboldened Russia, returning to Cold War-style defense with Washington again taking the part of Europe's protector.

Read more

Islamic State says Dhaka cafe slaughter a glimpse of what's coming

DHAKA (Reuters) - Islamic State has warned of repeated attacks in Bangladesh and beyond until rule by sharia, Islamic law, is established, saying in a video last week's killing of 20 people in a Dhaka cafe was merely a glimpse of what is to come.

Read more

Pistorius in court for sentencing on murder conviction

PRETORIA (Reuters) - South African Paralympic gold medalist Oscar Pistorius arrived in court on Wednesday for sentencing for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, bringing the curtain down on a trial that gripped the world.

Read more

At least six soldiers killed in double suicide bombing in Yemen's Aden

ADEN (Reuters) - At least six Yemeni troops were killed and dozens were wounded on Wednesday when two suicide bombers blew up their cars at a military base in the southern city of Aden, security sources said.

Read more

What went wrong? Bangladesh militant's father seeks answers

DHAKA (Reuters) - On the last Friday of Ramadan, Meer Hayet Kabir was hoping his son Meer Saameh Mubasheer, missing for the past four months, would come home. In Bangladesh, even kidnappers sometimes released hostages on a holy day.

Read more

Suicide bombing kills at least 16 in northeast Syria - monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A suicide bomb blast killed at least 16 people in the mostly Kurdish-controlled city of Hasaka in northeastern Syria on Tuesday, the monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Read more

EgyptAir voice recorder indicates attempt to put out fire: investigation committee sources

CAIRO (Reuters) - The cockpit voice recorder of crashed EgyptAir flight MS804 indicate an attempt to put out a fire on board the jet before it plunged into the Mediterranean, sources on the investigation committee said on Tuesday.

Read more

German police evacuate plane after caller reports dangerous suitcase

BERLIN (Reuters) - German police evacuated a plane at Kassel airport on Tuesday after an anonymous caller said luggage on board posed a danger.

Read more

Belgian judge sentences jihadists to up to 16 years in prison

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Belgian judge on Tuesday handed out sentences of up to 16 years to members of an Islamic State cell dismantled in a bloody raid in the town of Verviers last year.

Read more

Brexit worries hit UK economy as Conservatives start choosing PM

LONDON (Reuters) - Worries about the economic impact of leaving the European Union hit Britain's property market and drove the pound to a new 31-year low on Tuesday as Conservative members of parliament began voting for a new prime minister.

Read more

Spanish police raid town halls, businesses in latest graft inquiry

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police raided town halls and businesses across the country on Tuesday, arresting 12 people as part of a sweeping investigation into the suspected infiltration of local governments by organized crime.

Read more

Suicide bombers hit three Saudi cities, killing at least four officers

RIYADH (Reuters) - Suicide bombers struck three cities across Saudi Arabia on Monday, killing at least four security officers in an apparently coordinated campaign of attacks as Saudis prepared to break their fast on the penultimate day of the holy month of Ramadan.

Read more

Bangladesh hunts for six accomplices of cafe attackers

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladeshi police hunted on Tuesday for six members of a domestic Islamist group they suspect helped gunmen attack a Dhaka cafe, as officials began questioning families of the militants for clues as to what turned them into killers.

Read more

Seventeen jailed pending trial over Istanbul airport attack: media

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court jailed 17 suspects pending trial on Tuesday in connection with last week's suicide bombing attack on Istanbul's main airport that killed 45 people and wounded hundreds, state media said.

Read more

NASA's Juno spacecraft loops into orbit around Jupiter

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - NASA'S Juno spacecraft capped a five-year journey to Jupiter on Monday with a do-or-die engine burn that looped it into orbit to probe the origins of the biggest planet in the solar system and how it impacted the rise of life on Earth, the U.S. space agency said.

Read more

Australian PM Turnbull under fire, cliffhanger election counting continues

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Counting of 1.5 million postal and absentee votes critical in Australia's cliffhanger election began on Tuesday as loyalists of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull defended their embattled leader against calls for his resignation.

Read more

Iraqis want crackdown on 'sleeper cells' after huge Baghdad bomb

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - The death toll from a suicide bombing in a Baghdad shopping district rose above 175 on Monday, fueling calls for security forces to crack down on Islamic State sleeper cells blamed for one of the worst-ever single bombings in Iraq.

Read more

China criticizes Japan over 'dangerous' jet scramble

BEIJING (Reuters) - China strongly criticized Japan over a scramble of military aircraft from the two countries on Monday amid a dispute over islands in the East China Sea.

Read more

UKIP leader Farage quits, punching another hole in British politics

LONDON (Reuters) - The leader of Britain's insurgent right-wing populist UK Independence Party said on Monday he was stepping down after realising his ambition to win a vote for Britain to leave the EU, punching another hole in the country's chaotic politics.

Read more

China offers Philippines talks if South China Sea court ignored: China Daily

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China is ready to start negotiations with the Philippines on South China Sea-related issues if Manila ignores an arbitration ruling expected next week on their long-running territorial dispute, the official China Daily reported on Monday.

Read more

Kerry offers Bangladesh FBI help as police probe attackers' links

DHAKA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has offered Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina help to investigate those behind the killing of 20 people at a Dhaka restaurant, as police examine how the young, affluent and educated attackers were radicalized.

Read more

Ahead of key court ruling, Beijing in propaganda overdrive

HONG KONG/LONDON (Reuters) - As an international tribunal prepares to rule on Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea, officials in Washington, Tokyo and Southeast Asia are on tenterhooks.

Read more

Turkish court remands 13 in jail over Istanbul airport attack

ANKARA (Reuters) - A Turkish court on Sunday remanded 13 alleged Islamic State militants in custody pending trial in connection with suicide bombings at Istanbul's main airport last Tuesday that claimed 45 lives.

Read more

Two-state Israeli-Palestinian solution slipping away: U.N. official

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is slipping away, the U.N. special coordinator for Middle East peace warned on Sunday, after both sides shrugged off criticism by international mediators.

Read more

China to hold drills in South China Sea ahead of court ruling

BEIJING (Reuters) - China will hold military drills around the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the maritime safety administration said on Sunday, ahead of a decision by an international court in a dispute between China and the Philippines.

Read more

Holocaust survivor, Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel dies at 87

(Reuters) - Activist and writer Elie Wiesel, the World War Two death camp survivor who won a Nobel Peace Prize for becoming the life-long voice of millions of Holocaust victims, died on Saturday. He was 87.

Read more

Bangladesh says gunmen behind restaurant killings local, some known

DHAKA (Reuters) - The seven militants who killed 20 people at a restaurant in Dhaka were local Bangladeshis and authorities had tried before to arrest five of them, police said, as the country began a two-day period of mourning on Sunday.

Read more

Islamic State repels U.S.-backed forces in northern Syria city: monitor

AMMAN (Reuters) - Islamic State militants on Saturday pushed back U.S.-backed forces trying to advance into their stronghold of Manbij for the first time since a major offensive to capture the city and cut off the militant's main strategic access route to Turkey, a monitoring group and Kurdish sources said.

Read more

Around 20 Islamic State members in custody over Istanbul airport attack: Erdogan

ANKARA (Reuters) - Around 20 Islamic State militants, mainly foreigners, are in custody in connection with an attack last week on Istanbul airport that killed 45 people, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday.

Read more

Thousands gather in London to protest against Brexit vote

LONDON (Reuters) - Thousands of demonstrators gathered in central London on Saturday to march in protest against last week's vote to leave the European Union, a result that has plunged Britain into political chaos and which most people in the capital rejected.

Read more

Serbian man kills 5, injures 22, in cafe shooting

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Five people were killed and another 22 were wounded early on Saturday when a man entered a cafe in northern Serbia and opened fire with an assault rifle, police said.

Read more

Taliban leader says foreigners must quit Afghanistan for peace

KABUL (Reuters) - The new leader of the Taliban called for an end to foreign forces' "occupation" of Afghanistan as a preliminary step to a settlement based on Islamic law that he said would bring unity to a country riven by decades of war.

Read more

Three killed as Libya forces close on central Sirte against Islamic State

MISRATA, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan forces fighting to free the city of Sirte from Islamic State forces have surrounded a conference hall in the area still held by militants after air strikes and clashes that killed at least three pro-government fighters, senior officials said.

Read more

Air strike kills two Islamic State 'senior military commanders': Pentagon

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S.-led coalition air strike killed Islamic State's deputy minister of war and a military commander in Mosul on June 25, a Pentagon official said on Friday.

Read more

U.S. says kills up to 116 civilians in strikes outside war zones

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's government said on Friday it inadvertently killed up to 116 civilians in strikes in countries where America is not at war, a major disclosure likely to inflame debate about targeted killings and use of drones.

Read more

Gunmen attack restaurant in Dhaka's diplomatic quarter

DHAKA (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked a restaurant popular with foreigners in the diplomatic quarter of the Bangladeshi capital on Friday and the U.S. State department said there was a hostage situation.

Read more

Home-grown radicals a weak spot in Turkey's fight against Islamic State

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A few months after he started attending meetings of a hardline Islamic community group in a poor Istanbul suburb, 25-year-old Murat Kipcak stopped reading the Koran and going to the mosque.

Read more

Tens of thousands protest in Hong Kong as China tensions simmer over booksellers

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents marched in protest on the 19th anniversary of the financial hub's return to Chinese rule on Friday as tensions simmer against Chinese authorities over the abductions of Hong Kong booksellers.

Read more

Two suspects in Istanbul attack identified as Russian: Turkish media

ISTANBUL/TBILISI (Reuters) - Two Russian nationals have been identified as suspected Islamic State suicide bombers in the attack on Istanbul's main airport that is thought to have been masterminded by a Chechen, Turkish media said on Friday.

Read more

Iran's Rouhani accuses West of exploiting Sunni-Shi'ite rift, raps Israel

ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran's President Hassan Rouhani accused Western powers of trying to exploit differences between the world's Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims to divert attention from the Israel-Palestinian conflict, state television reported on Friday.

Read more

Syria rebels retake key town in western coastal province: monitor, rebels

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Insurgents seized a strategic town from Syrian government forces and their allies in the western coastal province of Latakia on Friday, a monitoring group and the rebels said, in a rare advance for them in the area.

Read more

Tunisian prisoners tell of life with Islamic State in Libya

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - When a U.S. air strike hit Sabratha in western Libya on Feb. 19, it reduced a building on the southern fringes of the city to rubble, killing dozens of militants and exposing a network of Islamic State cells operating just near the Tunisian border.

Read more