Japan woos Russia with deeper economic ties in face of rising China

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan is hoping the lure of deeper economic ties with Russia will strengthen strategic relations in the face of a rising China, but skeptics question whether the approach will generate a breakthrough in a decades-old territorial dispute.

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U.S. resumes scheduled passenger flights to Cuba after more than 50 years

SANTA CLARA, Cuba (Reuters) - The first scheduled commercial passenger flight from the United States to Cuba in more than half a century landed on Wednesday, opening another chapter in the Obama administration's efforts to improve ties and increase trade and travel with the former Cold War foe.

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Air strike kills 16 members of Yemeni imam's family: Reuters witness, resident

SANAA (Reuters) - At least 16 members of the extended family of a Yemeni mosque imam were killed on Wednesday in an air strike on their family home in northern Yemen by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, a Reuters witness, a medic and a resident said.

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Turkish Syria offensive to not stop until threats removed: PM

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey will press on with its offensive in northern Syria until all threats are removed and the nation's national security is guaranteed, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday.

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Saudi Arabia says Houthis will not be allowed to take over Yemen

BEIJING (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said on Wednesday the Iranian-allied Houthi movement would not be allowed to take over Yemen, as he accused Iran of seeking to sow unrest around the region.

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North Korea executes vice premier in latest purge: South

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has executed its vice premier for education and rebuked two high-ranking officials, South Korea said on Wednesday, which, if true, would mark a new series of measures by leader Kim Jong Un to discipline top aides.

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North Korea makes progress on missiles, but no evidence of nuclear weapons yet

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has made considerable progress this year on weapons technology, including testing a submarine-launched missile for the first time, but it's still not clear if the isolated nation has developed a nuclear warhead.

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U.S. lauds fragile respite between Turkey, Kurdish fighters in Syria

BEIRUT/ANKARA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States welcomed an apparent pause in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on Tuesday, both of them members of the coalition fighting Islamic State, but it was far from clear that any truce would hold.

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Talks start at U.N. on possible Syria sanctions over gas attacks

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council began talks on Tuesday on whether to impose sanctions on people or entities linked to two chlorine gas attacks on civilians that the United Nations and the global chemical weapons watchdog blamed on the Syrian government.

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Islamic State propaganda chief killed in Syria

BEIRUT/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Islamic State spokesman and head of external operations Abu Muhammad al-Adnani, one of the jihadist group's longest-serving and most prominent leaders, has been killed in Aleppo province in Syria, it said on Tuesday.

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Car bomb kills five soldiers outside Somali president's palace: police

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A car bomb claimed by al Shabaab Islamist militants killed five soldiers outside the president's palace in the Somali capital of Mogadishu and badly damaged two nearby hotels, police said.

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Chinese embassy in Kyrgyzstan hit by suspected suicide car bomb

BISHKEK (Reuters) - A suspected suicide car bomber rammed the gates of the Chinese embassy in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek on Tuesday, killing the attacker and wounding at least three other people, officials said.

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U.S., India to discuss business ties, tensions with Pakistan

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker began two days of talks on Tuesday with the Indian government to boost business ties, and to encourage dialogue with Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir.

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Defiant Rousseff says Brazil's democracy on trial with her

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A defiant President Dilma Rousseff warned on Monday that her conservative opponents were trampling on Brazil's democracy by using trumped-up charges to oust her and roll back the social advances of 13 years of leftist rule.

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Libyan forces say Islamic State beaten back in Sirte

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan forces said they captured a residential neighborhood in central Sirte from Islamic State on Monday, leaving just one district of the city still occupied by the militants.

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Rockets hit Saudi border town as Yemen war flares anew

NAJRAN, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - Yemeni Houthi forces are again firing rockets at this corner of southern Saudi Arabia, ending a lull of several weeks and complicating efforts to revive talks on ending Yemen's 18-month-old civil war.

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Fight for Syria's Aleppo exposes limits of Russian air power

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's politically-sensitive and ultimately fruitless decision to launch bombing missions on Syria from Iranian soil has exposed the limits to its air power, leaving Moscow in need of a new strategy to advance its aims.

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Iran deploys Russian-made S-300 missiles at its Fordow nuclear site: TV

ANKARA (Reuters) - Iran has deployed the Russian-supplied S-300 surface-to-air missile defence system around its Fordow underground uranium enrichment facility, Iranian state media reported on Monday.

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Fifteen killed at Iraqi wedding party: police

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 15 people were killed at a wedding party near Iraq's southern Shi'ite city of Kerbala late on Sunday, police said on Monday.

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Suicide bomber kills 45 in Aden attack: medical charity

ADEN (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 45 people when he drove a car laden with explosives into a compound run by local militias in Aden on Monday, Medecins Sans Frontieres said, in one of the deadliest attacks in the southern Yemeni port city.

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Anti-burkini law in France would worsen tension: interior minister

PARIS (Reuters) - A law banning the full-body "burkini" swimsuit in France would stoke tensions between communities and would be both unconstitutional and ineffective, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said in an interview published on Sunday.

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High toll for Libyan troops battling Islamic State in Sirte

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - At least 34 Libyan fighters were killed and more than 180 wounded on Sunday as they closed in on the last Islamic State militant holdouts in the coastal city of Sirte, according to field hospitals.

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German vice chancellor says can't see Turkey in EU anytime soon

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday he did not see Turkey joining the EU during his political career, adding that the bloc would not be in a position to take Turkey in even if Ankara met all the entry requirements tomorrow.

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Iran arrests nuclear negotiator suspected of spying

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has arrested a member of the team that negotiated a landmark nuclear deal with world powers on suspicion of spying, a judiciary spokesman said on Sunday.

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Half of Germans against Merkel serving fourth term: poll

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's domestic popularity has declined, a poll showed on Sunday, with 50 percent of Germans against her serving a fourth term in office after a federal election next year.

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Turkish army pounds north Syria, monitor says 20 civilians killed

KARKAMIS, Turkey (Reuters) - A group monitoring the Syrian war said Turkish air strikes and artillery attacks killed at least 20 civilians and wounded dozens more on Sunday, the fifth day of Turkey's cross-border campaign that it says targets Islamic State and Kurdish forces.

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Suspected 'terror' attack at Indonesian church; no serious casualties

MEDAN, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesian police were investigating a suspected terror attack by a knife-wielding assailant on a priest during the Sunday service at a church, and a bomb squad had been deployed to determine whether the attacker's backpack contained explosives.

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New tans, same old 'polycrisis' as Europe's summer ends

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union grinds back into action this week after its August break, still dazed by Britain's midsummer vote to quit the EU and facing much the same "polycrisis" as a year ago: a mass of refugees, a fragile economy, hostile Russians and, yes, those Brits, now more awkward than ever.

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France's Ayrault urges Russia to back U.N. resolution on Syria

PARIS (Reuters) - A U.N. report on the use of chemical weapons in Syria is a chance to push Russia to accept a resolution condemning the Syrian regime and resume political negotiations, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said.

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Italy grieves as state funeral held for victims of powerful quake

ASCOLI PICENO, Italy (Reuters) - Weeping relatives hugged each other and reached out to touch the simple wooden coffins at a state funeral held on Saturday for some of the 290 people killed in an earthquake this week.

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Sources deny report Merkel delaying announcement on possible fourth term

BERLIN (Reuters) - Sources in Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat (CDU) party on Saturday denied a magazine report that said the German leader was delaying an announcement until spring 2017 on whether she will run for a fourth term in next year's federal election.

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Kurdish-aligned group in north Syria says targeted by Turkish warplanes

KARKAMIS, Turkey (Reuters) - A group allied to Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said it was bombarded by Turkish warplanes on Saturday, after Turkey's military launched an incursion this week into northern Syria against both Islamic State and Kurdish forces.

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Bangladesh police kill 'mastermind' of Dhaka cafe attack

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh security forces killed three Islamist militants on Saturday including a Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen alleged to have masterminded an attack on a cafe in Dhaka last month in which 22 people, mostly foreigners, were killed, police said.

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Fire kills at least 16 in Moscow printing works

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A fire in a warehouse at a Moscow printing works killed at least 16 people on Saturday morning, an Emergencies Ministry official told Rossiya-24 TV station.

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Malaysian student protesters demand 1MDB arrest

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Nearly a thousand protesters marched in the heart of the Malaysian capital on Saturday calling for the arrest of an unnamed high-ranking government official who U.S. investigators say received $700 million skimmed from a sovereign fund.

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Turkey signals no quick end to Syria incursion as truck bomb kills 11

ISTANBUL/KARKAMIS, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish forces will remain in Syria for as long as it takes to cleanse the border of Islamic State and other militants, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday, after a truck bombing by Kurdish insurgents killed at least 11 police officers.

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Italy quake death toll hits 267, state funeral planned

PESCARA DEL TRONTO, Italy (Reuters) - Hopes of finding more survivors faded on Friday three days after a powerful earthquake hit central Italy, with the death toll rising to 267 and the rescue operation in some of the stricken areas called off.

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Nine dead, dozens wounded in blast at police headquarters in southeast Turkey

ANKARA (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion rocked a police headquarters in the town of Cizre in Turkey on Friday, killing nine people and wounding dozens, sources said, in the latest in a spate of attacks in the country's turbulent south east.

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U.S. aid to Pakistan shrinks amid mounting frustration over militants

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistan's continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming U.S. military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabad’s strategic importance as an ally to Washington, U.S. military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts said.

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U.S. Navy ship fires warning shots at Iranian vessel

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots toward an Iranian fast-attack craft that approached two U.S. ships, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday, in the most serious of a number of incidents in the Gulf area this week.

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More Turkish tanks enter Syria in push against Islamic State, Kurdish militia

KARKAMIS, Turkey (Reuters) - At least nine more Turkish tanks entered northern Syria on Thursday as part of an operation aimed at driving Islamic State out of the area around Jarablus and preventing Kurdish militia fighters from seizing territory, Reuters witnesses said.

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Colombia, FARC rebels reach deal to end half-century of bloodshed

BOGOTA/HAVANA (Reuters) - Colombia's government and Marxist FARC rebels reached a final peace deal on Wednesday to end a five-decade war which once took the resource-rich country to the brink of collapse.

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Gun, bomb attack on American University in Kabul kills 12: police

KABUL (Reuters) - Twelve people, including seven students, were killed in an attack on the American University in Kabul that sent hundreds of students fleeing in panic, police said early on Thursday, before the assault ended when two gunmen were shot dead.

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Gunmen attack American university in Kabul, students trapped

KABUL (Reuters) - Gunmen attacked the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul on Wednesday, with explosions and gunfire reported inside the campus where foreign staff and hundreds of students were trapped, an interior ministry official and a student said.

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France's DCNS says India submarine data leak may be 'economic warfare'

SYDNEY/PARIS (Reuters) - French naval contractor DCNS said on Wednesday it may have been the victim of "economic warfare" after secrets about its Scorpene submarines being built in India were leaked.

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North Korea fires submarine-launched ballistic missile towards Japan

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea fired a submarine-launched missile on Wednesday that flew about 500 km (311 miles) towards Japan, a show of improving technological capability for the isolated country that has conducted a series of launches in defiance of UN sanctions.

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Turkish military, U.S.-led coalition launch operation in northern Syria: media

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish special forces units supported by warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition have launched an operation in northern Syria to wipe out Islamic State elements along the Turkey-Syria border, state-run Anadolu Agency said on Wednesday.

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Magnitude 6.2 quake hits central Italy: USGS

(Reuters) - A strong 6.2 magnitude quake struck central Italy early on Wednesday near the town of Norcia, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

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Bomb blasts kill one, wound 30 in southern Thailand: police

BANGKOK (Reuters) - One Thai person was killed and 30 wounded when two bombs exploded late on Tuesday near a hotel in the southern Thai coastal town of Pattani, police said, less than two weeks after a series of unexplained blasts hit the south.

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Special Report: Massacre reports show U.S. inability to curb Iraq militias

WASHINGTON(Reuters) - Shi’ite militias in Iraq detained, tortured and abused far more Sunni civilians during the American-backed capture of the town of Falluja in June than U.S. officials have publicly acknowledged, Reuters has found.

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Mass protests in West Bank city after Palestinian detainee dies

NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Nablus, the second largest city in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, was gripped by violent protests on Tuesday after the death of a Palestinian detainee shortly after he was seized by Palestinian security forces.

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With Biden visit, U.S. seeks balance with truculent Turkey

WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - When U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited Turkey in January, he struck a difficult balance between showing support for a NATO ally faced with multiple security threats while criticizing its record on free speech and dissent.

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Roadside bomb kills a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan: coalition

KABUL (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier and wounded another when their patrol went to the assistance of Afghan troops in the southern province of Helmand, the NATO-led forces in Afghanistan said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Germany to accept hundreds of migrants to boost EU program: Italy

ROME (Reuters) - Germany has agreed to take in hundreds of migrants who are blocked in Italy in a move that might revive the European Union's failed relocation program, Italy's Interior Minister Angelino Alfano said on Tuesday.

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As Kerry lands in Nigeria, air force says top Boko Haram fighters killed

SOKOTO, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's air force said it had killed a number of senior Boko Haram fighters and possibly their overall leader, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived for talks on tackling the militants.

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Three shells fired from Syria hit Turkish border town, Turkey retaliates: TV

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Three rocket shells fired from Syria hit the Turkish border town of Kilis on Tuesday and Turkey's military fired back in response, broadcaster NTV cited the Turkish armed forces as saying.

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In Iraq, Nigeria and now Turkey, child bombers strike

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The boy looked scared and younger than 16 when Iraqi police grabbed him on the street in the northern city of Kirkuk. Pulling off his shirt, they found a two-kilogram bomb strapped to his skinny frame.

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Turkish military returns fire in Syria after shells hit border town: NTV

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's military returned fire at Islamic State targets in northern Syria on Tuesday, after two mortar shells from Syria hit a Turkish border town, broadcaster NTV said, citing the military.

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All Syria parties must commit to Aleppo aid truce, not just Russia: U.N.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations is ready to deliver aid into Syria's Aleppo, but needs commitments from all parties in the war - not just Russia - to abide by a 48-hour humanitarian truce, the U.N. aid chief, angered by lack of assistance to civilians, said on Monday.

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Philippines drug war deaths climb to 1,800, U.S. voices concern

MANILA (Reuters) - The Philippines has recorded about 1,800 drug-related killings since President Rodrigo Duterte took office seven weeks ago and launched a war on narcotics, far higher than previously believed, according to police figures.

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U.S., South Korea begin joint drills amid tension after defection

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States and South Korea kicked off annual military exercises on Monday, prompting warnings of retaliation from the North, as already-heightened tension on the peninsula has been inflamed by the defection of a Pyongyang diplomat.

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Iran says Russian use of air base for Syria strikes over 'for now'

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday that Russia has stopped using an Iranian air base for strikes in Syria, a week after Moscow announced that its fighter bombers had flown from a base in Iran to hit targets in Syria.

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Libyan forces say they capture mosque, prison from Islamic State in Sirte

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyan forces renewed their push to oust Islamic State from its former North African stronghold of Sirte on Sunday, saying they had seized the city's main mosque and a jail run by the militants' morality police.

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Kurdish militia launches assault to evict Syrian army from key city of Hasaka

HASAKA, Syria (Reuters) - The Kurdish YPG militia launched a major assault on Monday to seize the last government-controlled parts of the northeastern Syrian city of Hasaka after calling on pro-government militias to surrender, Kurdish forces and residents said.

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Gaza militant rocket hits Israel, Israel responds with air strike, shells

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip launched a rocket that landed in the Israeli border town of Sderot on Sunday and Israeli aircraft and tanks responded by shelling the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, the army and police said.

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Syrian rebels prepare attack from Turkey on Islamic State town

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Hundreds of Syrian rebels are preparing to launch an operation to capture a town held by Islamic State at the border with Turkey, a senior Syrian rebel said on Sunday, a move that would frustrate Kurdish hopes to expand further in that area.

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Iraq hangs 36 people sentenced to death for 2014 killings

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said on Sunday it had hanged 36 militants sentenced to death over the mass killing of hundreds of mainly Shi'ite soldiers at a camp north of Baghdad in 2014.

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Show of European unity: Merkel, Hollande, Renzi meet to discuss gameplan

NAPLES, Italy (Reuters) - The leaders of Germany, France and Italy will meet on Monday to discuss how to keep the European project together in the second set of talks between the premiers of the euro zone's three largest economies since Britain's shock vote to leave the bloc.

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At least 10 killed in suicide car bomb attack in Somalia

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - At least 10 people were killed when two suicide car bombers attacked the local government headquarters in Somalia's Galkayo town in the semi-autonomous Puntland region on Sunday, police said, and the militant al Shabaab group claimed the attack.

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Philippines' Duterte threatens to quit U.N. after drugs war censure

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte railed against the United Nations on Sunday after it called for an end to the wave of killings unleashed by his war on drugs, saying he might leave the organization and invite China and others to form a new one.

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Kurds versus Syrian army battle intensifies, complicating multi-fronted war

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Fighting between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces intensified late on Friday and into Saturday, creating the risk of yet another front opening in the multi-sided civil war.

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Eight killed in blast at wedding in southeast Turkey: state media

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Eight people were killed and 60 were wounded on Saturday in an attack on a wedding party in southern Turkey that a deputy prime minister said appeared to have been carried out by a suicide bomber.

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Tens of thousands of Yemenis rally to support Houthi-led council

RIYADH (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Yemenis rallied in the center of the capital on Saturday to show support for the Houthi-led bloc as the head of the group's new governing council vowed to form a full government in the coming days.

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U.S. to send delegation to Turkey for Gulen probe: official

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Justice and State Department officials will fly to Ankara to discuss government accusations against Fethullah Gulen, the exiled cleric Turkey accuses of masterminding a failed military coup, according to a Justice Department official.

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Exclusive: U.S. withdraws staff from Saudi Arabia dedicated to Yemen planning

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military has withdrawn from Saudi Arabia its personnel who were coordinating with the Saudi-led air campaign in Yemen, and sharply reduced the number of staff elsewhere who were assisting in that planning, U.S. officials told Reuters.

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Turkish parliament approves deal ending rift with Israel

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament approved a reconciliation agreement signed with Israel in June which has brought to an end a six-year rift between the two regional powers, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday.

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Taliban make further gains in Afghan north

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban captured a strategic district in the northern province of Kunduz on Saturday, forcing troops to retreat to the provincial capital which fell briefly to the insurgents last year, officials said.

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Police massacre on ranch leaves deep scars in Mexican town

(Reuters) - The small town of Ocotlan in western Mexico was hard hit by an ambush a government body now admits was an act of police abuse, having lost dozens of its young men who joined a powerful drug gang for money and adventure but instead found an early grave.

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FBI probing possible U.S. ties to corruption by former Ukraine president: CNN

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The FBI and U.S. Justice Department are investigating possible U.S. ties to alleged corruption involving the former president of Ukraine, including the work of firms headed by political operatives Paul Manafort and Tony Podesta, CNN reported on Friday, citing multiple U.S. law enforcement officials.

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Turkey arrests novelist for ties to Kurdish militants: media

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - A Turkish court arrested prize-winning novelist Asli Erdogan on Friday over alleged links to Kurdish militants, the Haberturk newspaper reported, three days after she and two dozen more staff from the pro-Kurdish Ozgur Gundem newspaper were detained.

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Orthodox Jew stabbed in French city of Strasbourg

STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - An Orthodox Jew was stabbed in the stomach in broad daylight in the French city of Strasbourg on Friday, local authorities said, by an attacker who several witnesses said shouted an Islamic religious phrase.

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Putin flies into Crimea amid war games and tension

BELBEK AIR BASE, Crimea/MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin flew into annexed Crimea on Friday a day after staging war games there, and said he hoped Ukraine would see "common sense" when it came to resolving a diplomatic crisis over the peninsula.

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Syria rebels guardedly welcome truce idea in 'nightmarish' Aleppo

BEIRUT/GENEVA (Reuters) - The main umbrella group for the Syrian opposition on Friday cautiously welcomed a proposal for a weekly pause in fighting in Aleppo to allow aid to reach besieged areas, provided this would be monitored by the United Nations.

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Thai police name suspect in deadly blasts, working with Malaysia

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Police identified a Thai man on Friday as a suspect in their investigation into attacks that killed four people and wounded dozens in a wave of bombings in Thailand's south a week ago.

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Russia rehearses swiftly moving military hardware to Crimea

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian naval and land forces have practiced swiftly moving military hardware and troops to annexed Crimea as part of a logistics exercise which foreshadows much larger war games there next month, the Russian Defence Ministry said.

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Japan eyes fighter drone, seeks record defense budget amid China assertiveness

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan aims to develop a prototype drone fighter jet in two decades with private sector help in a technology strategy that focuses on weapons communications and lasers, according to a document seen by Reuters.

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Merkel sees no end to EU sanctions against Russia

BERLIN (Reuters) - There is no reason to lift the European Union's sanctions against Russia as Moscow has not fulfilled all of its commitments under the Minsk peace plan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview published on Friday.

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U.S. says payment to Iran used as leverage for prisoners' release

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it released $400 million in cash to Iran under a tribunal settlement only once it was assured that American prisoners had been freed and had boarded a plane.

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MSF to evacuate staff from Yemen hospitals after Saudi-led air strikes

DOHA (Reuters) - Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said it was evacuating its staff from six hospitals in northern Yemen on Thursday after a Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a health facility operated by the medical aid group killing 19 people.

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Islamic State suicide bombings hit Libyan forces in Sirte

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - Suicide bombings against Libyan forces battling to oust Islamic State from their former North African stronghold of Sirte killed at least 12 fighters and wounded about 60 there on Thursday, a hospital spokesman said.

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U.N. welcomes Russian words on Aleppo truce, trucks 'ready to move'

GENEVA (Reuters) - Russia said on Thursday it would support a 48-hour ceasefire in Aleppo, a move the U.N. Syria envoy said would allow aid to reach besieged areas soon, as long as all sides respect the temporary truce.

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Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on traffic police in Russia

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Islamic State on Thursday claimed responsibility for an attack on a traffic police post outside Moscow a day earlier in which both of the attackers were killed.

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For elite North Korean defector, a job and bodyguards await in South

SEOUL (Reuters) - Thae Yong Ho, the most senior North Korean diplomat to flee to the South, is likely to have round-the-clock protection and make a comfortable living at a think-tank run by Seoul's intelligence service, say elite defectors who followed a similar path.

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Germany treads cautiously in court case to ban far-right party

BERLIN (Reuters) - In his decade as a neo-Nazi skinhead in eastern Germany, Manuel Bauer says he beat up foreigners and disabled people, stabbed a cigarette in the eye of a 12-year old boy and assaulted a Muslim man and his pregnant German wife.

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Australian state leader offers to house stranded asylum seekers

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The premier of Western Australia state, a member of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's Liberal Party, has offered to accept refugees from Australian-funded detention centres amid growing concern about conditions for the 1,350 people held in the camps.

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Car bomb kills three, wounds 170 in eastern Turkey: governor's office

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Three police officers were killed and 170 people wounded by a car bomb at a police station in Turkey's eastern city of Elazig on Thursday, the local governor's office said, hours after a similar attack killed three people elsewhere in the region.

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Three killed, 40 wounded in car bomb near Turkish police station: state media

ANKARA (Reuters) - Three people were killed and 40 were wounded when a car bomb exploded near a police station in Turkey's eastern province of Van near the Iranian border on Wednesday, state broadcaster TRT said, citing the local governor.

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Bolivia opens 'anti-imperialist' military school

LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivian President Evo Morales opened a military school on Wednesday which he said would teach an "anti-imperialist" doctrine to counter U.S. policies "based on fear."

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U.S. assessing if Russian use of Iran base violated U.N. resolution

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday its attorneys were assessing whether Russia violated a U.N. Security Council resolution by using an Iranian air base to conduct military strikes inside Syria but had not yet reached a determination.

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Making space for coup purge, Turkey starts to release 38,000 prisoners

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey began freeing 38,000 prisoners on Wednesday, after announcing a penal reform that will make space for tens of thousands of suspects rounded up over last month's attempted coup.

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North Korea says it has resumed plutonium production: Kyodo

TOKYO (Reuters) - North Korea says it has resumed plutonium production by reprocessing spent fuel rods and has no plans to stop nuclear tests as long as perceived U.S. threats remain, Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.

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Russia uses Iran to strike Syria militants again, rejects U.S. censure

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia used an Iranian air base to launch air strikes in Syria for a second day running on Wednesday, rejecting U.S. suggestions its co-operation with Tehran might violate a U.N. resolution.

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North Korea's deputy ambassador defects in London: reports

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's deputy ambassador in London has defected with his family, according to media reports, which if confirmed would make it one of the most high-profile defections in recent years from the increasingly isolated country.

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China, ASEAN aim to complete framework of South China Sea rules next year

BEIJING (Reuters) - China and a grouping of Southeast Asian nations aim to finish by the middle of next year a framework for a code of conduct to ease tension in the disputed South China Sea, state media said on Wednesday.

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Brazil justice opens probe against Rousseff, Lula, TV says

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - A Brazilian Federal Supreme Court justice authorized the opening of an investigation into President Dilma Rousseff and former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for allegedly obstructing the course of a sweeping corruption probe, GloboNews news channel said on Tuesday.

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Son of Mexican drug boss 'Chapo' among group abducted at resort

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - One of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman's sons was among a group of people abducted from a restaurant in the Mexican tourist resort of Puerto Vallarta, the state attorney general said on Tuesday.

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UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it received 15 Guantanamo inmates

(Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday it has received 15 detainees from Guantanamo Bay for humanitarian reasons.

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Biden offers condolences for Serbs killed in 1999 NATO air strikes

BELGRADE (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, visiting Belgrade on Tuesday to encourage Serbia and Kosovo to normalize relations, offered condolences to Serbs who lost loved ones in U.S.-led NATO air strikes during the 1999 Kosovo conflict.

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Radical UK Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary guilty of inviting support for Islamic State

LONDON (Reuters) - Anjem Choudary, Britain's most high-profile Islamist preacher whose followers have been linked to numerous plots across the world, has been found guilty of inviting support for Islamic State.

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Saudi-led coalition air strike kills nine Yemeni civilians: residents

DUBAI (Reuters) - An air strike by the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen killed nine civilians east of Sanaa on Tuesday, residents said, the third deadly air raid reported to have to hit civilian targets since Saturday.

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Trump ignored facts with dig at Merkel's refugee policy: German minister

BERLIN (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump ignored the facts with his assertion that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's open-door refugee policy had resulted in a huge increase in crime, a German minister told Reuters on Tuesday.

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U.S. lobbies China again on missile defense system

BEIJING (Reuters) - A decision by the United States and South Korea to deploy an advanced anti-missile defense system is aimed at defending against North Korea's missile threat and does not threaten China, a senior U.S. officer said in Beijing on Tuesday.

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China intellectuals sue over magazine, former editor loses appeal

BEIJING (Reuters) - A group of Chinese intellectuals sued on Tuesday over what they say is a leadership coup at a leading liberal magazine, as a former editor lost an appeal against a ruling ordering him to apologize for doubting details in a tale of wartime heroism.

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Russia bombs Syrian militants from Iran base for first time

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian bombers based in Iran on Tuesday struck militant targets inside Syria, the Russian Defence Ministry said, after Moscow deployed Russian aircraft to an Iranian air force base to widen its campaign in Syria.

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China launches 'hack-proof' communications satellite

BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Tuesday launched the world's first quantum satellite, which will help it establish "hack-proof" communications between space and the ground, state media said, the latest advance in an ambitious space program.

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Air strike on MSF hospital in Yemen kills at least 11: aid group

DUBAI (Reuters) - A Saudi-led coalition air strike hit a hospital operated by Medecins Sans Frontieres in northern Yemen on Monday, killing at least 11 people and wounding 19, the aid group said.

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Venezuelan President's approval rating falls to nine-month low

CARACAS (Reuters) - - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's approval rating fell to a nine-month low of 21.2 percent in July amid calls from government critics for a recall referendum next year, according to a local pollster Datanalisis.

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'We owe you so much,' Kosovo to tell Biden as street named after late son

SOJEVE, Kosovo (Reuters) - On a busy road in Kosovo, brand new signs have been put up ahead of a visit by U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, showing the 35-km route in the southeast of the small Balkan nation that has been renamed after his late son Beau.

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Give us EU visa freedom in October or abandon migrant deal, Turkey says

BERLIN/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey could walk away from its promise to stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe if the European Union fails to grant Turks visa-free travel to the bloc in October, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a German newspaper.

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Russia says close to starting joint military action with USA in Aleppo: RIA

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the United States are close to starting joint military action against militants in the Syrian city of Aleppo, the RIA news agency on Monday cited Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying.

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Angry and THAAD: South Koreans shave heads to protest U.S. missile defense system

SEONGJU, South Korea (Reuters) - About 900 South Koreans shaved their heads on Monday to protest against a government decision to place a missile defense system designed to counter North Korean missile threats, in the southeastern county of Seongju.

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Three killed in car bomb attack in Turkey's southeast: sources

DIYARBAKIR (Reuters) - Two officers and one civilian were killed when a car bomb exploded outside a police station near Turkey's southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Monday, in an attack suspected to have been carried out by Kurdish militants, security sources said.

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Taliban capture key district in Afghan north

KUNDUZ, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Taliban insurgents, seeking to force the NATO-led coalition out of Afghanistan and bring in Islamic law, captured a key district in the northern province of Baghlan away after days of fighting, officials said on Monday.

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Militants stage Kashmir attacks as Modi gives annual address

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Two armed militants attacked a police station in Indian-ruled Kashmir on Monday, police said, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered his annual Independence Day speech in the national capital, New Delhi.

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Islamic State faces uphill 'branding war' in Afghanistan, Pakistan

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The U.S. drone strike that killed Islamic State's commander for Afghanistan and Pakistan was the latest blow to the Middle East-led movement's ambitions to expand into a region where the long-established Taliban remain the dominant Islamist force.

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Heavy fighting in Aleppo as Syrian rebels renew their assault: monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Heavy fighting took place in different sectors of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday as rebels assaulted two government strongholds in the city's northwest and south, a monitor of the war said.

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Boko Haram video claims to show missing Nigerian school girls

BAUCHI, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigerian militant group Boko Haram has published a video apparently showing recent footage of dozens of school girls kidnapped two years ago, and saying some of them have been killed in air strikes.

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Suspected Ugandan rebels kill at least 30 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo: army

KINSHASA (Reuters) - Suspected rebels killed at least 30 civilians in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo late on Saturday, the army said, marking the deadliest massacre in the conflict-ravaged region this year.

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Turkey summons Austria charge d'affaires over 'indecent' report

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey summoned Austria's charge d'affaires in Ankara late on Saturday over what it said was "indecent report" about Turkey on a news ticker at Vienna airport, a foreign ministry official said.

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Six injured in attack on Swiss train; motive unknown, police say

ZURICH (Reuters) - Six people were injured in an attack aboard a Swiss train on Saturday by a man armed with a knife and flammable fluid, St Gallen cantonal police said.

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Turkey says no compromise with Washington on cleric's extradition

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey will not compromise with Washington over the extradition of the Islamic cleric it accuses of orchestrating a failed coup, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Saturday, warning of rising anti-Americanism if the United States fails to extradite.

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Fidel Castro thanks Cubans for 90th birthday wishes, lambasts U.S.

HAVANA (Reuters) - Fidel Castro thanked Cubans for their tributes to mark his 90th birthday on Saturday in a meandering column carried by state-run media in which the iconic leftist revolutionary also lambasted old foe United States.

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Thaksin's party denies role in Thai blasts as police hunt suspects

BANGKOK/HUA HIN, Thailand (Reuters) - The Thai political party whose governments have been overthrown by the country's ruling generals denied on Saturday having any role in the bomb attacks on popular tourist destinations that killed four people and wounded dozens.

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Russia says Lavrov, Steinmeier to meet on Ukraine, Syria

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian and German foreign ministers, Sergei Lavrov and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will meet on Monday to discuss the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

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Afghan Taliban free six Pakistani helicopter crew captured after crash

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Five Pakistanis and a Russian who were captured by the Afghan Taliban after their government helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan have been released and turned over to Pakistani custody, officials said on Saturday.

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Foiled attack puts spotlight on Canada PM's security revamp

OTTAWA (Reuters) - The death of a Canadian supporter of Islamic State who authorities said was preparing an imminent attack has increased calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to abandon his plan to scale back a 2015 law that gave increased powers to police and intelligence agents.

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Russia deploys advanced S-400 air missile system to Crimea: agencies

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia has deployed its advanced S-400 air defense missile system to annexed Crimea, Russian news agencies reported on Friday, citing a statement from the Russian Defence Ministry.

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Afghan envoy says regional Islamic State leader killed by U.S. drone

PESHAWAR, Pakistan/KABUL (Reuters) - The leader of Islamic State's branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been killed in a U.S. drone strike, the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan said on Friday, though the American military said it could not confirm that.

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U.S.-backed forces say launch final assault against Islamic State in Syria's Manbij

BEIRUT (Reuters) - U.S.-backed forces battling Islamic State near the Turkish border in northern Syria said on Friday they had launched a final assault to flush the remaining jihadists out of the city of Manbij.

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Turkey seeks 32 fugitive diplomats in post-coup inquiry

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey is seeking the extradition of 32 diplomats who went on the run after they were recalled by Ankara as part of investigations into last month's failed coup attempt, the foreign minister said on Friday.

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Series of blasts hit resort towns in southern Thailand

HUA HIN, Thailand (Reuters) - A series of blasts hit three of the most popular tourist resorts in Thailand on Thursday and Friday, killing two people and wounding dozens, just days after the country voted to accept a military-backed constitution in a referendum.

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Japanese PM Abe will not visit war-dead shrine on WW2 anniversary: Jiji

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not visit a controversial shrine for war dead in Tokyo on the anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War Two defeat, Jiji news agency has reported.

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Japanese PM Abe will not visit war-dead shrine on WW2 anniversary: Jiji

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will not visit a controversial shrine for war dead in Tokyo on the anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War Two defeat, Jiji news agency has reported.

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London schoolgirl who left to join Islamic State dead: lawyer

(Reuters) - One of three schoolgirls who left London in February of 2015 to join Islamic State has died, her family lawyer told Reuters on Thursday.

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Exclusive: Paperwork, rights concerns hold up U.S. aid for Central America

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress approved $750 million in aid last December to help El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras combat the violence and poverty that are driving migrants toward the U.S. border, but the money has yet to reach the struggling countries.

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Bomb attack in Thai resort kills one, wounds 10, including foreign tourists: BBC

(Reuters) - Two bombs exploded in the Thai seaside resort of Hua Hin on Thursday, killing one woman and wounding 10 people, a BBC correspondent tweeted, citing local police.

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Military attaches, diplomats flee Turkey's post-coup inquiry

ANKARA (Reuters) - Two Turkish military attaches in Greece fled to Italy, others were caught overseas and some diplomats were on the run after being recalled as part of an inquiry into last month's failed military coup, Turkey's foreign minister said on Thursday.

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Russia announces war games after accusing Ukraine of terrorist plot

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Vladimir Putin summoned his security council and the Russian Navy announced war games in the Black Sea, a day after the Russian president accused Ukraine of trying to provoke a conflict over Crimea, which Moscow seized and annexed in 2014.

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Putin discusses Crimea security after alleged Ukrainian incursions

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has held a meeting with his Security Council to discuss additional security measures for Crimea after the clashes on the contested peninsula, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

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Fighting in Aleppo persists despite Russia ceasefire announcement: rebels

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Fighting persisted in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Thursday more than an hour into a three-hour ceasefire announced by Russia, two rebel groups and a witness in the city said, as government forces tried to reverse last week's opposition gains.

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No bombs found on Belgian planes after threats; investigation continues, prosecutor says

BRUSSELS - No bombs were found on two SAS aircraft after threats were made against an SAS plane late on Wednesday, Belgian prosecutors said, adding that an investigation of a possible terrorist was continuing.

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Canada police kill suspect after receiving 'terrorist threat' tip: TV

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - Canadian police killed a man on Wednesday, national television news channels reported, after the police said they had identified a suspect after receiving "credible information of a potential terrorist threat".

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China says new satellite will help safeguard interests at sea: China Daily

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A newly launched satellite will help China protect its maritime interests, the official China Daily newspaper reported on Thursday amid growing tensions over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

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Suspected gas attack on Aleppo causes deaths, injuries: hospital, rescuers

ALEPPO (Reuters) - At least four people died and many suffered breathing difficulties when a gas, believed to be chlorine, was dropped alongside barrel bombs on a neighborhood of the Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday, a hospital and a civil defense group told Reuters.

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Libyan forces report capture of Sirte convention center, hospital from Islamic State

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Libyan forces battling to oust Islamic State (IS) from Sirte said they had made major advances on Wednesday, capturing a convention center previously used as a base by the jihadist group, as well as the city's university and hospital.

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Bomb threats reported on two planes due shortly at Brussels airport: VRT

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Bomb threats have been reported on two aeroplanes due to land shortly at Brussels airport in Zaventem, Belgian state broadcaster VRT reported on Wednesday.

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Bomb hits police vehicle in southeast Turkey, more than 10 wounded: sources

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - A bomb which security officials believed to have been detonated by Kurdish militants hit a police vehicle in southeast Turkey on Wednesday, wounding at least 10 police officers and civilians, security sources said.

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Russia accuses Ukraine of trying to get saboteurs into Crimea

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said it had thwarted two armed Ukrainian attempts to get saboteurs into Crimea and dismantled a spy network inside the annexed peninsula, accusations Ukraine dismissed on Wednesday as "fake information".

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Turkey, Russia have similar views on Syria ceasefire: Turkish minister

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and Russia have similar views on the need for a ceasefire in Syria, the provision of humanitarian aid, and a political solution to end the crisis, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told the state-run Anadolu agency on Wednesday.

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'None is left': Pakistani legal community decimated by bombing

QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani lawyer Ataullah Lango had just arrived at the Civil Hospital in the southwestern city of Quetta to mourn the slain head of his provincial bar association when he heard a loud explosion and felt the pain of glass stabbing his face.

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U.S. says 300 Islamic State fighters killed in Afghan operation

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Afghan forces, backed by the United States, have killed an estimated 300 Islamic State fighters in an operation mounted two weeks ago, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said on Wednesday, calling it a severe blow to the group.

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Exclusive: Vietnam moves new rocket launchers into disputed South China Sea - sources

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Vietnam has discreetly fortified several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new mobile rocket launchers capable of striking China's runways and military installations across the vital trade route, according to Western officials.

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Five soldiers killed, eight wounded in attack in Turkey's southeast: sources

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Five soldiers were killed and eight others were wounded in Turkey's southeastern Sirnak province on Wednesday in an attack believed to have been carried out by militants of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), security sources said.

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Putin and Erdogan move toward repairing ties amid tension with West

ST PETERSBURG/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Russia and Turkey took a big step toward normalizing relations on Tuesday, with their leaders announcing an acceleration in trade and energy ties at a time when both countries have troubled economies and strains with the West.

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U.N. censure of North Korea missile thwarted

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council has been unable to condemn the launch of a missile by North Korea that landed near Japan because China wanted the statement to oppose the planned deployment of a U.S. anti-missile defense system in South Korea.

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Exclusive: Vietnam moves new rocket launchers into disputed South China Sea - sources

HONG KONG (Reuters) - Vietnam has discreetly fortified several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new mobile rocket launchers capable of striking China's runways and military installations across the vital trade route, according to Western officials.

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Photos suggest China built reinforced hangars on disputed islands: CSIS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Satellite photographs taken in late July show China appears to have built reinforced aircraft hangars on its holdings in disputed South China Sea islands, a Washington-based research group said.

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U.S. approves $1.15 billion sale of tanks, other equipment to Saudi Arabia

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of more than 130 Abrams battle tanks, 20 armored recovery vehicles and other equipment, worth about $1.15 billion, to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon said on Tuesday.

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Turkey chides U.S., Europe as Erdogan meets Russia's Putin

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey on Tuesday warned of rising anti-American sentiment and risks to a migrant deal with the European Union, ramping up the rhetoric in the face of Western alarm over the scale of purges in state institutions since last month's failed coup.

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Pakistani lawyers go on strike after dozens killed in attack

ISLAMABAD/QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani lawyers staged a nationwide strike on Tuesday after dozens of colleagues were slain in a suicide bombing that killed at least 70 people at a hospital in the southwestern city of Quetta.

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American University in Kabul to reopen after kidnappings: officials

KABUL (Reuters) - The American University of Afghanistan is expected to reopen on Wednesday, days after being closed in the wake of the kidnapping of two teachers, administrators said.

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Japan's emperor speaks to public in remarks suggesting he wants to abdicate

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Emperor Akihito, 82, in a rare video address to the public on Monday, said he worried that age may make it difficult for him to fully carry out his duties, remarks widely seen as suggesting he wants to abdicate.

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Suicide bomber kills at least 45 at Pakistan hospital

QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed at least 45 people and wounded dozens more in Pakistan on Monday, in an attack on mourners gathered at a hospital in Quetta, according to officials in the capital of the violence-plagued southwestern province of Baluchistan.

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American, Australian kidnapped in Afghan capital: officials

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan authorities are searching for an Australian and an American who were kidnapped by gunmen in the capital, Kabul, officials said on Monday.

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Thailand, seeking stability, approves military constitution

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A democratically elected government will take power in Thailand at the earliest by December 2017, a senior Thai official said on Monday, after the country endorsed a military-backed constitution paving the way for a general election.

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Japan's Suga: Will keep urging China not to escalate situation in East China Sea

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will keep urging China not to escalate the situation in the East China Sea, while responding firmly and calmly, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said on Monday, after Chinese government ships entered waters near what Japan considers its territorial waters over the weekend.

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Jets pound rebels after they break Aleppo siege

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian insurgents who broke the siege of rebel-held eastern Aleppo on Saturday in a significant territorial gain came under intense air attack from pro-government forces on Sunday trying to repel the advance which also cut government-held Aleppo's main supply route.

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Islamic State hits U.S.-backed Syrian rebel base near Iraq border

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Islamic State suicide bombers on Sunday attacked a military base for U.S.-backed fighters near the Syrian-Iraqi border, leaving several dead before blowing themselves up, rebel sources and the militants said on Sunday.

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Islamic State militants claim capture of U.S. weapons in Afghanistan

KABUL (Reuters) - Militants linked to Islamic State have released photos that purport to show weapons and equipment that belonged to American soldiers and were captured by the group in eastern Afghanistan.

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Iran executes nuclear scientist for spying for U.S.

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has executed an Iranian nuclear scientist detained in 2010 when he returned home from the United States, after a court convicted him of spying for Washington, a spokesman for the judiciary said on Sunday.

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Intense fighting as Syrian rebels break through Aleppo siege

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels broke through to besieged opposition-held areas in eastern Aleppo on Saturday in an assault on a major government military complex meant to end a month-long siege, insurgents and a monitoring group said.

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Turkey's Erdogan stages mass rally in show of strength after coup

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Turks are expected at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday summoned by President Tayyip Erdogan to denounce a failed coup, a show of strength staged in the face of Western criticism of widespread purges and detentions.

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Philippines president Duterte steps up name-and-shame anti-drugs campaign

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday identified about 160 serving and former town mayors and executives, judges, and policemen allegedly linked to the illegal drugs trade, stepping up a name-and-shame campaign in his five week war on drugs.

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Thais vote for first time since 2014 coup in charter referendum

BANGKOK/KHON KAEN, Thailand (Reuters) - Thais began voting on Sunday in a referendum on a new junta-backed constitution that would pave the way for a general election in 2017 but require future governments to rule on the military's terms.

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Man yelling in Arabic wounds two Belgian police with machete, then shot dead

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A machete-wielding man yelling "Allahu Akbar!" (God is greatest) injured two female police officers before being shot outside the main police station in the southern Belgian city of Charleroi on Saturday, police in the city said.

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China conducts 'combat patrols' over contested islands

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's air force sent bombers and fighter jets on "combat patrols" near contested islands in the South China Sea, in a move a senior colonel said was part of an effort to normalize such drills and respond to security threats.

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Kerry presses on with Russian talks on Syria despite Aleppo setbacks

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is still pursuing an agreement with Russia on military cooperation in the fight against Islamic State in Syria despite major setbacks and skepticism from other administration officials and U.S. allies, U.S. officials with knowledge of the talks said on Friday.

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As Turkey's coup strains ties with West, detente with Russia gathers pace

ISTANBUL/MOSCOW (Reuters) - As Turkey's relations with Europe and the United States are strained by the fallout from its failed coup, President Tayyip Erdogan travels to Russia on Tuesday to meet Vladimir Putin in a trip he may hope will give the West pause for thought.

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Fire in bar kills 13 in northern French town

PARIS (Reuters) - A fire in a bar in the northern French town of Rouen killed 13 people and injured another six, the interior ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

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Japan remembers Hiroshima, urges world to follow Obama and visit

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan marked the 71st anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of Hiroshima on Saturday as its mayor urged world leaders to follow in U.S. President Barack Obama's footsteps and visit, and ultimately rid the world of nuclear arms.

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Voters condemn South African ruling party to worst election outcome

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling party was in a close race early on Saturday in two major cities after losing one other key municipality in its worst electoral performance since the end of apartheid.

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Exclusive: Stiglitz quits Panama Papers probe, cites lack of transparency

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - The committee set up to investigate lack of transparency in Panama's financial system itself lacks transparency, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz told Reuters on Friday after resigning from the "Panama Papers" commission.

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London knife attacker charged with murder of U.S. woman

(Reuters) - A 19-year-old man was charged on Friday with the murder of a 64-year-old U.S. woman in a knife attack that wounded five others in Central London on Wednesday, London Metropolitan Police said.

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More than 100 migrants break through barriers from Italy to France

ROME (Reuters) - More than 100 migrants broke through police barriers at the Italian border town of Ventimiglia and made their way into France on Friday, the local Italian police chief said.

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Syrian rebels say storm Aleppo artillery base, army says attack repelled

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels said on Friday they had stormed an artillery base in the northern city of Aleppo in an assault to try to end the siege of opposition-held areas but the army said it had repelled the attack and killed hundreds of insurgents.

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Radical leftists become kingmakers in South Africa's new order

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A party of South African radical leftists has emerged as electoral kingmaker in major cities Pretoria and Johannesburg, giving a first taste of power to an ANC renegade who was once an acolyte of President Jacob Zuma.

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Ten held as Black Lives Matter protest blocks Heathrow road

LONDON (Reuters) - Ten people were arrested on Friday after protesters from the British arm of the "Black Lives Matter" movement blocked the main road to London's Heathrow Airport, police said.

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Turkish foreign minister says Austria is 'capital of radical racism'

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish Foreign Minster Mevlut Cavusoglu called Austria the "capital of radical racism" on Friday after Chancellor Christian Kern suggested ending European Union accession talks with Ankara.

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Indonesian police arrest six suspects allegedly planning Singapore attack

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Six Indonesians were arrested on Batam island on Friday for planning an attack on Singapore, an Indonesian police spokesman said.

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Brazil Senate committee clears way for Rousseff's removal

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Senate impeachment committee voted on Thursday to put suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on trial in the full chamber for breaking budget laws, opening the way for her to be removed from office.

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Australia suspends World Vision aid over Hamas funding accusations

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia said on Friday it was suspending funding for relief group World Vision's operations in the Palestinian Territories after allegations its Gaza representative funneled millions of dollars to Islamist militant group, Hamas.

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Turkey's Erdogan vows to cut off revenues of Gulen-linked businesses

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Thursday to choke off businesses linked to the U.S.-based cleric he blames for an attempted coup, describing his schools, firms and charities as "nests of terrorism" and promising no mercy in rooting them out.

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U.S., South Korea, Japan officials: North Korea missile launches 'provocative acts'

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S., South Korean and Japanese defense officials on Thursday condemned North Korea's recent missile launches as "provocative acts" that posed "a serious threat to peace and stability."

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U.S. says evaluating new Turkish documents on alleged coup leader

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is evaluating new documents sent by Turkey to push for the extradition of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, the alleged mastermind of the country's recent failed coup, a State Department spokesman said on Thursday.

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Exclusive: U.N. report on Yemen says Houthis used human shields, Islamic State got cash

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi rebels used civilians as human shields, Islamic State militants in the country received an influx of cash and al Qaeda has improved its roadside bombs, according to a confidential report by United Nations experts monitoring sanctions on Yemen.

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Kerry defends $400 million payment to Iran, says U.S. pays no ransoms

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday defended the Obama administration's payment of $400 million in cash to Iran, denying it was a ransom for the release of American prisoners by Tehran or tied to the Iran nuclear deal.

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Air strikes thought to be Russian hit displaced camps in Syria: monitor

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Air strikes believed carried out by Russian warplanes hit two displaced persons' camps west of Aleppo and near the Turkish border on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported.

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U.S. envoy hits back at suggestion U.S. provoked North Korea

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, hit back on Wednesday at suggestions that a United States decision to deploy an advanced anti-missile defense system in South Korea had provoked recent ballistic missile tests by North Korea.

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Pentagon not to pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon will not pay Pakistan $300 million in military reimbursements after U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter decided not to tell Congress that Pakistan was taking adequate action against the Haqqani network, a U.S. official said.

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Turkey detains 20 suspected Islamic State members: media

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police detained 20 suspected members of the Islamic State militant group in the southern city of Adana early on Thursday, the private Dogan news agency reported.

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One killed, five injured in London knife attack

LONDON (Reuters) - One woman was killed and five other people were injured by a man with a knife in central London in an attack which police said could be linked to terrorism.

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Colombia opposition, headed by Uribe, to vote 'no' in peace plebiscite

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's principal opposition party, led by former President Alvaro Uribe, announced on Wednesday it would back a 'no' vote in a plebiscite on a peace deal with Marxist FARC rebels that would put an end to five decades of war.

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U.S. strikes easing advance against Islamic State in Sirte, says commander

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - U.S. air strikes are easing the passage of Libyan forces as they seek to clear Islamic State from the militant group's former North African stronghold of Sirte, a senior field commander said on Wednesday.

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Fire guts Emirates jet after hard landing; one firefighter dies

DUBAI (Reuters) - An Emirates jetliner arriving from India caught fire after slumping onto the runway in Dubai on Wednesday, killing one firefighter in an intense blaze and bringing the world's busiest international airport to a halt for several hours.

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Obama administration denies Iran cash payment was ransom for prisoners

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration said on Wednesday that $400 million in cash paid to Iran soon after the release of five Americans detained by Tehran was not ransom for them as some Republicans have charged.

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Turkish police raid science council as crackdown widens

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police have raided the offices of the national science research council, an official said on Wednesday, as authorities widen an investigation into followers of the U.S.-based cleric accused of masterminding last month's coup attempt.

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Thousands of Yazidis missing, captive, two years after start of 'genocide' - U.N.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Yazidis are being held captive by Islamic State in Syria where many are used for sexual slavery or forced to fight for the group, the United Nations said on Wednesday, on the second anniversary of what investigators termed a genocide.

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Italy police arrest Syrian man on suspicion of recruiting terrorists

ROME (Reuters) - Italian police arrested a Syrian man in Genoa on Wednesday on suspicion of abetting terrorism and attempting to recruit others to carry out attacks, the police said.

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Japan's PM picks hawkish defence minister in limited reshuffle

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe appointed conservative ally Tomomi Inada as defence minister on Wednesday, which risked upsetting China and South Korea, as part of a limited cabinet reshuffle that left most top posts unchanged.

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China casts HK protest teenager as 'American-led Western power'

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's top prosecution body has cast a thin, bespectacled teenage activist from Hong Kong as a pro-independence advocate backed by the United States in an online video that warns against uprising movements across the country.

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Colombia destroys 104 cocaine labs in five days

GUAVIARE, Colombia (Reuters) - Colombian law enforcement has destroyed 104 cocaine laboratories capable of producing some 100 tonnes of the drug annually, the head of the anti-narcotics police said on Tuesday.

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Brazil impeachment trial closer to sealing Rousseff's fate

BRASILIA (Reuters) - A Senate report found on Tuesday that Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff violated the constitution by manipulating government accounts, moving her drawn-out impeachment trial closer to deciding her fate.

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Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian chemist Zewail dies: state TV

CAIRO (Reuters) - Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian chemist Ahmed Zewail died on Tuesday in the United States, his spokesman told Egyptian state TV.

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Car bomb targets security forces in Libya's Benghazi, kills 22: sources

BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A car bomb targeting security forces in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed 22 people and wounded 20 on Tuesday, a spokesman for the forces and medical officials said.

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Pope orders study of women's role in early Church, cheering equality campaigners

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis has set up a commission to study the role of women deacons in early Christianity, the Vatican said on Tuesday, raising hopes among equality campaigners that women could one day have a far greater say in the Roman Catholic Church.

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Erdogan says Turkey's coup script was 'written abroad'

ANKARA/ISTANBUL, Turkey (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan accused the West of supporting terrorism and standing by coups on Tuesday, questioning Turkey's relationship with the United States and saying the "script" for an abortive putsch last month was "written abroad".

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Obama, Singapore leader push Pacific trade deal in state visit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama welcomed Singapore's prime minister for a state visit on Tuesday with a major trade deal and China's development of islands in the South China Sea at the top of their agenda.

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Libyan forces wary of Islamic State redoubt despite U.S. support

SIRTE, Libya (Reuters) - A day after the United States began a formal campaign of air strikes against Islamic State's stronghold in Libya, anti-IS fighters welcomed Washington's involvement but remained wary of advancing for fear of mines and snipers.

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Bodies found off coast of Libya as migrant toll climbs: IOM

GENEVA (Reuters) - The bodies of 120 migrants believed to have been trying to reach Italy by boat from Libya have been found off the Libyan coast over the past 10 days, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Tuesday.

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Briton in Trump gun incident could die in U.S. prison, mother says

LONDON (Reuters) - A British man detained in the United States for allegedly trying to wrestle a gun from a police officer at a Donald Trump rally is suffering from severe mental illness and risks dying in prison, his mother said on Tuesday.

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U.S. warplanes launch bombing campaign on Islamic State in Libya

SIRTE, Libya/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. planes bombed Islamic State targets in Libya on Monday, responding to the U.N.-backed government's request to help push the militants from their former stronghold of Sirte in what U.S. officials described as the start of a sustained campaign against the extremist group in the city.

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Japan defense review expresses 'deep concern' at Chinese coercion

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's annual defense review on Tuesday expressed "deep concern" over what it sees as China's coercion as a more assertive Beijing flouts international rules when dealing with other nations.

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Venezuela election board okays opposition recall push first phase

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's election board said on Monday the opposition successfully collected 1 percent of voter signatures in every state in the first phase of their push for a referendum to recall socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

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Cuba says talks with U.S. over claims cannot be rushed

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba said on Monday it was not willing to rush talks with the United States over multibillion-dollar claims and counter-claims and would agree only to an accord that addressed the grievances of both sides.

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Yemen government leaves Kuwait talks after Houthis reject U.N. plan

DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemeni government negotiators said they were leaving peace talks in Kuwait on Monday after Houthi militia foes rejected a United Nations proposal aimed to ending their country's war.

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Turkey captures commandos who tried to seize Erdogan during coup bid

ISTANBUL, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish special forces captured a group of rebel commandos who tried to seize or kill President Tayyip Erdogan during a failed coup, and a government minister said plotters would "never see God's sun as long as they breathe".

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Russian helicopter downed in rebel-held Idlib province

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Russian military helicopter carrying five people was shot down in the north of Syria's rebel-held Idlib province on Monday, the Russian defence ministry said.

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Rebels launch major assault to try to break Aleppo siege

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebel fighters have launched a major assault on government-held southwestern parts of Aleppo to try to reopen supply lines after the army and its allies tightened their siege of opposition-held parts of the city last week.

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