Islamic State faces imminent Raqqa defeat, Syrian YPG says
Islamic State is on the verge of defeat in Raqqa, once its de facto Syrian capital, and the city may finally be cleared of the jihadists on Saturday or Sunday, the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia told Reuters.
reuters.com
Syrian troops capture ISIS stronghold Al Mayadeen amid major offensive
Syrian troops have entered Al-Mayadeen in Deir ez-Zor province, one of the last strongholds still remaining in the hands of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), a military source told SANA state news agency.
rt.com
U.S.-led coalition says 100 IS fighters in Raqqa surrendered in last 24 hours: spokesman
Around 100 Islamic State fighters have surrendered in Syria’s Raqqa in the last 24 hours and were “removed from the city”, a spokesman for the U.S-led coalition against Islamic State told Reuters on Saturday.
reuters.com
Damascus demands ‘immediate & unconditional’ pullout of Turkish troops from northwest Syria
Syria demands an immediate pullout of Turkish troops, whose deployment to Idlib province amounts to “flagrant aggression,” the Syrian Foreign Ministry said as quoted by SANA.
rt.com
Iraq conflict: Kurdish Peshmerga 'given deadline' in Kirkuk
Kurdish Peshmerga fighters say Iraq's central government has ordered them to surrender key military positions in the disputed city of Kirkuk within hours.
bbc.com
Iran nuclear deal: Global powers stand by pact despite Trump threat
Global powers, including key US allies, have said they will stand by the Iran nuclear deal which US President Donald Trump has threatened to tear apart.
bbc.com
China confirms will amend party constitution, likely to include Xi's theories
China’s ruling party has agreed to amend the party constitution, expected to embed President Xi Jinping’s political thought, ahead of next week’s five-yearly party congress in which Xi will further tighten his grip on power.
uk.reuters.com
French agent accidentally texts radical Islamist suspect he was spying on
Sending a text to the wrong person can be embarrassing in any circumstances, but imagine how one French operative felt when he realized he’d mistakenly sent a message to a suspected Islamist radical he was collecting data on.
rt.com
Austrians Lean Toward Nationalist Government Led by a Millennial
Austrians profiting from the fastest economic growth in six years look likely to ditch their current coalition in favor of a new government backed by anti-immigration nationalists and headed by the world’s youngest leader.
bloomberg.com
