The pope says the cruelty of the fighting in the Iraqi city of Mosul "makes us cry, leaves us without words." Pope Francis told some 50,000 faithful gathered Sunday for the Angelus blessing that he was "pained by the murder in cold blood of numerous sons of this beloved land, among them many...

(The Daily Star)- The United States has warned its citizens of the potential risk of terror attack or attempted kidnapping of foreigners in Istanbul, which has been rocked by several bombings this year. The consulate in Istanbul said in a message late Saturday that extremist groups continued...

 Turkey has arrested more than 35,000 people over alleged links to the group run by the U.S.-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who is blamed for the failed July coup, local media reported Sunday. Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said the suspects had been placed under arrest since...

(The Daily Star)- Kurdish forces have launched a new push on Mosul as part of a massive Iraqi operation aimed at retaking the country's second largest city from ISIS. The Kurdish forces, known as peshmerga, said they launched a dawn offensive Sunday on two fronts to the northeast of Mosul,...

One person was killed and at least two injured by two near-simultaneous blasts in a Japanese park on Sunday, the local fire department said. The explosions occurred at a park in Utsunomiya, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Tokyo, shortly after 11:30 am (0230 GMT), a fire department...

ON BOARD THE SIEM PILOT: Horrific scenes unfolded in the Mediterranean off Libya Saturday as a full-to-capacity rescue ship was forced to sail away from desperate migrants trying to swim towards the rescuers. During a dramatic 24 hours, the crew of the Norwegian Siem Pilot and another aid...

Warplanes from a Saudi-led coalition attacked targets in Sanaa at dawn Sunday, hours after a three-day truce in Yemen's war expired, residents in the capital said. The ceasefire, agreed in order to allow an increased flow of much-needed humanitarian aid, ended without renewal after a day of...

 An 81st-minute Gareth McAuley goal prevented Liverpool from provisionally going top in the Premier League as they defeated West Bromwich Albion 2-1 on Saturday. Needing a two-goal win to move above leaders Arsenal, Liverpool took a 2-0 lead through Sadio Mane and Philippe Coutinho, but...

(theguaredian)- The White House on Saturday condemned the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government, after an international inquiry found its forces responsible for a third toxic gas attack in Syria’s civil war. The fourth report from the 13-month-long inquiry by the United Nations...

(theguardian)- Britain’s biggest banks are preparing to relocate out of the UK in the first few months of 2017 amid growing fears over the impending Brexit negotiations, while smaller banks are making plans to get out before Christmas. The dramatic claim is made in the Observer by the chief...

Iraqi army troops on Saturday stormed into a Christian region that has been under Islamic State control since 2014 as part of U.S.-backed operations to clear the entrances to Mosul, the militants' last major city stronghold in Iraq. The advance took place as U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked his Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi on Saturday for his stance against a resolution adopted by UNESCO on Jerusalem. The UN cultural agency on Tuesday adopted an Arab-sponsored resolution condemning Israel's actions at a flashpoint holy site...

Turkish-backed forces will press on to the Islamic State-held town of al-Bab in Syria, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, emphasizing Ankara's drive to sweep militants and Syrian Kurdish fighters from territory near its border. The Syrian military, however, said the presence...

They burst into the house in the early hours of the morning and pointed a gun at Abu Mohammed's head: "We are the Islamic State -- give us your car!" To protect his children and grandchildren, the 69-year-old Iraqi agreed to hand over the keys. A retired police officer with thin grey...

In an unusual legal maneuver, Donald Trump's attorneys have asked a federal judge to exclude any statements made by or about the Republican nominee during the presidential campaign from his upcoming civil trial over the now-defunct Trump University. The legal request, filed late Thursday in...

(The Daily Star)- An Egyptian court confirmed a 20-year prison sentence against former president Mohamed Morsi Saturday, judicial sources told Reuters. It is the first final verdict against Morsi on charges arising from the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012. Morsi,...

At least 60 were killed when a packed passenger train derailed between Cameroon's two main cities, a hospital source in the capital Yaounde said Saturday, giving a new toll the day after the accident. Almost 600 people were injured when the train, travelling from Yaounde to the economic hub...

(The Daily Star)- The Greek authorities Saturday hit back at U.N. criticism of its decision to return a group of Syrians to Turkey. The U.N.'s refugee agency, UNHCR, Friday said in a statement it was "seriously concerned" by Greece's decision to return 10 Syrian asylum seekers to Turkey,...

The reformist website in Iran, Amad News, has stated that the Iranian authorities held an emergency meeting to consider a strategy to end the scandal of Saeed Toosi and maintain Iran's reputation and that of its leaders, after claims he raped several of his students, sources have said. Toosi,...

Nineteen people died when a helicopter carrying oil and gas field workers crashed in a remote area of Siberia in bad weather, Russian investigators said Saturday. The Mi-8 helicopter carrying 22 people including three crew crashed Friday night in the far-northern Yamalo-Nenetsky region some...