U.S.-backed Syrian fighters advancing from eastern and western parts of the northern city of Raqqa have linked up for the first time in weeks after launching their offensive against Daesh (ISIS) militants there. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces launched a wide offensive to capture...

A prominent member of Hong Kong's Democratic Party said on Friday he was beaten and "stapled" by mainland agents in the Chinese-controlled city before being dumped on a beach in what activists said was the latest warning to the democracy movement. Howard Lam, a key pro-democracy activist in...

( The Guardian )- Concerns are mounting over the civilian cost of the US-led coalition’s campaign to reclaim Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa, with reports of airstrikes killing and wounding hundreds of Syrians.  The reports, which cannot be definitively confirmed but are...

 U.S.-backed forces now have Islamic State fighters surrounded in central Raqqa, a Syrian Kurdish commander said, but he predicted that driving the militants out could take up to four months. "We've cleared about half of Old Raqqa ... and we're advancing on all axes," said Haval Gabar,...