Hamas releases 3 more Israeli hostages in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners

Hamas militants released three more Israeli hostages on Saturday in exchange for Israel releasing another 183 Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire agreement between the warring sides. The latest round of the hostage release took place in the city of Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday morning. Two Red Cross officials…

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Puntland offensive deals blow to Islamic State in Somalia

Forces from Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region have captured swathes of territory from Islamic State during a weeks-long offensive they hope will draw increased international support, according to officials and Reuters reporters. The advances come against an IS faction that has gained in importance and was the target last week of the first air strikes of…

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Syrians and Bosnian among victims of gunman’s attack on Swedish school

Syrians and a Bosnian were among the 10 victims of a gunman who carried out the worst shooting in Swedish history, at a school in Orebro on Tuesday. It was the first information about those murdered, and it came from two embassies rather than police, who said only that there were victims of a number…

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Palestinian gunman kills Israeli soldiers as UN warns over W Bank operation

Israel’s military says two soldiers have been killed in a shooting attack in the occupied West Bank, as its forces continue a major operation against Palestinian armed groups in the north of the territory. Another eight soldiers were wounded when a Palestinian gunman opened fire at a checkpoint in Tayasir village, 2km (1.2 miles) north…

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Belgian police hunt for gunmen in Brussels underground

Belgian police are looking for armed men after a shooting was reported outside a metro station in the centre of Brussels. CCTV footage broadcast by local media shows at least two men wearing balaclavas and carrying weapons at the entrance of Clémenceau station in the Belgian capital early on Wednesday. Video from the scene shows…

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East Congo city of Goma rushes to bury bodies after rebel offensive

Over 2,000 bodies require burial in Goma after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels took over the Democratic Republic of Congo city last week, inflaming a decade-old conflict and humanitarian crisis, Congo’s communications minister Patrick Muyaya said late on Monday. Relative calm has returned to Goma, where the rebel alliance that includes M23 declared a ceasefire for humanitarian…

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Neo-Nazi group leader convicted of plotting Maryland power grid attack

The founder of a Florida-based neo-Nazi group was convicted Monday of conspiring with his former girlfriend to plan an attack on Maryland’s power grid in furtherance of their shared racist beliefs. Brandon Russell, 29, encouraged Sarah Beth Clendaniel to carry out a series of “sniper attacks” on electrical substations around Baltimore that could have caused…

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Senior Islamic State Somalia commander captured in Puntland

A senior commander of Islamic State’s Somalia wing was captured on Monday, police and state media said, two days after the IS leadership was targeted with U.S. airstrikes and as security forces continue a weeks-long offensive against them. In the last few years Somalia’s IS franchise has become an increasingly important part of the jihadist…

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