In battle for Mosul, many forces driven by dozens of motives

An unlikely array of forces is converging on the city of Mosul, lining up for a battle on the historic plains of northern Iraq that is likely to be decisive in the war against the Islamic State group.

Sagging sake market pushes producers to seek sales abroad

Ozawa Shuzo brewery hums with activity as boxed bottles of sake are loaded onto trucks. But with the domestic market shrinking, more and more of it is bound for burgeoning overseas markets where the centuries old drink is all the rage.

Jihadist who razed Timbuktu tombs readies for judgment

War crimes judges will deliver a historic judgment on Tuesday against a Malian jihadist who admitted attacking Timbuktu's fabled shrines, in a case which could send a strong message against cultural destruction.

Writer shot dead before trial over cartoon

A gunman shot dead Jordanian writer Nahed Hattar on Sunday outside the court where he was to stand trial on charges of contempt of religion after sharing on social media a caricature seen as insulting Islam, witnesses and state media said.

Police capture mall shooting gunman

Authorities have arrested a Turkish-born man suspected of shooting five people dead, including a teenaged cancer survivor, at a shopping mall in the US state of Washington.

Nation sees a surge in illegal immigration

Mexican immigration authorities said on Saturday they have been hit by a surge of almost 5,000 Haitian, African and Asian migrants entering by the southern border in just a few days.

Corbyn: Earthy leftwing leader who splits Labour

Opposed by most of his MPs and lionised by grassroots activists, socialist Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected on Saturday as leader of Britain's opposition Labour, but takes his party into an increasingly uncertain future.

IN BRIEF (Page 12)

Syria claims new offensive, diplomats fail to renew truce

Syria announced a new offensive against rebel-held areas of Aleppo on Thursday while diplomats failed to find a way in New York to revive a US and Russian-brokered ceasefire that collapsed this week.

IN BRIEF (Page 8)

Protesters hold peaceful demos

Protesters took to Charlotte's streets for a third straight night and defied a midnight curfew in the US city early Friday, amid heavy security aimed at preventing more clashes over the fatal police shooting of a black man.

Cheers break out as Puerto Rico emerges from a big blackout

Cheers erupted as lights slowly began to flicker across Puerto Rico overnight as it struggled to emerge from an island-wide blackout following a fire at a power plant that caused the aging utility grid to fail.