About 700,000 Iraqis have gathered in the Kurdish north after being driven from their homes by jihadist fighters, the United Nations said Aug. 22 as it stepped up a massive aid operation to the region. “The Kurdistan region of Iraq is now hosting close to 700,000 displaced Iraqis, most having …

Russia sent dozens of aid trucks into rebel-held eastern Ukraine on Friday without Kiev’s approval, saying its patience had worn out with the Ukrainian government’s stalling tactics. Ukraine called the move a “direct invasion”.

Militants targeted a Sunni mosque in a province next to the Iraqi capital during Friday prayers, killing at least 46 people and wounding over 50 as members of the Islamic State group continue to push through the area, officials said.