AP, London
The British government is battling to pass a major plank of its Brexit plans through Parliament, amid faltering progress in divorce talks with the EU.
Lawmakers are starting debate Thursday on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which will revoke thousands of EU laws and regulations and replace them with domestic statute on the day the U.K. leaves the bloc.
Bahrain charges 25 over attack on police
AFP, Dubai
Bahrain announced Thursday it has pressed charges against 25 men over an attack on police in the Gulf kingdom, where a crackdown on dissent has drawn criticism from rights groups. Lawyers for the defendants said all of them were Shiite Muslims, who form the majority of the population in the Sunni-ruled country.
US to send 3,500 more troops to Afghanistan
AP, Washington
The United States will send about 3,500 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, a figure broadly in line with expectations as the United States boosts support for the Afghan military. The disclosure by the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, comes as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine General Joseph Dunford hold closed door briefings with members of Congress about President Donald Trump’s regional strategy.
Medical aid group slams EU migrant policy in Libya
AP, Brussels
The head of medical aid group Doctors Without Borders says European governments are paying for the criminal abuse of migrants in Libya by funding programs to stop them leaving for Europe.
International President Joanne Liu said in an open letter Thursday that Libya’s detention system is “a thriving enterprise of kidnapping, torture and extortion.”
