AP, Tokyo
The U.S. Navy in Japan has eased a ban on drinking imposed after an American sailor was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in Okinawa.
U.S. Naval Forces Japan said in a statement Friday that sailors are now allowed to drink on base as well as at their off-base houses. Other drinking off-base is still prohibited.
Iraqi forces ‘retake Falluja city hall’
BBC Online
Iraqi government forces have retaken the main government compound in the city of Falluja from Islamic State (IS) militants, a top commander has said.
Lt Gen Abdul Wahhab al-Saadi told the BBC that elite Counter Terrorism Force troops and rapid response forces had “liberated” the city council building.
Rome set to elect first woman mayor
AFP, Rome
From kings to consuls, emperors to popes, the rulers of Rome have always been men. Until now.
Voters in the Italian capital return to the polls Sunday and all the signs are that they are set to elect Virginia Raggi as the first woman mayor of the Eternal City.
Raggi, a 37-year-old lawyer and local councillor, has leapt from anonymity to become one of the best-known faces in Italian politics in the space of only a few months on the campaign trail.
Four Russian forces in clashes
Reuters, Moscow
Four Russian special forces soldiers and six militants have been killed in a series of clashes in Dagestan in the North Caucasus area, the Interfax news agency reported on Friday, citing a police source.
Dagestan, where Kremlin critics say poverty and corruption help feed Islamist extremism, is often rocked by shootouts and car bombings. A suicide bomber blew up a car there in February, killing two policemen, in an attack claimed by Islamic State.
