On the third day of the renewed Iraqi offensive to retake Mosul from ISIL militants, scores of civilians have left their homes for safety.

The United Nations has said it is deeply concerned about the plight of people who flee Mosul as fighting intensifies amid the Iraqi offensive.

Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have begun attacking the ISIL-held village of Dabiq.

The Colombian government is to start formal peace talks with the ELN – or National Liberation Army – the country’s second largest rebel group.

The Afghan Taliban have recaptured a strategic district in the northern province of Kunduz, which they briefly overran last September before being pushed back by the Afghan army.

There has been heavy fighting in Aleppo as Syrian government forces and rebels battle for control of the city.

An arrest warrant has been issued for one of Turkey’s most celebrated football players – former international striker Hakan Sukur. A seizure of his assets has also been ordered, as part of an investigation into last month’s failed coup.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has instructed all military units near Crimea and in the eastern Donbass region to be at the highest level of combat readiness in the wake of Russia’s allegations.

Ankara (Turkey) - In Turkey two senior generals have resigned, as the prime minister prepared to meet military commanders for a major overhaul the armed forces in the wake of a failed coup. Their resignations come one day after the mass dismissal of military personnel.

Ankara (Turkey) - The crackdown is intensifying in Turkey, following a failed coup attempt over a week ago.