Washington / AFP CIA chief John Brennan said that secret findings of a 2002 congressional investigation into the 9/11 attacks should not be taken as evidence of official Saudi complicity. A decision is expected soon on whether to release the classified 28-page section of the report by the House and Senate intelligence committees. Former senator Bob Graham, who headed …

  Bamako / AFP As the United Nations looks to extend its most deadly active mission for peacekeepers for another year, those working closely with its venture in Mali say poor local collaboration and funding gaps are costing lives. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked the Security Council to approve 2,500 extra troops and police for the Mali force, known …

  BENGHAZI / AP Militants from the IS group have barricaded themselves in the center of their stronghold in Libya’s coastal city of Sirte, hoping to draw militias fighting to dislodge them into a protracted street battle, a spokesman for the fighters loyal to the UN-backed government said on Sunday. Brig-Gen. Mohammed Al Ghasri said the militants have fallen back …