Iraqi security forces drove Islamic State fighters from the center of a town just south of the militants' main stronghold of Mosul on November 5 and reached within a few km (miles) of an airport on the edge of the city, a senior commander said.

Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton traded barbs as they entered the last three days of campaigning in the U.S. presidential election with competing events on November 5 in Florida, a swing state that could prove decisive in November 1 's vote.

Thousands of Russians have been fighting in Syria in anti-government ranks, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview published on November 5, issuing a warning of possible attacks by them on their return home.

British police said they arrested 47 people on November 5 at an anti-capitalism demonstration in central London organized by the Anonymous hacking group.

Turkish authorities arrested the leaders of the country's main pro-Kurdish opposition party in a terrorism probe on November 4, drawing European and UN condemnation of a widening crackdown on dissent under President Tayyip Erdogan.

Prime Minister Theresa May told European Union leaders on November 4 she was confident a court ruling that could delay Britain's departure from the bloc would be overturned and she vowed to stick to her Brexit timetable.

Iraqi special forces said they recaptured six districts of eastern Mosul on November 4, expanding the army's foothold in the Islamic State bastion a day after its leader told his jihadist followers there could be no retreat.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on November 3 he remained confident about the future of the US-Philippines relationship despite "a difference here or there" and that he hoped to visit Manila again before leaving office.

The commander of US forces in the Republic of Korea (ROK) said on November 4 a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system battery would be deployed to ROK within eight to 10 months.

The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s prosecutors have detained a former aide to President Park Geun-hye, a prosecution official said on November 3, the second person to be held in an influence peddling scandal that has rocked the country's presidency.