The Brief: King Salman in Russia, Togo, Kurdish vote

Chemist finds nerve agent on shirt of woman accused of killing Kim Jong-nam, Saudi King Salman to meet Putin, and more.

Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong and Indonesian Siti Aisyah who are on trial for the killing of Kim Jong Nam, the estranged half-brother of North Korea''s leader, are escorted as they leave the Shah Alam
Doan Thi Huong and Siti Aisyah, accused of killing Kim Jong-nam, as they leave court in Malaysia [Lai Seng Sin/Reuters]

Here are the stories you shouldn’t miss, plus the ones you should keep an eye on for Thursday:

Don’t miss:

  • There’s breaking news from Iraq, where the army claims to have retaken Hawija. The town was ISIL’s last stronghold. 
  • In Asia Pacific, the trial of two women accused of killing Kim Jong-nam – the brother of North Korea leader Kim Jong-un – continues in Malaysia. A chemist has testified that the nerve agent believed to be have been used by the two female suspects was found on one of their shirts. More about that here.
  • In southwest Niger, five Nigerien and three US special forces were killed and others wounded in an ambush on a joint patrol. Wednesday’s attack marks the first US combat casualties in Niger, where Washington provides training and security assistance in the fight against armed groups in the Sahel region.
  • To the Middle East, and confusion surrounds the timing of legislative and presidential elections in the aftermath of a Kurdish vote to secede from Iraq. What’s next
  • And, it’s been 60 years since the launch of Sputnik. Does your country have a satellite orbiting the Earth right now? Find out here.

Looking ahead:

  • We speak to the families of Muslim victims of lynchings in India two years on, as well as to some of those accused of carrying out the horrific killings.
  • Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is due to meet Russian leader Vladimir Putin today, having arrived in Moscow on Wednesday. What does this historic trip mean? Our reporter explains.
  • And we will break down the details of protests in Togo. Thousands of Togolese took to the streets of the country’s capital Lome on Wednesday to protest the 50-year-rule of the Gnassingbe family and demand the president’s immediate resignation. The rallies began last month and turned violent; there were claims that security forces killed a 10-year-old boy.

Stay with us on aljazeera.com for more…

Source: Al Jazeera