Pakistan, North Korea, Nigeria.
Today's three stories you should know.
Pakistan
Security forces have retaken a police station in Pakistan that had been captured by the Pakistani Taliban, killing all 33 militants in the process. The country’s defense minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, said all hostages were freed, two special forces soldiers killed, and up to 15 army troops wounded. The men had stormed the police station in the remote north-western Bannu district on Sunday. The Pakistani Taliban - known as the TTP - has stepped up activities since ending a ceasefire with the government last month. The group is separate to the Afghan Taliban.
More from Al Jazeera here.
North Korea
South Korea and the US like to intimidate North Korea. North Korea tries to do the same. It’s a seemingly endless cycle. Today, the US flew nuclear-capable bombers and advanced stealth jets off the coast of the Koreas in an apparent show of strength. The drills also included F-35 and F-15 fighter jets from South Korea. The move came after the North said it had launched a test satellite for the development of its first military spy satellite, and tested a motor for a more mobile intercontinental missile. When some observers questioned the North’s claims, Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister Kim Yo Jong shot back, calling the doubts “malicious disparaging” and “dog barking.”
More from AP here.
Nigeria
An Islamic police force in the northern Nigerian city of Kano is reported to have raided a gay wedding ceremony and arrested 18 guests. The couple are believed to have gotten away and gone on the run. Kano, which is in a majority Muslim state, operates a mixture of an Islamic and a secular legal system. Homosexuality is illegal under both legal systems and across the whole of Nigeria. Police claimed they would not punish the 18 people arrested but would instead offer them “counselling.” A police spokesman said that, after a similar incident last year, wedding guests were released after signing a document "undertaking that they would change their lifestyle." Kano's Islamic courts have never actually convicted anyone for being gay.
More from BBC here.