Islamic State attacks near Mosul B

qabr alabd, iraq» Under the cover of dust and fog, Islamic State group fighters launched a series of counterattacks on Iraqi positions to the south and west of the militant-held city of Mosul late Friday night and into Saturday morning, according to Iraqi military commanders and officials.

The massive operation to retake Mosul was officially launched on Oct. 17, but after initially swift battlefield successes, the progress of Iraqi forces later slowed down in the face of fierce Islamic State counterattacks and concerns over the safety of civilians still inside the city.

The Islamic State has largely failed to push back Iraqi troops, but its counterattacks have inflicted high casualties on civilians and security forces alike and, in some cases, shaken morale.

seoul, south korea» Rallying for the sixth straight weekend in what has become perhaps South Korea’s biggest protest movement ever, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in Seoul got the closest yet Saturday to the president they desperately want removed.

The demonstration came hours after lawmakers formally launched an attempt to impeach President Park Geun-hye and set up a floor vote for as early as next Friday. State prosecutors accuse Park of helping a close confidante extort money and favors from large companies and manipulate state affairs.

The scandal has sparked mass protests each Saturday in downtown Seoul.

Police estimated the turnout at 320,000, making it the biggest anti-Park rally so far, although the crowd appeared to be much larger. Protest organizers estimated the crowd at 1.7 million.