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...