Islamic State claims murder of Christian convert in Bangladesh: online group
DHAKA (Reuters) – Islamic State has claimed responsibility for murdering a Christian convert in Bangladesh, says an online group that monitors extremist activity, the latest killing declared by the militant group in the South Asian nation.Islamist violence has surged in recent months in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, but the government has rejected Islamic State’s claims of involvement, blaming political opponents instead. The U.S.-based SITE Intelligence Group said Islamic State had asserted that
EU welcomes access to Syria’s Madaya, urges halt to attacks on civilians
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union on Friday welcomed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s decision to allow humanitarian access to the town of Madaya, and called for a halt to all attacks on civilians in the conflict, ahead of peace talks later thi…
Philippines urges ASEAN pressure on China for rules on disputed sea
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Friday urged Southeast Asian neighbors to put pressure on China to agree on a binding code of conduct to ease tension in South China Sea following Chinese test flights to an island it has built….
Sharp drop in Rohingya migrants after Thai, Bangladesh crackdowns
BANGKOK (Reuters) – The number of migrants leaving Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat in the past four months has plummeted because of Thai and Bangladeshi crackdowns on human smugglers, the United Nations and a rights activist said on Friday.
Two believed dead after small plane crash in Swedish mountains
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Swedish rescue teams were working to recover the bodies of two people presumed dead after a plane carrying mail crashed in northern Sweden early on Friday, officials said.
Top medical officer tells Britons drinking any alcohol is risky
LONDON (Reuters) – Britons need to drink less as any alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer and other diseases, the government’s health chiefs said in the first new guidelines issued for 20 years which were denounced by critics as “nanny stat…
EU should erect new Greek frontier to stop migrants, Hungarian PM says
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – The European Union should establish a new frontier on the northern border of Greece, because an agreement with Turkey will not be enough to stop hundreds of thousands of migrants from coming to Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Vikt…
Hungary PM flags veto of any EU sanctions against Poland
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Friday flagged a veto on any possible European Union sanctions against Poland, a strong regional ally, following a recent meeting with the head of Poland’s ruling party.
Malaysia PM Najib will table amendments to budget soon: report
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will table amendments to the 2016 budget “soon” that will take into account the challenges expected in the new year, state news agency Bernama quoted him as saying on Friday.
Inert U.S. Hellfire missile wrongly shipped to Cuba in 2014: WSJ
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An inert U.S. Hellfire missile sent to Europe for a training exercise ended up by mistake in Cuba in 2014, in a serious loss of military technology, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the ma…
