Sons of Indian haj victims desperate to know how parents perished
JARGAL, India (Reuters) – Firojsha Aiyubsha and his two brothers only found out that their parents had died in last week’s stampede during the haj in Saudi Arabia when a boy from their village deep in western India spotted the names on the Internet.
Thai king still in hospital but illnesses abating: palace
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has mostly recovered from illnesses that left him needing oxygen and intravenous feeding, the palace said on Monday.
German president warns of limits to number of refugees
BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s president has warned that there are limits to how many refugees his country can absorb as it prepares for as many as 800,000 arrivals this year, showing growing concern even at the highest level over how to look after so ma…
Bid to revive Miss Iraq pageant draws ire of hardline clerics, tribal leaders
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The first internationally-recognized Miss Iraq beauty contest in more than 40 years was supposed to present a gentler, softer side to a country whose name has become synonymous with violence and bloodshed.
Lebanese journalist fined for contempt of court in Hariri murder case
THE HAGUE (Reuters) – A judge in The Hague on Monday fined a Lebanese journalist 10,000 euros ($11,000) for contempt of court in the case against the alleged killers of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Russia props up Assad as he reinforces coastal heartland
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Russia’s military build-up in Syria is aimed mainly at propping up President Bashar al-Assad and helping him reinforce his threatened coastal heartland, where he is seeking to bolster the communities that form his power base as his army falters.
Zimbabwe court again postpones trial of hunter linked to Cecil killing
HARARE (Reuters) – A court on Monday postponed for the second time the trial of hunter Theo Bronkhorst, who is linked to the illegal killing of Zimbabwe’s most prized lion in July, after his lawyers requested that his indictment be quashed.
Fatal clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia-backed Karabakh stir tension
BAKU/YEREVAN (Reuters) – Azerbaijan and the Armenia-backed breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday bickered about how many of their soldiers had been killed in clashes which have stoked fears of a wider conflict breaking out in the South Caucasu…
U.N. rights chief alarmed by rising killings, arrests in Burundi
GENEVA (Reuters) – There has been an “alarming upsurge” in the number of killings and arrests in Burundi after the president was sworn in for a disputed third term in office, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Monday.
Saudi security forces kill two Islamic State suspects
DUBAI (Reuters) – Two suspected Islamic State militants were killed and three were arrested by Saudi security forces in coordinated raids in the capital Riyadh and the eastern city of Dammam, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.
