Iraq gets first funding to rebuild war-struck regions
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Iraq and the World Bank signed a $350 million loan agreement on Sunday to fund emergency reconstruction in towns recaptured from Islamic State militants, a deal Baghdad said marked the first international help to rebuild areas devas…
Splintered Catalan independence parties must unite to win vote: poll
MADRID (Reuters) – Catalan parties favoring a split from Spain can only win a majority in regional elections in September if they run as an alliance, a poll showed on Sunday, as the campaign for independence shows signs of flagging.
Boko Haram attacks prison in Niger, four killed: military
NIAMEY (Reuters) – Suspected Boko Haram militants launched an attack on the prison in the southern Niger town of Diffa late on Saturday, military sources said, in an apparent bid to free fellow members of the Nigerian Islamist group held there.
Cocaine smugglers turn to South Asia for new routes, markets
DHAKA/NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Police who seized Asia’s largest known shipment of liquid cocaine at a Bangladeshi port late last month say it was headed for India, the latest sign that drug cartels are increasingly plying their trade in South Asia.
Nobel winner Malala opens school for Syrian refugees
BEKAA VALLEY, Lebanon (Reuters) – Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, celebrated her 18th birthday in Lebanon on Sunday by opening a school for Syrian refugee girls and called on world leaders to invest in “books not bullets…
Hong Kong journalist association says press freedom deteriorating
HONG KONG (Reuters) – The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association says press freedom has deteriorated in the special administrative region of China and it has become more dangerous for journalists to do their jobs.
France jails ETA suspects pending trial
BORDEAUX, France (Reuters) – Two senior members of the Basque militant separatist group ETA have been placed under investigation following their arrest in southwestern France, judicial and police sources said on Sunday.
China says top judge under investigation for corruption
BEIJING (Reuters) – A judge on China’s highest court has come under investigation for corruption, becoming one of the most senior judicial officials to be swept up by the country’s anti-graft dragnet.
Blast in Aleppo does major damage to citadel wall
BEIRUT (Reuters) – A section of the wall of the ancient citadel in Aleppo was destroyed by an explosion in a tunnel under the city, state media and activists reported on Sunday.
Saudi-led air strikes kill at least 10 people in Yemen
SANAA (Reuters) – At least 10 people were killed in air strikes overnight in Yemen, relatives and medical sources said, as a Saudi-led coalition continued bombing the capital on Sunday in violation of a temporary humanitarian truce.
