Syrian Kurds push deeper into Islamic State stronghold
BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said it began an advance towards an Islamic State-held town at the Turkish border on Saturday, thrusting deeper into the jihadists’ stronghold of Raqqa province in a campaign backed by U.S.-led air stri…
Egypt opens Rafah crossing into Gaza in sign of easing tensions
GAZA (Reuters) – Egypt opened the Rafah border crossing on Saturday to allow Palestinians to travel in and out of the Gaza Strip for the first time in three months, in a possible sign of easing tension between Cairo and Gaza’s dominant Islamist Hamas m…
Tunisian diplomats kidnapped in Tripoli in good condition: Libyan official
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Ten Tunisian consular staff kidnapped in Libya’s capital Tripoli are in good condition and contact has been made with their captors, the interior minister for Libya’s self-declared government said on Saturday.
Air strikes kill 20 suspected militants in Pakistan: military
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Air strikes killed 20 suspected militants in the restive northwest of Pakistan on Saturday, the military said, as it marked the one-year anniversary of an anti-Taliban offensive in the area.
Nine dead in air raid on area inhabited by Yemeni ex-leader’s relatives
SANAA (Reuters) – Nine people were killed when Saudi-led coalition warplanes bombed a district in the Yemeni capital Sanaa inhabited by relatives of ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh, residents and medics said.
Militants attack government forces near Iraq’s Baiji refinery
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Islamic State militants attacked government forces and their Shi’ite militia allies on Saturday, killing 11 near the city of Baiji as part of the battle for control of Iraq’s biggest refinery, army and police sources said.
Crackdowns on human rights in Central Asia breed extremism: U.N.’s Ban
ASHGABAT (Reuters) – Continued crackdowns on human rights in Central Asia could backfire by encouraging extremist ideologies, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday, winding up a visit to the volatile former Soviet region.
WHO calls emergency meeting on ‘large, complex’ South Korea MERS outbreak
SEOUL (Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday it would hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to consider South Korea’s outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which it described as “large and complex”.
Aid-dependent Nepal says needs $6.6 billion for post-quake rebuilding
KATHMANDU (Reuters) – Earthquake-battered Nepal will ask international donors to support a reconstruction plans that is expected to cost $6.6 billion over five years, the government said on Saturday.
Six Ukrainian servicemen killed, 14 wounded in past 24 hours
KIEV (Reuters) – Six Ukrainian servicemen have been killed and 14 wounded in separatist eastern territory in the past 24 hours, despite a four-month-old ceasefire deal, the Ukrainian military said on Saturday.
