North Korean soldier walks across DMZ in bid to defect to South
SEOUL (Reuters) – A teenaged North Korean soldier walked across the world’s most heavily militarized border on Monday in a bid to defect to South Korea, South Korean Defense Ministry officials said.
Seventeen killed in battles near Iraq’s Baiji refinery
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Seventeen people were killed in Iraq on Monday in clashes between Islamic State militants and pro-government forces in a town close to the country’s biggest refinery, a focal point in efforts to counter the ultra-hardline Sunni grou…
Nepal re-opens damaged monuments to kickstart tourism after quakes
BHAKTAPUR, Nepal (Reuters) – Nepal re-opened hundreds of earthquake-damaged monuments at heritage sites on Monday, trying to draw visitors back to the Himalayan nation less than two months after two devastating tremors killed about 8,800 people.
Serbia arrests 38 police and customs officers in anti-graft sweep
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbian police have seized more than three dozen police and customs officers and charged them with corruption and abuse of office, in the biggest such arrest in decades, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.
Turkish opposition parties should form government after election: CHP leader
ANKARA (Reuters) – Opposition parties should form Turkey’s next government after the ruling AK Party failed to secure a majority, the head of the main opposition said on Monday, as the AKP remained in talks to find a coalition partner.
China military to probe building projects in graft crackdown
BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s military has begun a six-month probe into buildings erected without permission, that exceed specifications or are illegally rented out, as part of a broader campaign against corruption, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.
Schools reopen as South Korea seeks normality amid MERS outbreak
SUWON, South Korea (Reuters) – Thousands of South Korean schools that were shut to stop the spread of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) reopened on Monday as the country sought to return to normal, nearly four weeks into an outbreak that shows si…
Danish opposition retakes poll lead days before vote, race close
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – Denmark’s center-right bloc of opposition parties has taken back the lead in surveys days ahead of a national election, but many people are still undecided and the vote will be one of the closest in years, pollsters said on Monda…
Pro-Europe, pro-Russia camps split vote in Moldova’s local elections
CHISINAU (Reuters) – Moldova’s pro-European and pro-Russian parties took roughly equal shares of the vote in local elections, results showed on Monday, upsetting forecasts of a big win for the pro-Moscow camp.
Iran official to discuss Yemen at OIC talks in Saudi Arabia: Mehr
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran’s deputy foreign minister for Middle East affairs will discuss Yemen’s conflict at a meeting of a pan-Islamic body hosted by its regional rival Saudi Arabia, the Iranian Mehr news agency reported on Monday.
