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.
U.S. sends six Yemeni prisoners from Guantanamo to Oman for resettlement
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Six Yemenis held for more than a decade at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo have been flown to Oman for resettlement, the Pentagon said on Saturday, the latest step in President Barack Obama’s slow push to close the facilit…
Australia stoops to ‘new low’ if boat payment confirmed: Indonesia
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Australia would have stooped to a “new low” if reports that its navy paid people-smugglers bound for Australia thousands of dollars to turn back their boat are true, an Indonesian government official said on Saturday.
Iran brings home body of top general killed in Syria
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran is bringing home the body of a top-ranking military officer killed in April in southern Syria, Iranian news agencies reported, at least the second senior Iranian to die there this year while supporting Damascus in the war.
Austria stops processing asylum requests amid EU row
VIENNA (Reuters) – Austria has stopped processing asylum requests in an effort to pressure other European Union member states to do more to help absorb waves of refugees pouring into the continent, the country’s interior minister was quoted on Saturday…
Thai students detained in Pakistan have no Islamic State links: government
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Five Thai students detained in Pakistan for trying to board a plane with a pistol and ammunition have no links to the Islamic State militant group or any criminal organization, a Thai government spokesman said on Friday.
