U.S., allies target Islamic State in Tikrit, other Iraqi cities
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. and coalition forces conducted 18 air strikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq during a 24-hour period, with eight strikes near militant-held Tikrit, the U.S. military said on Saturday.
Islamist groups seize Syrian city Idlib for first time
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Islamist groups including al Qaeda’s Nusra Front have seized the city of Idlib for the first time in Syria’s civil war, fighters and a monitoring group said on Saturday.
Crash pilot was psychiatric patient, planned big gesture: paper
BERLIN (Reuters) – The co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing an airliner, killing 150 people, had told his girlfriend he was planning a spectacular gesture so “everyone will know my name”, a German daily said on Saturday.
Fourth French citizen dies of Tunisia attack wounds
PARIS (Reuters) – A fourth French national has died of her wounds following the March 18 attack on Tunisia’s national museum, the French president’s office said in a statement on Saturday.
America Movil may not face tougher regulation without asset sale: regulator
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s telecom regulator will not necessarily impose tougher rules against billionaire Carlos Slim’s America Movil if it does not go ahead with a plan to sell off assets, the head of the regulatory agency said in an interview …
Police fire tear gas on crowd during Sierra Leone Ebola lockdown
FREETOWN (Reuters) – Police fired tear gas at an angry crowd in Sierra Leone on Saturday after they threw stones at officials during a three-day national lockdown that the government hopes will accelerate the end of the Ebola epidemic, residents said.
Libya’s Tripoli parliament says troops pull back from major oil ports: lawmaker
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – A rival Libyan parliament based in the capital Tripoli has ordered the withdrawal of troops loyal to it from frontlines near Libya’s biggest oil ports, a senior lawmaker said on Saturday.
Tanzania orders probe into “ghost workers” on government payroll
DAR ES SALAAM (Reuters) – Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete has ordered a probe into “ghost workers” on the public sector payroll after a new audit revealed the government paid 141.4 billion Tanzanian shillings ($76.6 million) to fake workers over the…
Saudi blogger Badawi views survival of 50 lashes as miracle: magazine
BERLIN (Reuters) – Jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi has described in his first public remarks from prison how he “miraculously survived 50 lashes” as part of a conviction that sparked an international outcry, the German weekly Der Spiegel reported on S…
Pakistan militants deny 30 killed in renewed Khyber fighting
PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) – Pakistan security forces killed 30 militants in gunbattles in the mountainous northwestern Khyber region on Saturday, a senior official said, but a spokesman for the militants denied suffering any losses.
