Al Qaeda denies most of its Yemen fighters are foreigners
ABU DHABI (Reuters) – Islamist websites published an al Qaeda statement on Saturday denying claims by Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi that the vast majority of its fighters in the troubled country are foreigners.
European left-wingers back Juncker for EU Commission
PARIS (Reuters) – Left-wing European leaders agreed on Saturday to back Luxembourg conservative Jean-Claude Juncker for the post of European Commission president, saying they would seek other top EU jobs for their party allies in return.
Gunmen kill ‘many’ in attack on Nigerian village: witness
MAIDUGURI Nigeria (Reuters) – Suspected Islamist militants stormed a village in northeast Nigeria on Saturday, killing several people and torching houses near where more than 200 schoolgirls were kidnapped two months ago, a witness said.
South Korea soldier shoots dead five comrades near border with North
SEÚL (Reuters) – A South Korean conscript soldier shot and killed five of his fellow unit members and injured five others late on Saturday at a guard post near the heavily armed border with North Korea, a South Korean official said.
Belarus releases human rights activist ahead of time
MINSK (Reuters) – Belarus on Saturday unexpectedly freed leading rights activist Ales Belyatsky whose jailing for tax evasion in November 2011 prompted an outcry in the European Union and human rights circles.
Egypt jails man for a year as push against sexual harassment begins
CAIRO (Reuters) – A Cairo court sentenced a man to one year in jail on Saturday for harassing a woman, the swiftest such ruling since Egypt introduced a new law in early June to combat sexual harassment.
Israel steps up West Bank search for missing teens
RAMALLAH West Bank (Reuters) – Israel sent more troops to the occupied West Bank on Saturday to search for three missing teenagers it says were abducted by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.
Tension mounts in Afghanistan as U.N. urges Abdullah to return to electoral process
KABUL (Reuters) – The United Nations on Saturday urged Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah to return to the electoral process after he dropped out earlier this week, accusing the organizers and the president of fraud.
Crowds turn out for Nigerian vote seen as test case for 2015
ONITSHA Nigeria (Reuters) – Large crowds of voters gathered in Nigeria’s southwest Ekiti state on Saturday for a hotly contested local election that will be scrutinized for fairness and signs of violence ahead of next year’s national poll.
Pope condemns mob violence against children on trip to Italy’s south
CASSANO ALL’ JONIO Italy (Reuters) – Pope Francis, visiting a stronghold of one of Italy’s most dangerous crime groups, on Saturday comforted the jailed father of a three-year-old boy killed in an ambush and condemned mob violence against children.
