Politics

  Turkey / AFP German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited a refugee camp on the Turkish-Syrian border on Saturday, kicking off a high-stakes visit aimed at boosting a month-old migrant deal plagued by moral and legal concerns. Merkel, who was accompanied by European Council head Donald Tusk and European Commission Vice President FransTimmermans, headed to the Nizip 2 camp near Gaziantep ...

  Cairo / AFP An Egyptian court postponed on Saturday its verdict and sentence in the trial of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, who is charged with spying for Qatar. The head judge of the criminal court said the verdict was postponed to “May 7 to continue consultations,” in brief remarks aired on television. If he is convicted it would be ...

  ANKARA / AP A Turkish official says authorities have detained six suspected IS militants who were allegedly planning to carry out attacks in the central Turkish city of Konya. Gov. Muammer Erol said on Saturday that the six — all foreign nationals — were detained in Konya late Friday. He said the group was “in pursuit of attacks” against ...

  Aleppo / AFP At least 27 civilians were killed on Saturday in regime bombardment on rebel-held areas across Syria, a monitor and local sources said, in the latest deadly violence despite a ceasefire deal. Twelve civilians were killed in Aleppo, according to a local civil defence official, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 13 others died in ...

Aden / AP Yemeni forces backed by air power from the Saudi-led Arab coalition launched an operation on Saturday to drive Al-Qaeda fighters out of a southern provincial capital, military officials said. Forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in Abyan province advanced towards Zinjibar and the neighbouring town of Jaar, the sources said. Soldiers reached Al-Kud, five kilometres (three ...

Gaza City / AP As peace offerings go, prefabricated metal huts on a sand dune may seem unimpressive, but they are what the Palestinian movement Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has chosen. Hamas has set up dozens of new border posts and military checkpoints along the enclave’s border with Egypt in an attempt to improve relations with Cairo after ...

  Rome / AP Libya’s Vice President Ahmed Maetig has expressed hope that the European Union will enter into an agreement with his country similar to that between the EU and Turkey restricting the flow of migrants to Europe. Maetig made the appeal while in Rome meeting with Italy’s Interior Minister Angelino Alfano. “The vice president has asked that we ...

  HARRINGTON / AP Top aides spent the week gingerly courting Republican insiders at a seaside resort in Florida, but front-runner Donald Trump was busy railing against them. While it may seem counterproductive, Trump’s foot-stomping has served as a rallying cry to boost voter turnout and allowed him to continue to appeal to voters who feel disenfranchised. The “rigged” system ...

  PARIS / AP Overnight clashes between French police and about 100 people have led to 12 arrests in eastern Paris. The Paris police said the clashes took place from Friday night to early Saturday around the Place de la Republique on the sidelines of the “Night Rising” protest movement. A police car was set on fire and projectiles were ...

  SEOUL / AP South Korea says North Korea has fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile from a submarine off its northeast coast. Seoul’s Defense Ministry couldn’t immediately confirm where the projectile landed after Saturday’s launch. North Korea has fired a slew of missiles and artillery shells into the sea in an apparent protest against ongoing annual military ...