Tripoli / AFP The head of Libya’s UN-backed unity government called for urgent talks on Wednesday after forces loyal to a rival administration seized the main eastern oil ports in defiance of world powers. The fighting between the two sides — the first since the unity government started work in the capital Tripoli in March — was the latest …

  Jakarta / AFP Indonesia’s top Islamic clerical body said on Wednesday it has issued a fatwa against intentionally starting forest fires in a bid to stop the blazes that cloak Southeast Asia in haze every year. The religious edict by the Indonesian Ulema Council said it was “haram”, or against Islamic law, for Muslims to start fires on purpose …

  Seoul / AFP Floods in North Korea that have left hundreds dead or missing are the “worst disaster” to hit the country since World War II, state media said on Wednesday. The official KCNA news agency did not give exact numbers of those killed or unaccounted for, but a UN report said 138 people have died and 400 are …