Baghdad / AFP US Secretary of Defence Ashton Carter visited Baghdad on Monday for talks on stepping up the fight against the IS group in Iraq, where the US has deployed troops to fight the extremists. Carter’s visit comes after a week of political turmoil that has been a setback for Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi, and the US defence ...

  SANAA / AP Yemen’s Shiite rebels backed out of UN-brokered peace talks just hours before the negotiations were to start on Monday in Kuwait, demanding an immediate halt to airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition that has waged a year-long war against them, officials said. It was not immediately clear if the negotiations were completely scuttled. According to two media ...

  KABUL / AP Afghan officials say flash floods in northern provinces have killed at least 38 people overnight. Remote, northern areas of Afghanistan often see flash floods triggered by heavy rains, which also cause landslides. The officials said on Monday that the flash floods struck the provinces of Takhar, Badghis and Samangan. Heavy rains have also hit the capital, ...