Reuters, Rome
Some 1,000 migrants were saved from leaky boats in the central Mediterranean on Friday and one person was found dead, Italy’s coast guard said.
An Italian coast guard ship, the Spanish humanitarian group Proactiva Open Arms and a Caribbean-registered supply vessel went to the aid of six rubber dinghies and three wooden vessels.
Merkel to visit Turkey on February 2
AFP, Ankara
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is planning to visit Turkey on February 2, the Turkish foreign ministry said Thursday, her first visit since relations deteriorated last year in the aftermath of the July failed coup. Relations have strained significantly in the wake of the coup bid, with Berlin expressing alarm over the relentless crackdown against the alleged plotters and Ankara saying Germany was failing to extradite terror suspects.
Critic of Thai junta gets 11 years jail
AP, Bangkok
A court in Thailand on Friday sentenced an opponent of the military government to more than 11 years in prison for posting material on the internet judged insulting to the country’s monarchy. The military court halved the sentence for Burin Intin from an original 22 years, 8 months for two offenses because he pleaded guilty to the lese majeste charge as well as to violating the Computer Crime Act by posting illegal content.
Yemen may face famine in 2017: UN
AFP, United Nations
The United Nations aid chief warned Thursday that Yemen was sliding deeper into humanitarian crisis and could face famine this year. The poor Arab country has been engulfed in war since a Saudi-led coalition launched a bombing campaign in March 2015 to push back Iran-backed Huthi rebels who had seized the capital Sanaa and other cities.
