AFP, KUWAIT CITY: The Yemeni government said Thursday that Shiite rebels must withdraw from all territory they have seized since 2014 and hand back control of state institutions ahead of any political settlement. The statement from the government delegation to peace talks in Kuwait is a new blow to…

AFP, ANKARA, Turkey: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has for the first time suggested Turkey could hold a referendum over whether to continue its long-stalled bid to join the European Union. Angrily lashing out at the bloc’s treatment of Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey could hold a referendum…

AFP, JAKARTA: President Joko Widodo visited remote Indonesian islands on a warship Thursday in an apparent show of force after clashes with Chinese vessels and as fears grow Beijing is seeking to stake a claim in nearby waters. Widodo led a high-level delegation including the foreign minister and armed…

AFP, LYON: Interpol said on Thursday it is seeking public help to track down 123 suspected human traffickers wanted around the world. The largest international police organisation put out the public appeal from its base in Lyon, France, in a bid to bring the remaining fugitives to justice. “People…

AFP, DUBAI: A Bahraini court on Thursday sentenced 24 people for belonging to an Islamic State group cell, stripping 13 of them of their citizenship, the prosecution said. One member was jailed for life after being convicted of forming a branch of the Sunni jihadist group and recruiting others, while…

AFP, BEIJING: North Korea has “no thoughts” of resuming six-party talks on its nuclear programme, a top Pyongyang official said Thursday in Beijing, despite the repeated urgings of its closest ally China. The North quit the now-stalled negotiations aimed at curbing its nuclear weapons programme…