News in Brief - Tue, May, 26, 2015 - 01:30 GMT

1. Several militants have been killed as Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters and allied armed forces pushed al-Qaeda out of a strategic area in Ma’rib province. The operation came amid Saudi airstrikes in provinces of Aden and Sa’ada. Nearly 4,000 people have been killed in the weeks-long aggression.

2. The Iraqi army has captured 200 foreign terrorists in the western province of Anbar ahead of an operation to retake the city of Ramadi from ISIL. The city has been encircled by the army and Shia volunteers. They have also set up a base in Karbala south of Ramadi.

3. Turkey’s foreign minister says his country and the United States have agreed to provide air protection to anti-government forces in Syria. Mevlut Cavusoglu said the air support will begin as soon as the militants, who are now being trained and equipped in Turkey, enter neighboring Syria.

4. More than two dozen Afghan police officers and soldiers have been killed by Taliban militants in a siege of a police compound in Helmand province. The attack follows a deadly bombing in Zabul province. The uptick in violence comes as the army has made major gains against the Taliban.

5. A new birth control law in Myanmar has set off controversy, with rights groups saying it’s aimed at the country’s Muslim minority. The legislation was driven by ultra-nationalist Buddhists seeking to stoke anti-Muslim sentiments. It came amid the deepening plight of Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution in Myanmar.

6. The UN has called for more aid for Nepal as the South Asian country is grappling with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake. The deadly 7.8 magnitude quake on April 25 left more than 8,600 people dead. Thousands are currently living in temporary shelters.

7. Over a dozen people have been killed by a tornado in northern Mexico. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in an area across the border with the US state of Texas. Officials have warned that the death toll could rise. Severe weather has also affected southern US states.

8. Boko Haram Takfiri terrorists have killed ten people in a remote village in northeast Nigeria. Officials say the terrorists attacked the victims with machetes while they were asleep. The attack is the latest by Boko Haram in Adamawa state, which was declared clear of insurgents in March by the military.

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