IS gunmen behead three Afghans, torch school
KABUL, July 01: Unidentified gunmen beheaded three men and torched a boys' school in Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan late on Saturday, in an attack officials blamed on Islamic State militants. "They brutally beheaded three attendants and set fire to the school building," Mohammad Asif Shinwari, spokesman for the education department said, adding that the administrative offices and the school library were completely burnt. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came after warnings from Islamic State last month of attacks on schools in Nangarhar, on the border with Pakistan, where the militants have established their main stronghold. — Xinhua
Cyclone barrels towards Japan's Okinawa
TOKYO, July 01: Okinawa residents braced for large waves and violent winds on Sunday after weather authorities warned of a fierce cyclone approaching the southern Japanese island. Typhoon Prapiroon was closing in on Okinawa's capital Naha on Sunday afternoon while packing gusts of up to 144 kilometres (90 miles) per hour. — AFP
Maldives opposition names backup presidential candidate
AA UKULHAS, July 01: The opposition alliance in the Maldives has named a backup candidate for the presidential election later this year, in the event the exiled former president is unable to contest due to legal obstacles. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a lawmaker from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, was named the backup candidate at the party congress late Saturday. The congress approved a resolution that former President Mohamed Nasheed would be the party's preferred candidate, but that if he fails to secure the candidacy, Solih will contest in his place. — AP
Rebels resume peace talks with Russians
AMMAN, July 01: Talks between the Syrian opposition and Russian negotiators to reach a ceasefire in a rebel-held town in southwestern Syria have resumed after mediation by Jordan. A string of Syrian rebel-held towns and villages were forced to accept government rule on Saturday as insurgent lines collapsed in parts of the southwest under an intense bombardment. — Reuters
Raging wildfire threatens moorlands in England
LONDON, July 01: Some 120 firefighters are trying to contain a wildfire that has been declared a "major incident" as it spreads in the moorlands of northern England. British fire officials said two large fires had merged because of high winds and extremely dry conditions as much of England is gripped by a heat wave. — AP
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