News in Brief-(14-04-2018)

Taliban attacks leave 13 policemen dead in Kabul
KABUL, Apr 13: Taliban attacks overnight in Afghanistan killed at least 13 policemen and wounded several others, officials said Friday. In western Herat province, 10 policemen were killed and four were wounded in Shindand district where fighting with the insurgents lasted for hours. — AP

Boko Haram abducts over 1,000 children: UNICEF
LAGOS, Apr 13: As Nigeria prepares to mark the fourth anniversary of the Chibok kidnapping, UNICEF reported on Friday that over 1,000 children have been abducted by jihadists since 2013. "Since 2013, more than 1,000 children have been abducted by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, including 276 girls taken from their secondary school in the town of Chibok in 2014," said UNICEF in a statement. — AFP

US seeks to outshine China at Latam summit
LIMA, Apr 13: Latin American leaders will gather in Lima, Peru, on Friday at a summit the United States hopes to use to counter China's rising influence in the region, despite US President Donald Trump's last-minute decision not to attend. The official theme of this year's Summit of the Americas, where heads of state in the Western Hemisphere will meet through Saturday, is corruption. — Reuters

25 die in attack at Iraq funeral of anti-IS fighters
SAMARRA, Apr 13: At least 25 people were killed and 18 injured in Thursday's bomb attack on funerals for Iraqi fighters killed by jihadists, according to a new toll from police and medics. "Two bombs exploded as the funeral procession was entering the cemetery" in Asdira, village mayor Salaheddin Shaalan said. — AFP