Saudi Arabia

Yemen's warring factions will come together for the first time in Geneva June 15 in a bid to resolve the bloody conflict between Iran-backed Shiite rebels and the government of exiled President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

A more reliable terrestrial broadband network could enable Iraq to become a transcontinental transit route for Internet traffic, a senior executive at one of two firms providing submarine connectivity to the war-torn country told Reuters.

Houthi forces and their army allies in Yemen seized the capital of a large desert province on the border with Saudi Arabia on June 14, residents said, an important victory for the group ahead of peace talks in Geneva on June 15. 

Yemen's warring factions will meet for UN-sponsored talks in Geneva from June 14 in their first bid to break a deadlock after more than two months of Saudi-led air strikes.

An outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) forced South Korea to cut interest rates on June 11 in the hope of softening the blow to an economy already burdened by slack demand, as authorities reported 14 new cases.

South Korea believes its MERS virus outbreak may have peaked, and experts say the next several days will be critical to determining whether the government's belated efforts have successfully stymied a disease that has killed nine people and infected more than 100 in the country.
     

TAV Airports has been voted the Best Turkish Company in Investor Relations (IR) in the 42nd Extel Survey. At the same time, TAV Airports President & CEO Sani ?ener was voted the best CEO, Vice President Burcu Geri? the Best CFO and head of IR Nursel ?lgen the Best IRO in Turkey, the company said in a written statement on June 9. 

Syrian opposition representatives met in Cairo on June 8 in a bid to forge a new, broader alliance against President Bashar Al-Assad's regime and agree on a roadmap for ending the conflict.

The new grouping would offer an alternative to the National Coalition, the exiled opposition bloc that is widely recognized and supported by Arab and Western governments, organizers said.

About half of live dolphins caught in the Japanese coastal town of Taiji were exported to China and other countries despite global criticism of the hunting technique used, a news report has said.

The so-called "drive hunt" method has been criticized overseas as cruel and Japanese zoos and aquariums were recently forced to vow not to buy animals caught with the controversial fishing.

Saudi Arabia's supreme court has upheld a sentence of 10 years in jail and 1,000 lashes against blogger Raif Badawi on charges of insulting Islam, his wife said on June 7.

The judgment came despite worldwide outrage over his case and criticism from the United Nations, United States, the European Union, Canada and others.