Off the wire
• Markus Gisdol and Hoffenheim agree in contract extension  • New Brazil soccer chief blasts talk of breakaway league  • Napoli upset Wolfsburg 4-1 in UEFA Europa League  • America, Europe told to work with BRICS  • More children in Middle East, North Africa at risk of no schooling: UN report  • Peace-building in post-conflict countries should be led by countries concerned: Chinese envoy  • Roundup: U.S. stocks close flat amid Greece concerns  • Roundup: Canadian stock market ends lower as resources lose ground  • Global forum on Cyber Expertise launched at 2015 cyberspace summit  • Roundup: Both World Bank, IMF voice willingness to cooperate with AIIB  
You are here: 　 Home

Xinhua world news summary at 0030 GMT, April 17

Xinhua, April 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

Scores of well-armed gunmen of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch seized an air defence base and a local airport after clashes with security forces in Yemen's southeastern province of Hadramout on Thursday evening, a government official told Xinhua.

"The al-Qaida gunmen launched an offensive against a number of military bases including the 27th Armored Brigade and took over control of the air defense base along with the Rayan local airport in the coastal city of Mukalla, Hadramout's provincial capital," the local government official said on condition of anonymity. (Yemen-Al-Qaida)

- - - -

MADRID -- The former Spanish Deputy Prime Minister, Rodrigo Rato, who was also the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund was arrested on Thursday afternoon on charges of fraud, concealment of assets and money laundering.

Rato, who was also the President of Bankia which needed a government bailout of almost 24 billion US dollars in May 2012, was detained at his Madrid residence after it had been searched by agents on the instructions of a judge. (Spain-IMF)

- - - -

MOSCOW -- The restoration of relations with Kiev is in Russia's interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during his annual live Q-and-A session.

"We would seek to restore our relations with Ukraine. This is in our interests," Putin said in a live broadcast from a Moscow television studio, while urging Kiev to grab the opportunity and fully implement the Minsk accords. (Russia-Ukraine-Putin)

- - - -

WASHINGTON -- The heads of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that the two organizations are willing to strengthen cooperation with the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to tackle the huge potential in the region.

"Infrastructure needs in the developing world are enormous. They are enormous in Asia for AIIB. Our full expectation is we will continue to work closely," said World Bank President Jim Yong Kim at a press conference ahead of the WB-IMF Spring meeting. (WB-IMF-AIIB) Endi