Withdrawal limits increased, capital controls remain
The Greek government on Saturday ordered banks in the country to reopen and begin financial transactions from Monday, three weeks after they were shut down to prevent the European nation’s economy from collapsing. While withdrawal limits were increased to 420 euros from 60 euros, capital controls and restrictions on foreign monetary transfers were not lifted. The order came hours after new ministers were sworn into the Alexis Tsipras-led government, following a cabinet reshuffle which saw the prime minister replace dissidents from his Syriza party who opposed the terms offered to Greece for a bailout package. Earlier, the European Central Bank agreed to reopen its emergency credit lines to Greece. The Greek government and European Union member-nations will now begin talks on a new bailout package.
Saudi Arabia arrests 431 people linked to Islamic State
The security agencies in Saudi Arabia arrested 431 people who were allegedly part of a “network of cluster cells” linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the state-run media reported on Saturday. The Saudi Press Agency said the arrests had prevented “horrific terrorist operations” in the country, adding that 37 security personnel and civilians, along with six militants, were killed in the operations. The SPA said the arrests took place over several weeks and that most of those apprehended were suspects in an attack on a mosque in May which killed 21 people. Others arrested included people who had helped spread the Islamic State's propaganda and recruit members for it.
UN Secretary-General condemns Baghdad bombing
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday condemned a car bomb attack that killed more than 100 people in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Expressing hope that the attackers will be “swiftly brought to justice”, Ban said he stood in solidarity with “the people and the government of Iraq”. The attack, which took place on Saturday morning, wounded at least 170 people. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the bombing and revealed that the car was carrying nearly three tonnes of explosives.
16 killed in Boko Haram attack on Niger village
Fighters of the Islamist militant organisation Boko Haram on Saturday killed 16 civilians in an attack on a village in the south-east region of Niger, near the country’s border with Nigeria. The mayor of a town near where the attack took place said the militants fired on the victims as they were praying. Four people were injured in the attack. Later, the Nigerien Army said it had killed 32 fighters from the militant outfit during their “sweeping up” operations in the area, while the Nigerien Defence Ministry added that it had arrested three fighters as well. Both Niger and Nigeria, along with Chad and Cameroon, have launched an offensive against Boko Haram, which has been conducting a military campaign to establish an Islamic caliphate in Nigeria.
British Royal Family to seek legal action against tabloid
The British royal family on Saturday said it was looking into the possibility of taking legal action against a tabloid which published images showing Queen Elizabeth II giving a Nazi salute as a young child. Expressing disappointment over the publication of the images in The Sun, Buckingham Palace said the tabloid had “exploited” the queen’s personal family archive. A royal family official said that an investigation had been launched to find out how the tabloid accessed the images. However, The Sun’smanaging editor Stig Abell defended the decision to release the pictures, saying that they were obtained “in a legitimate fashion” and that their publication was “not a criticism of the Queen”. “It is a historical document,” Abell told BBC Radio.
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