UN tells South-east Asian countries not to turn away migrants
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday urged South-east Asian countries not to turn back migrants and refugees fleeing on boats, telling them that rescue at sea was an international obligation.
Malaysia and Indonesia have vowed to bar ships carrying migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh, leaving them stranded in the Andaman Sea and Straits of Malacca.
In a statement, Ban voiced alarm that "some countries may be refusing entry to boats carrying refugees and migrants".
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Ailing teen who championed euthanasia dies in Chile
A 14-year-old cystic fibrosis patient who made international news by pleading with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet to be allowed to end her own life, has succumbed to her illness, her family announced on Thursday.
In a heart-wrenching video uploaded to YouTube in February, Valentina Maureira expressed her desire to meet with Bachelet, saying she was "tired of living" with the incurable illness.
Her father, Fredy Maureira, told reporters that Valentina died Thursday of complications from the genetic disorder, which attacks the lungs and other vital organs, making it difficult to breath and causing a host of other symptoms.
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Islamic State leader urges Muslims to move to 'caliphate': Recording
The leader of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, on Thursday urged Muslims to emigrate to his self-proclaimed "caliphate", in the militant's first audio recording in six months.
The voice reading the half-hour speech appeared to match previous audio recordings of Baghdadi, the latest of which was released in mid-November.
As did his previous speech, the audio tape recording released on Thursday comes a few days after media reports that he might have been seriously wounded in a strike by the US-led coalition bombing ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
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Chelsea seal swoop for Brazilian starlet Nathan
Chelsea confirmed the signing of highly-rated Brazilian teenager Nathan from Atletico Paranaense on Thursday.
The newly crowned Premier League champions have moved quickly to bolster their squad for next season and the 19-year-old attacking midfielder will officially move to Stamford Bridge on July 1.
Nathan, who flew to England for his medical last month, is reported to have cost Jose Mourinho's side £4.5 million (S$8 million).
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Cannes kicks into high gear with 'visceral' Mad Max film
The Cannes Film Festival slipped into high gear on its second day on Thursday by screening the new Mad Max blockbuster and firing the starter's gun on its competition for the Palme d'Or.
Mad Max: Fury Road, a demented sci-fi road battle movie starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, gave a jolt of adrenaline and glitz to the Riviera event, which leans heavily to arthouse fare.
The cast and director George Miller trod the red carpet for the black-tie projection, setting off a constellation of photographers' flashes.
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