Longtime Al-Qaida commander killed

OPEC, allies extend cuts through July 31

OPEC and allied nations agreed Saturday to extend a production cut of nearly 10 million barrels of oil a day through the end of July, hoping to boost energy prices hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Ministers of the cartel and outside nations like Russia met via videoconference to adopt the measure, aimed at cutting out the excess production depressing prices as global aviation remains largely grounded due to the pandemic. It represents some 10% of the world’s overall supply.

However, danger still lurks for the market. Algerian Oil Minister Mohamed Arkab, the current OPEC president, warned attendees that the global oil inventory would soar to 1.5 billion barrels by the midpoint of this year.

Bomb kills 11 police officers, officials say

A roadside bomb in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province killed 11 local police officers, officials said Saturday.

A local police commander, along with his 10 men, was rushing to help other forces in the Khash district of the province when their vehicle was struck by the mine, said Badakhshan police’s chief spokesman, Sanaullah Ruhani.

The account was also confirmed by a provincial council member, Ahmad Jawid Mujadaddi.

The Taliban controls at least 30% of the district.

The French military said Friday that its forces in Mali had killed one of al-Qaida’s longest-serving commanders in Africa, Abdelmalek Droukdel, who has led an affiliate of the terror network for more than a decade.

The killing of Droukdel, later confirmed by the U.S. Africa Command, is a setback for al-Qaida’s operations in northwestern Africa.

“A very big loss for them,” said Wassim Nasr, a French expert on the terrorist group who has interviewed its leaders.

11 held in suspected sex abuse of children

German police have detained 11 people suspected of involvement in the sexual abuse of at least three children, officials said Saturday.

Prosecutors said the group used sophisticated technology to encrypt its communication, and that police secured hundreds of terabytes of video footage during raids in the western city of Muenster.

The main suspect, a 27-year-old computer technician whose name wasn’t released due to privacy rules, has two previous convictions for distributing images of child sex abuse, officials said. The victims include his partner’s 10-year-old son, a 5-year-old and a 12-yearold.

Judges ordered seven of the suspects, including the computer technician and his 45-year-old mother, held in jail pending further investigation.