World briefs

NIGERIA Hundreds of bodies — too many to count — remain strewn in the bush in Nigeria from an Islamic extremist attack that Amnesty International suggested Friday is the “deadliest massacre” in the history of Boko Haram. An Amnesty statement said there are reports the town was razed and as many as 2,000 people killed.

PAKISTAN A passenger bus crashed into an oil tanker in southern Pakistan early yesterday, killing 57 people with remains charred beyond recognition, officials said.
India-USA U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in India to attend an international investment conference and push trade ties with the giant South Asian nation ahead of visit by President Barack Obama later this month.

IRAQ An Iraqi military spokesman says 30 members of the Kurdish peshmerga have been killed during a battle with Islamic State group militants in the country’s north. The spokesman for the Iraqi Kurdish force in Irbil, Halgurd Hekmat, told AP yesterday that the clashes erupted Saturday when the extremists approached the town of Gwer outside the northern city of Mosul, held by the Islamic State group.

CROATIA  A liberal incumbent faces a tough challenge from a conservative rival in Croatia’s presidential runoff election that is held amid deep discontent over economic woes in the European Union’s newest member. Yesterday vote is seen as a major test for Croatia’s center-left government, which is facing parliamentary elections this year under a cloud of criticism over its handling of the crisis. A conservative triumph could shift Croatia back to right-wing nationalism.

GERMANY Chancellor Angela Merkel has told Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko she’s ready to take part in four-way summit over the Ukraine conflict only if there’s a chance of real progress. The leaders of Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France are working on setting up a possible meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan.

RUGBY England No. 8 Ben Morgan will miss the Six Nations, starting Feb 6, after breaking his left leg in club rugby action with Gloucester on Friday. Morgan was hurt in the second half of a Premiership win over Saracens, and the club offered no timetable when he might return.

TENNIS Roger Federer notched his 1,000th career victory and collected his 83rd title with a seesawing 6-4, 6-7 (2), 6-4 win over Milos Raonic in the Brisbane International final yesterday. Only retired greats Jimmy Connors (1,253) and Ivan Lendl (1,071) have won more than 1,000 matches on the men’s tour.