IRAQ

BAGHDAD — Five Iraqi soldiers were killed in a roadside bomb explosion north of Baghdad on Saturday, Iraqi officials said, as suspected Sunni militants seeking to undermine the Shi’ite-led government continue to target the country’s security forces. A police official in Salahuddin province said the attack on a two-vehicle convoy occurred early in the afternoon near the predominantly Sunni town of Duluiyah. (AP)

ZIMBABWE

Mass flushing set to unblock sewers

HARARE — City authorities in Zimbabwe’s second largest city appealed to homeowners to flush their toilets at a specified time as a way to unblock sewers after days of severe water rationing. Bulawayo City Council asked its more than 1 million residents to flush their toilets simultaneously at 7:30 p.m. Saturday when water supplies were restored. City officials said ‘‘synchronized flushing’’ was needed to clear waste that accumulated in sanitary facilities. (AP)

NETHERLANDS

Party notice goes viral, riot ensues

AMSTERDAM — Thousands of revelers descended on a small Dutch town sparking a riot after a party invitation posted on Facebook went viral, authorities said Saturday. Prosecutor Hessel Schuth said 34 people were arrested Friday night and in the early hours of Saturday morning and would be prosecuted for being disorderly. (AP)

NORTH KOREA

Fishing boat clash brings vow of war

PYONGYANG — North Korea has vowed military action if South Korea fires inside its territorial waters. The North Korean military statement Saturday was a response to an incident Friday in which South Korea said its navy fired warning shots at North Korean fishing boats that crossed a disputed Yellow Sea boundary. North Korea says Seoul’s navy is using another nation’s fishing boats to frame North Korean boats and to trespass. (AP)