Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other cities on Saturday to protest against a military takeover, despite security forces firing tear gas and bullets to disperse them, witnesses and medics said. One protester was killed by live fire from security forces …
Read More »France warns Russia over Ukraine, Moscow denies weighing attack
France on Friday warned Russia against harming Ukraine’s territorial integrity, after the United States shared with European allies its fears over Russian troop movements on the Ukrainian border and over a potential attack. Four European diplomats told Reuters that US officials had raised their concerns about an attack on Ukraine …
Read More »US imposes sanctions on Eritrean military over conflict in Ethiopia
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the Eritrean military and other individuals and entities as Washington steps up pressure on parties to the conflict to bring an end to fighting in northern Ethiopia. In a statement, the US Treasury Department said it blacklisted Eritrea’s ruling political party the …
Read More »UK, EU keep talking but stay far apart in Brexit trade feud
The UK and the European Union inched away from a diplomatic cliff edge on Friday but remained miles apart in a post-Brexit spat that risks escalating into a cross-Channel trade war. Talks to resolve differences over Northern Ireland trade have dragged on for almost a month, with EU officials increasingly …
Read More »Indonesia Muslim body forbids cryptocurrency trading under Islamic law
Indonesia’s top religious body has declared that Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are forbidden under Islamic law and should not be traded in the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation. The country’s powerful Ulema Council issued a fatwah, or religious edict, as virtual currency trading soars in Indonesia and elsewhere. Fatwas have …
Read More »World powers meet in Paris to push for elections in politically fragile Libya
World powers will push for sanctions against anyone who disrupts Libya’s electoral process and political transition, according to draft conclusions of a conference they are holding later on Friday in Paris. The meeting, which will include the leaders of France, Libya, Germany and Egypt, as well as the US vice …
Read More »Qatar to represent US interests in Afghanistan: Official
The United States and Qatar have agreed that Qatar will represent the diplomatic interests of the United States in Afghanistan, a senior US official told Reuters, an important signal of potential direct engagement between Washington and Kabul in the future after two decades of war. Qatar will sign an arrangement …
Read More »Russia, Belarus hold joint paratrooper drills near Poland amid tensions
Belarusian and Russian paratroopers staged joint drills on Friday near the Polish and Lithuanian borders, during a standoff between Belarus and the EU over migrants camped in freezing forests at the frontier. The exercise at the Gozhsky training ground involved airborne units landing and carrying out combat training, including capturing …
Read More »Biden says US will deepen economic ties with APEC
U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday pledged to deepen U.S. ties with Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) countries, including advancing fair and open trade as well as investment in the region and urged action to shore up the environment and global health. “Biden reaffirmed our interest in serving as a strong, …
Read More »Austria plans to approve lockdown for the unvaccinated on Sunday
Austria’s government is likely to decide on Sunday to impose a lockdown on people who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus as daily infections have surged to record levels, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg said on Friday. Schallenberg did not say when the lockdown would take effect, but the two provinces …
Read More »Tigrayan forces say they will ‘hunt down’ foreign mercenaries
Rebellious Tigrayan forces threatened on Friday to “hunt down” foreigners they said were supporting the Ethiopian government as mercenaries and technical experts in a year-long war. Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) spokesperson Getatchew Reda said the foreigners could be from Turkey, China, Israel, or the United Arab Emirates, without offering …
Read More »Blast reported in mosque in Afghanistan, several wounded – local residents
An explosion hit a mosque in the Spin Ghar district of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan, wounding at least 12 people including the imam of the mosque, local residents said. Atal Shinwari, a resident of the area, said the blast occurred at around 1:30 p.m. when explosives apparently located in …
Read More »APEC leaders vow to tackle economic recovery, COVID-19, climate
Leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on Friday vowed to address economic recovery in the region by shoring up supply chains, tackling labor issues, and continuing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. They also pledged to work together to address climate and environmental challenges, they said in a …
Read More »Two dead after Romania’s fourth fatal hospital fire in a year
Two people have died after another hospital fire in Romania. The blaze broke out in the infectious disease wing of a hospital in the city of Ploiești, where 21 patients were receiving care, authorities said. The cause of the fire, which was quickly extinguished, is not yet known, but an …
Read More »World reacts to death of FW De Klerk, South Africa’s ex-president
The legacy of De Klerk’s role in South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy remains highly contested. The death of South Africa’s last white president Frederik Willem (FW) de Klerk has drawn mixed reactions. De Klerk, who negotiated the end of white minority rule and a peaceful transfer of power …
Read More »Dutch consider new partial lockdown as coronavirus cases hit record
The Dutch government on Thursday was considering whether to impose Western Europe’s first partial lockdown since the summer, as new coronavirus cases jumped to the highest level since the start of the pandemic. A surge in infections that started when social distancing measures were lifted in late September has put …
Read More »Russia scrambles fighter jet to intercept British spy plane near annexed Crimea
Russia said on Thursday it had scrambled a fighter jet to intercept a British spy plane operating near Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Russia’s defense ministry said the British foray was part of a wider uptick in military activity by the United States …
Read More »UN refugee agency says number of displaced people worldwide tops 84 million
The number of people around the world forced to abandon their homes likely increased to more than 84 million in the first half of this year, an increase fueled in particular by conflicts in Africa, the UN refugee agency said Thursday. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the number …
Read More »US Biden, China’s Xi expected to meet virtually on Monday: Sources
US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping were expected to hold a virtual summit on Monday, sources told Reuters on Thursday, amid tensions over trade, human rights, and military activities. Washington and Beijing have been sparring on issues from the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic to China’s expanding …
Read More »Rock rises out of the sea as second La Palma lava flow reaches ocean
New cascades of red-hot lava tumbled into the Atlantic Ocean off Spain’s La Palma on Wednesday morning, sending up plumes of white smoke and extending a platform of volcanic rock created by earlier flows. The stream of molten rock from the Cumbre Vieja volcano, which began erupting in mid-September, reached …
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