Ethiopia’s Somali region said on Wednesday a vital road and rail trade route linking the landlocked capital of Addis Ababa to the seaport of Djibouti was blocked by youths angered by a deadly militia attack on their region. Around 95% of imports into the nation of around 110 million people …
Read More »US ‘really messed it up’ in Afghanistan, says PM Khan
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has questioned the United States’ rationale behind the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 by stressing that the Americans “really messed it up in Afghanistan.” “I think the US has really messed it up in Afghanistan,” Imran Khan said in an interview with PBS News Hour …
Read More »Peru swears in new President Pedro Castillo
Former teachers’ union leader faces challenges of forming a government, tackling the COVID-19 crisis, and uniting the nation. Peru has sworn in new President Pedro Castillo, a leftist former teachers’ union leader who already faces mounting challenges to build his government, tackle the coronavirus crisis and unite a deeply polarised …
Read More »US, Russia hold ‘professional’ arms talks despite tensions
Senior diplomats from the United States and Russia held what the State Department described as “substantive and professional” talks on arms control and other strategic issues on Wednesday despite myriad other differences that have sent relations into a tailspin. The State Department said the discussions in Geneva produced no breakthroughs …
Read More »Nigeria cleric Zakzaky, wife acquitted of all charges, freed from jail
One Kaduna State High Court don free di banned Islamic Movement in Nigeria leader, Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky and im wife. Di presiding judge, Justice Gideon Kurada for im ruling uphold di no-case submission wey Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky and im wife bin sign. Di judge for im ruling say di prosecution …
Read More »‘Unprecedented’ restitution: US returns antiquities to Iraq
The United States will return to Iraq some 17,000 archaeological treasures dating back 4,000 years and looted in recent decades in an “unprecedented” restitution, the culture minister in Baghdad has said. Wednesday’s announcement came days after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC. …
Read More »Floods sweep southeast France and northern Italy, several missing
Rescuers are searching for people reported missing in deadly floods which hit border regions of northern Italy and southern France. Six German trekkers remain unaccounted for, and many homes have been destroyed. An Italian fireman died and at least 19 people were unaccounted for in France and Italy on Saturday …
Read More »Indonesia’s Sinabung volcano erupts
Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung erupted on Wednesday, spewing a massive column of smoke and ash into the sky. The eruption of the volcano in North Sumatra province lasted about 12 minutes, a local geological agency said. “The volcanic material reached 4,500 meters into the air and lasted for quite a long …
Read More »New flare-up in Karabakh dispute kills 3 Armenian soldiers
Three Armenian soldiers have been killed in a cross-border exchange of fire with Azeri forces in Karabakh, where a truce has been in place between the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan since November last year. According to reports, Armenia’s Defense Ministry said that as of 8:30 am (0430 GMT) Wednesday, …
Read More »England to allow US, EU arrivals to skip quarantine if vaccinated starting August 2
England will allow fully vaccinated visitors from the European Union and the United States to arrive without quarantine from next week, the transport minister said on Wednesday, in a huge and long-awaited boost for airlines and travel companies. Britain’s travel industry has heavily criticized the government for being too slow …
Read More »Turkey detains more than 200 Afghan migrants en route to Italy: Coastguard
Turkish authorities have intercepted a boat carrying more than 200 Afghan migrants in the Aegean sea heading for Europe, Turkey’s coastguard and the International Organization for Migration said on Wednesday. The interception near Turkey’s western shores came as hundreds of Afghans cross into eastern Turkey from Iran, after a rise …
Read More »Austria court orders duo jailed for joining ISIS in Syria
An Austrian court has sentenced two men to jail over their involvement with ISIS in Syria, a spokeswoman said Wednesday, following a high-profile trial in the country that had one of Europe’s largest per capita rates of ISIS fighters. A Chechnya-born man who fled to Austria in 2004 was sentenced …
Read More »Israeli forces kill Palestinian man in occupied West Bank
Shadi Salim, 41, shot dead near occupied West Bank village of Beita, the scene of protests against an Israeli outpost. A Palestinian man has been killed in Israeli gunfire in the occupied West Bank, the scene of confrontations between protesters and Israeli forces for weeks, Palestinian officials said. Shadi Omar …
Read More »Russia says ISIS terrorists moving into Afghanistan, pledges to boost Tajik army
Russia says members of the Takfiri Daesh militant group are moving into Afghanistan from Syria, Libya, and several other countries, stressing that Moscow would provide its Central Asian ally Tajikistan with military assistance if any security threats emanate from Afghanistan. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made the remarks during a …
Read More »Truck in India rams into laborers sleeping on highway, killing 18
Eighteen migrant laborers sleeping on a highway in northern India after their bus broke down died when a truck rammed into the vehicle, police said Wednesday. At least 19 others were injured in the accident in Uttar Pradesh state, a senior police officer told reporters. Most of the passengers were …
Read More »Renewed Clashes on Armenia-Azerbaijan border leave 3 dead, 4 wounded
Three Armenian troops were killed in border clashes with Azerbaijani forces on Wednesday, Yerevan said, in the deadliest military incident between the arch-foes since their war last year over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. “As a result of armed action launched following an attack by Azerbaijani forces, there are three dead …
Read More »UK’s PM Johnson in talks with US on COVID-19 travel corridor
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is talking to the United States about a travel corridor, LBC radio said on Wednesday, quoting him as saying he wants US citizens to come to Britain “freely” as they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. “We want people to be able to come from the US …
Read More »Afghanistan Taliban delegation visits China: Taliban spokesperson
A nine-member Taliban delegation is on a two-day visit to China where they met with the foreign minister for talks on the peace process and security issues, the group’s spokesperson said on Wednesday. “Politics, economy, and issues related to the security of both countries and the current situation of Afghanistan …
Read More »US concern over China nukes buildup after new silos report
The Pentagon and Republican congressmen on Tuesday aired fresh concerns about China’s build-up of its nuclear forces after a new report saying Beijing was building 110 more missile silos. An American Federation of Scientists (AFS) report on Monday said satellite images showed China was building a new field of silos …
Read More »North, South Korea in talks over summit, reopening liaison office
North and South Korea are in talks to reopen a joint liaison office that Pyongyang demolished last year and hold a summit as part of efforts to restore relations, three South Korean government sources with knowledge of the matter said. South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim …
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