N. Korea claims latest missile test ‘successful & proves its capability to carry nuclear warheads’
Pyongyang has claimed that its medium-range ballistic missile test carried out on Sunday under the supervision of Kim Jong-un has confirmed the “tactical specifications and technical characteristics” of the rocket which North Korea says is capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
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Trump recklessly making the world more dangerous: Labour leader
US President Donald Trump has made the world a more dangerous place “by recklessly escalating the confrontation” with North Korea and Syria, Jeremy Corbyn has said.
In a major speech on foreign policy on Friday at Chatham House in central London, Britain’s opposition Labour Party leader said Trump is determined to add to existing global problems and accused British Prime Minister Theresa May of pandering to the US president.
"The global situation is becoming more dangerous,” Corbyn said.
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US surveillance plane intercepted by Russia over Black Sea
The Russian Defense Ministry says an Su-30 aircraft has intercepted a US surveillance plane over the Black Sea while it was approaching the Russian border earlier this week.
The incident took place at about 0900 GMT on May 9, the anniversary of the Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, which marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in 1945, the ministry said on Friday.
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US soldier killed, 2 injured in Somalia gun attack
05 05 2017
A US service member was killed in Somalia during a firearms attack. Two others were injured in the same incident.
The troops in question were part of the US ‘advise and assist’ mission to the Somali government, which is fighting against militant group Al-Shabaab, US Africa Command reported on Friday.
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Trump gives ‘serious consideration’ to moving US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem – VP Pence
02 05 2017
President Donald Trump may be closer than ever to relocating the US embassy in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Vice President Mike Pence hinted during an Israel Independence Day speech. The White House is thought to be readying a possible trip for Trump to Israel.
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Putin, Trump talk deescalating Korea tensions, diplomatic solution in Syria
02 05 2017
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have discussed deescalating tensions in the Korean Peninsula and promoting a diplomatic solution in Syria.
According to a statement released by the Kremlin on Tuesday, the two presidents also agreed to meet in July on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
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Tony Blair teases political return to get ‘hands dirty’ in fight against Brexit
01 05 2017
Controversial former UK Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that he is going to return to UK politics, motivated by Brexit and willing to change the situation amid the debates on the terms of the exit from the EU.
“This Brexit thing has given me a direct motivation to get more involved in the politics,” he said in an interview to the Daily Mirror on Sunday, adding that he is ready to get his “hands dirty.”
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Largest mosque in Sweden hit by arson attack amid rising hate crimes
01 05 2017
Sweden's largest mosque has been deliberately set ablaze in an arson attack, marking yet another hate crime against the Muslim community in the Scandinavian country.
Police spokesman, Lars Bystrom, said on Monday that Imam Ali Islamic Center in the northern Stockholm suburb of Jakobsberg was badly damaged in the arson attack overnight.
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Eminent Indonesian Quran reciter passes away live on air
Prominent Indonesian Quran reciter Sheikh Ja’far Abdulrahman has passed away while reciting verses from Islam's most revered book during an official ceremony.
Abdulrahman was reciting verses from Surah al-Mulk in the presence of Indonesia’s Minister of Social Affairs Khofifah Indar Parawansa, when he seemingly suffered a fatal cardiac arrest and could not complete the recitation.
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Russian and Saudi FMs clash over Syria & Iran
26 04 2017
Iran’s involvement in Syria is where Moscow and Riyadh “are mildly speaking, not matching,” the Russian Foreign Minister has said after hosting his Saudi counterpart. The alleged chemical attack in Syria has proven another point where Russia and Saudi Arabia are at odds.
Riyadh is standing against the involvement of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Hezbollah group in Syria, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir said at a news conference after talks with Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
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Trump plan would cut taxes for companies — and people, too
26 04 2017
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump proposed dramatic cuts in corporate and personal taxes Wednesday in an overhaul his administration asserts will spur national economic growth and bring jobs and prosperity to America's middle class. But his ambitious plan is alarming lawmakers who worry it will balloon federal deficits.
The plan would reduce investment and estate taxes, helping the wealthy. But administration officials said several other tax breaks that help well-to-do taxpayers would be eliminated and the plan would largely help the middle class.
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UNHCR returns nearly 62,000 Somali refugees from Kenya
25 04 2017
NAIROBI,
The UN refugee agency said Tuesday it has repatriated some 61,665 Somali refugees in Kenya since the return exercise begun in December 2014.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in its bi-weekly Update released in Nairobi that some 1,836 refugees were supported to return to their home in Somalia in the past ten days.
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Bus-oil tanker collision leave 26 dead
NAIROBI, Kenya
25 04 2017
A total of 26 people are confirmed dead in Kenya after a bus they were traveling on collided with an oil tanker on Tuesday.
Police said that the bus, which was headed from Mombasa from the capital Nairobi, was trying to overtake a slow truck when it crashed head-on with the tanker, leaving many others injured, including the bus driver and his conductor.
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Watchdog slams UN for appointing Saudi Arabia to women rights body
23 04 2017
A human rights watchdog group has lashed out at the United Nations for appointment of Saudi Arabia as a member of a committee on gender equality, despite Riyadh’s massive discrimination against women.
“Saudi discrimination against women is gross and systematic in law and in practice,” said the executive director of the human rights group UN Watch, Hillel Neuer, in a Sunday statement.
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France votes in unpredictable presidential election under tight security
23 April, 2017
Millions of French voters began casting their ballots in the first round of the presidential election Sunday morning amid an atmosphere of uncertainty.
Polling stations at France's European continent opened at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT) and will run for a maximum of 12 hours. Those in the largest cities will close at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT). In France's oversea territories, the voting was held on Saturday.
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Ethiopian Foreign Minister visit to Egypt since his appointment last November.
19 04 2017
Cairo:
Ethiopian Foreign Minister Workneh Gebeyehu arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss issues of mutual concern -- including Ethiopia’s Grand Renaissance Dam -- with Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shokri, according to a diplomatic source.
“Talks are likely to focus on bilateral relations and the Nile water issue,” the source said, speaking anonymously due to restrictions on talking to media.
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Known oldest person in world dies at 117 in Italy
ROME, April 15 The known oldest living person, Italian woman Emma Morano, died at 117 in her home in Northern Italy on Saturday.
Born on Nov. 29, 1899, Morano became the last survivor who was born in the 19th century.
Silvia Marchionini, mayor of her hometown Verbania, said Morano had an amazing life and "we will always remember her strength going forward."
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Russia, Syria & Iran demand no further US strikes on Syria – foreign ministers
14 04 2017
The US cruise missile attack on Syria was an act of international aggression, Russia, Syria and Iran have stated after a meeting of their foreign ministers in Moscow.
“We have reiterated our position and were united in stating that the attack was an act of aggression, which blatantly violated the principles of international law and the UN Charter,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
“We call on the US and its allies to respect Syria’s sovereignty and refrain from actions similar to what happened on April 7, and which have serious ramification not only for regional, but also global security,” he added.
Lavrov was referring to the Tomahawk missile barrage fired by the US Navy at a Syrian airbase in Homs province. Washington ordered the attack after accusing Damascus of launching a chemical weapons attack at a rebel-held town in Idlib province from that airbase. Russia condemned the move, saying the US hadn’t offered any proof to pin the alleged chemical weapons incident on the Syrian Army.
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Erdogan rejects regime shift after referendum
ANKARA
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday rejected claims of a regime change after Sunday's referendum on constitutional amendments.
"In my 40 years of political life, I have had no such claims to change the regime," Erdogan said in an interview aired live on state-broadcaster TRT.
He said the debates on regime change in the country ended in 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Ataturk established modern Turkey as a republic.
"But this [government] system is not responding to [current] needs," Erdogan said.
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US Air Force test-drops gravity nuclear bomb
The US Air Force says it has recently test-dropped an upgraded gravity nuclear bomb to see whether its aircraft can carry the deadly weapon.
The B61-12 bomb, which was the first of the upgraded B-61 variant, was dropped by an F-16 Fighting Falcon jet over the Nellis Test and Training Range Complex in Nevada, the UPI reported on Friday, citing military officials.
During the test, the bomb's non-nuclear components, such as the arming and fire control system, radar altimeter, rocket motors and weapons control computer, as well as the aircraft's capability to deliver the weapon were reviewed.
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Russia vetoes Security Council resolution on Syria chemical attack
Russia has vetoed a UN Security Council resolution sponsored by the UK, France, and the US condemning the Syrian government for a suspected chemical weapons attack in the Arab country.
On Wednesday, Russia blocked the draft resolution that condemned the alleged chemical attack in the Syrian province of Idlib, and urging the Syrian government to cooperate with a probe into the incident.
In response to the alleged attack, US warships deployed to the eastern Mediterranean launched a barrage of 59 Tomahawk missiles against Shayrat Airfield, southeast of the western Syrian city of Homs on Friday.
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Pakistan says will quit Saudi-led military coalition if it turns 'sectarian'
Wed Apr 12, 2017 12:7PM
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif
(Photo by AFP)
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif says Islamabad will quit a controversial Saudi-led coalition if it becomes "sectarian," as the military bloc continues its aggression against the impoverished nation of Yemen, particularly the Shia Houthi Ansarullah movement there.
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No military solution to Syria crisis: Mogherini
US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Porter conducts strike operations while in the Mediterranean Sea on April 7, 2017. (Photo by Reute- goes under the picture
European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has rejected a military solution to the Syria crisis following a US missile strike which has escalated tensions in the Middle East.
"As for Syria, it was reaffirmed during the Brussels conference organized last week that there is no military solution to the crisis in Syria," Mogherini said at a news conference in Algiers on Sunday.
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Egypt declares 3-month state of emergency
Egypt has announced a three-month state of emergency following twin deadly Daesh bombings in the country.
“Several steps are to be taken, the first of which will be the declaration of a state of emergency after the necessary legal and constitutional procedures are complete, for three months in Egypt. We are announcing this state of emergency only to protect our country and secure it, and to prevent any interference with it," said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during a live televised speech on Sunday.
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British foreign secretary cancels Moscow visit
'We deplore Russia’s continued defence of Assad,' says Boris Johnson, urging Moscow to help stop chemical weapons attacks
LONDON
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a visit to Moscow in light of recent developments in Syria, including Tuesday's deadly chemical attack by the Assad regime, a government statement said Saturday.
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Daesh second-in-command killed in Iraqi airstrikes: Report
The second top figure of Daesh terrorist group has reportedly been killed along with two other top brass commanders of the Takfiris during Iraqi airstrikes in the western province of Al Anbar.
Citing the Iraqi intelligence apparatus, the Iraqi State TV announced on Saturday that Ayad Hamid Khalaf Al-Jumaili, the man believed to be the deputy of Daesh leader Ibrahim al-Samarrai, also known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed
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China claims discovery of its largest gold minewith $22 billion potential
The biggest ever gold deposit of an estimated 380 tons has been discovered in China, announced Shandong Gold Group during a news conference in Beijing on Tuesday.
According to local media reports, the Xiling gold seam in eastern China is more than 2,000 meters long and 67 meters wide. At full capacity, the mine could produce gold for 40 years.
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Gunmen kidnap journalist outside Somali capital
Local journalist kidnapped on his way to work outside capital
01.04.2017
MOGADISHU
Unknown gunmen on Saturday kidnapped a journalist
working for local Goobjoog Radio and Television station outside of Somali capital of Mogadishu.
Hanad Ali Gulled was taken by six unknown gunmen on
the outskirts of the capital while he was on his way to work, according to the station.
In a statement, Goobjoog media group expressed
concern for the Gulled's safety and added: "We request government security agencies to take an urgent action to make sure the journalist to be released from captivity." Guled had reportedly received death threats a day earlier. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.
Global depression numbers surged in past decade: WHO
Cases of depression have ballooned almost 20 percent in a decade, making the debilitating disorder linked to suicide the leading cause of disability worldwide, the World Health Organization says.
By 2015, the number of people globally living with depression, according to a revised definition, had reached 322 million, up 18.4 percent since 2005, the UN agency said on Thursday.
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US focus no longer on removing Assad in Syria: UN ambassador
Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:44PM
The United States is no longer interested in removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, says the US ambassador to the United Nations, suggesting that the new US administration is changing its priorities in Syria.
"Our priority is no longer to sit there and focus on getting Assad out," Ambassador Nikki Haley told reporters on Thursday, according to Reuters.
"Our priority is to really look at how do we get things done, who do we need to work with to really make a difference for the people in Syria,” she added.
"We can't necessarily focus on Assad the way the previous administration maybe did. Do we think he's a hindrance? Yes," the ambassador stated. "Are we going to sit there and focus on getting him out? No."
Ethiopia: Martial law extended 4 more months
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
The Ethiopian parliament Thursday has extended by four months the state of emergency put in place last October following series of violent protests in the Amhara and Oromia regional states.
The House of People’s representatives voted unanimously to extend the duration of the state of emergency that was due to end on April 9.
Ethiopia imposed martial law a week after Oct. 2 protests in the south-central town of Bishoftu saw scores killed in a stampede when security forces fired bullets and teargas to disperse protesters.
Many towns in Oromia -- the largest and most populous regional state in Ethiopia -- then witnessed violent protests.
The Bishoftu incidents constituted a high point in a series of anti-government protests that have raged since 2014 in the two states that make up most of Ethiopia’s population of nearly 100 million.
Mid-March, the country announced the easing of some of the restrictions imposed under the state of emergency such as the clause that prohibits movements near factories and major industries from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m
Putin ready to meet Trump at upcoming Arctic summit in Finland
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he would be ready to meet with US President Donald Trump at the upcoming summit of Arctic countries in Finland, if the talks are properly prepared.
“I believe Finland suits this purpose well, and Helsinki is a very convenient platform to organize an event like this,” Putin said, when asked if he thought a meeting between him and Trump was possible in Finland.
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Saudi attack on Somali refugee boat likely war crime: HRW
Mon Mar 27, 2017 1:10PM
Human Rights Watch (HRW) says a recent deadly aerial aggression on a boat carrying Somali refugees off the coast of Yemen, “apparently” carried out by the Saudi-led military coalition, likely amounts to “war crime.”
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Kasich: Trump needs to work with Democrats on health care
Washington (CNN)Ohio Gov. John Kasich said Sunday that President Donald Trump likely learned a lesson from his failed attempt to pass the Republican health care bill and called the lack of bipartisan cooperation in Washington "pathetic."
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Biden regrets not running for US president:
Former US Vice President Joe Biden is remorseful about his decision not to run in last year’s presidential election, claiming that he could have easily defeated Donald Trump.
During a speech at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, Biden said he only needed to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination in order to win.
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