Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday hailed majority backing in the UN General Assembly for condemning militant group Hamas even though a draft resolution failed to win enough votes to pass. The US draft won 87 votes in the General Assembly on Thursday compared …
Read More »The battle to save Central African Republic’s starving children
Bangui, Central African Republic | AFP | The line of parents waiting to see doctors stretches back outside the hospital into the dusty courtyard. Mums and dads carrying weak, starving children. Many hanging limply in their arms like half empty sacks of rice. The scene at the paediatric complex in …
Read More »Boko Haram raids kill soldier in NE Nigeria as attacks intensify
Kano, Nigeria | AFP | Boko Haram jihadists have attacked two military bases in Nigeria’s restive northeast, killing one soldier and injuring two, security sources told AFP Wednesday, in a week that saw insurgent assaults on troops intensify. Riding in trucks fitted with anti-aircraft guns, fighters from the self-styled Islamic …
Read More »Libya to launch vaccine campaign after shortages
Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Libya is set to launch a campaign overseen by the World Health Organization to vaccinate more than 2.7 million children after months of shortages, the health ministry said Wednesday. The “national immunisation campaign”, organised with the United Nations children fund UNICEF, is expected to begin …
Read More »More than 150 women, girls raped in South Sudan: UN
United Nations, United States | AFP | More than 150 women and girls have come forward in the past 12 days to seek help in South Sudan after they were raped or suffered other forms of sexual violence, the heads of three UN agencies said Monday. Armed men, many in …
Read More »Yemen on brink of ‘major catastrophe’: UN aid chief
Aden, Yemen | AFP | UN aid chief Mark Lowcock warned Saturday that Yemen was “on the brink of a major catastrophe”, as the world body pushes for peace talks in the impoverished and war-wracked country. His comments came after renewed deadly clashes between Huthi rebels and pro-government forces in …
Read More »Despite sanctions South Sudan stays armed for war, report says
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Despite long-standing restrictions, new weapons have continued to reach South Sudan’s battlefields, often via neighbouring countries, a detailed report by an arms monitoring group said Thursday. A four-year investigation, by London-based Conflict Armament Research (CAR), into the supply of weapons that have helped keep South …
Read More »Pompeo, Mattis urge Senate to maintain Saudi military support
Washington, United States | AFP | Two top officials from President Donald Trump’s administration sought to persuade lawmakers Wednesday to maintain America’s increasingly contentious support for Saudi Arabia in the war in Yemen, arguing that pulling back would worsen the brutal conflict. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense …
Read More »Ukrainian president Poroshenko warns of threat of ‘full-scale war’ with Russia
Kiev, Ukraine | AFP | Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Tuesday warned of the threat of “full-scale war” and said Russia had sharply increased its military presence on their shared border as tensions escalate between the ex-Soviet neighbours. “I don’t want anyone to think this is fun and games. Ukraine …
Read More »Arsenal match switched to Kiev amid Ukraine security concerns
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Arsenal’s Europa League clash with Ukranian side FC Vorskla was switched to Kiev from the city of Poltava by UEFA on Tuesday after the adoption of martial law in some areas of the country due to escalating political tension with Russia. The match will …
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