United Nations, United States | AFP | Russia has been authorized to provide the Central African Republic’s armed forces with light arms, under an exemption to an arms embargo on the country granted by the UN, diplomatic sources said Friday. “It’s clear,” an official said on condition of anonymity. London, Paris …
Read More »Over half Syrian refugees in Lebanon in ‘extreme poverty’: UN
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | More than half of the Syrian refugees in Lebanon are now living in extreme poverty, and the vast majority live below the poverty line, the UN’s refugee agency said Friday. According to the UN, more than a million Syrians have sought refuge in Lebanon since …
Read More »Iraq hangs 38 members of IS, Qaeda for ‘terrorism’
Nasiriyah, Iraq | AFP | Iraq hanged 38 jihadists belonging to the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda for terrorism offences on Thursday in the southern city of Nasiriyah, provincial authorities said. It was the largest number of executions in Iraq on a single day since September 25 when 42 people …
Read More »UN warns of cost if South Sudan stymies ‘last chance’ peace plan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council warned Thursday of “cost and consequences” for any side in South Sudan that blocks a new regional peace initiative set to open next week in Ethiopia. In a unanimous statement, the council said a high-level forum organized by the …
Read More »US condemns deadly Ethiopia clashes
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | The United States on Wednesday said it was “troubled and saddened” by clashes in Ethiopia that local reports said has left at least 18 people dead. The violence was reported to be most intense in the eastern town of Chelenko, near the volatile border between …
Read More »Palestinians have right to Jerusalem as capital: Saudi king
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Palestinians have the right to Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem as their capital, Saudi King Salman said Wednesday, echoing calls at an Islamic summit in Istanbul from which he had stayed away. “The kingdom has called for a political solution to resolve regional crises, foremost of which …
Read More »US sanctions Ugandan, Sudanese LRA ivory traders
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States on Wednesday imposed economic sanctions on two Africans accused of using the illegal ivory trade to funnel weapons and money to Joseph Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army. Washington blacklisted Kony and his rebel guerilla group last year, accusing them of …
Read More »Putin calls for Mideast talks to resume, including on Jerusalem
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin called Monday for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks to resume, including on Jerusalem, following the controversial US decision to recognise the city as Israel’s capital. Speaking on state television during a visit to Egypt, Putin stressed the importance of “the immediate resumption of …
Read More »Palestinians ‘walking away’ from talks with Pence snub: US
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States accused the Palestinian Authority Sunday of “walking away” from a chance to discuss peace in the Middle East by snubbing Vice President Mike Pence on an upcoming visit. A top official in Pence’s office said the vice president was looking forward to …
Read More »Thousands rally in Morocco against US Jerusalem move
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Morocco’s capital Rabat on Sunday as demonstrations against US President Donald Trump’s declaration of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital continued to spread. Waving Palestinian flags, a sea of demonstrators marched from Rabat’s Bab el-Had square to Morocco’s parliament building, down …
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