Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli air strikes in Syria the previous day were a “heavy blow” to Iranian and Syrian forces in the war-torn country. “We inflicted on Saturday a heavy blow to Iranian and Syrian forces,” Netanyahu said at the start …
Read More »Oil majors strike it rich on rising crude prices
Paris, France | AFP | The world’s leading oil companies published a bumper crop in profits last year as rising crude prices helped turn their fortunes around, but they remain cautious and are unlikely to rush out on a new spending spree just yet. In a flourish of earnings reports …
Read More »UN rights chief calls on PNG to safeguard Australia camp refugees
Sydney, Australia | AFP | Papua New Guinea is responsible for the human rights of refugees sent to a remote island by Australia, the UN human rights chief has said, as advocates warn the men are living in fear of violence from local residents. Some 600 men were moved out …
Read More »UK’s Johnson meets Myanmar’s Suu Kyi on Rohingya crisis
Naypyidaw, Myanmar | AFP | Britain’s foreign minister Boris Johnson met with Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar’s capital on Sunday to press for action on the Rohingya crisis, as the country faces mounting pressure to punish troops accused of atrocities against the Muslim minority. Johnson spoke with the embattled …
Read More »Iran’s Rouhani calls for ‘year of unity’ after protests
Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani called for a “year of unity” as Iran celebrated 39 years since the Islamic revolution Sunday in the wake of protests last month. Rouhani said conservatives should not block reformist candidates from future elections and that there should be greater trust …
Read More »Woman 38, pays billions to marry young man
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A newly married Chinese couple has been making waves on the internet for their unorthodox match- she is a wealthy 38-year-old mother of one, and he is a 23-year-old whose mother is only a year older than his bride. The woman apparently fell pregnant …
Read More »Trump apology to Africans?
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | African leaders who met recently at the African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa were initially set to demand an apology from U.S. President Donald Trump over his alleged reference to their nations as “shithole countries”. Trump denies making the comment. At …
Read More »Israel will not allow Iran ‘entrenchment’ in Syria: PM
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Saturday not to allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria, after Israel launched air raids on what it said were Iranian targets in its Arab neighbour. “Israel wants peace but we will continue to defend ourselves with determination …
Read More »Modi becomes first Indian PM to visit West Bank
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Narendra Modi on Saturday became the first Indian prime minister to visit the occupied West Bank where he held talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas as part of a Middle East tour. The visit, which came weeks after Modi hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin …
Read More »Kim Jong Un invites S. Korea’s Moon to Pyongyang
Gangneung, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited the South’s President Moon Jae-in for a summit in Pyongyang Saturday, Seoul said, even as the US warned against falling for Pyongyang’s Olympic charm offensive. The invitation, delivered by Kim’s visiting sister Kim Yo Jong, said Kim …
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