Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow has cleared the way for US strikes against the Islamic State group in areas previously shielded by Syrian and Russian air defenses — but the jihadists may also try to exploit the vacuum left by his fall.The militant group,often referred to as ISIS or IS, rose out of the chaos of the …
Assad’s fall clears way for expanded US strikes on IS jihadists Read More »
Britain, France and Germany accused Iran on Tuesday of growing its stockpile of high enriched uranium to “unprecedented levels” without “any credible civilian justification.”The three countries known as the E3 said in a statement ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Tehran’s nuclear program that Iran must “reverse its nuclear escalation.”Iran has increased its …
No ‘credible civilian’ purpose for Iran uranium: UK, France, Germany Read More »
The head of the Russian army’s chemical weapons division was killed Tuesday in a brazen Moscow attack claimed by Kyiv, the most senior military figure assassinated in Russia yet as the Kremlin’s campaign in Ukraine drags on. Igor Kirillov was killed along with an assistant when an explosive device attached to a scooter went off outside …
Russia’s chemical weapons chief killed in Moscow blast Read More »
Thousands of Georgians renewed pro-EU protests Tuesday, vowing to win a “game of nerves” with the government, which faces a legitimacy crisis and mounting international outcry over human rights violations.The government’s decision in late November to postpone the opening of EU accession talks for years has sparked nearly three weeks of daily protests in the …
‘Game of nerves’: Georgians vow to outlast govt in pro-EU protests Read More »
Syria’s conflict “has not ended” even after the departure of former president Bashar al-Assad, the UN’s envoy to the country warned Tuesday, highlighting clashes between Turkish-backed and Kurdish groups in the north.Geir Pedersen, the UN’s special envoy for Syria, also called at the Security Council for Israel to “cease all settlement activity in the occupied Syrian …
Anti-whaling activist Paul Watson was on Tuesday released from detention after Denmark refused a Japanese extradition request over a 2010 clash with whalers. Watson had been held in Greenland since July on a 2012 Japanese warrant accusing him of causing damage to a whaling ship and injuring a whaler.”It’s been five months and this is the …
Whaling activist Watson freed after Denmark rejects extradition Read More »
A UK court on Tuesday handed life sentences to the father and stepmother of a murdered 10-year-old British-Pakistani girl who died after being subjected to a prolonged “campaign of torture” and “despicable abuse”.Urfan Sharif, 43, and Beinash Batool, 30, will serve at least 40 and 33 years respectively for the killing of Sara Sharif, who had …
Father, stepmother of murdered UK-Pakistani girl jailed for life Read More »
A Filipina inmate on death row in Indonesia was handed over to Philippine officials in capital Jakarta Tuesday, before flying home after the countries signed an agreement for her repatriation.Mother of two Mary Jane Veloso, 39, was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after the suitcase she was carrying was found to be lined …
Filipina on Indonesia death row handed to Philippine officials Read More »
The dismal quality of housing across Mayotte has compounded the devastating impact of Cyclone Chido on the poverty-stricken French Indian Ocean territory where hundreds, or maybe thousands, are feared dead.Before the storm hit, around a third of the island’s population was living in iron-sheeted huts that never stood a chance against the powerful cyclone.By the …
How ramshackle housing made Mayotte vulnerable to cyclone assault Read More »
A powerful earthquake hit the Pacific nation of Vanuatu on Tuesday, smashing buildings in the capital Port Vila including one used by foreign embassies, with a witness telling AFP of bodies lying in the city.The 7.3-magnitude quake struck at a depth of 57 kilometres (35 miles), some 30 kilometres off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu’s …
Major quake crushes buildings in Vanuatu capital, bodies seen Read More »
