World

Kurdish authorities have made overtures to Islamist-led rebels who seized power in Syria last week, but the long-oppressed community fears it could lose hard-won gains it made during the war, including limited self-rule.The Kurds faced discrimination during more than 50 years of Assad family rule. They were barred, for example, from offering education in their …

Syria Kurds warm up to new leaders but fear for hard-won gains Read More »

A former UK security minister said Friday that it was “extremely embarrassing” that a suspected Chinese spy had become a confidant of disgraced royal Prince Andrew.The story dominated the UK’s front pages on Friday, the latest humiliation for a prince whose reputation is already in tatters over his ties to accused sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein.Judges on …

Chinese spy claims add to Prince Andrew’s woes Read More »

For the Catholic Marist Brothers of Aleppo, one of nearly a dozen Christian communities in Syria’s second city, today’s most pressing question is how to decorate the Christmas tree.In the days since a lightning offensive spearheaded by Islamist rebels overthrew former president Bashar al-Assad, the country’s new rulers have sought to reassure Syria’s religious minorities.The …

Reassured ‘for now’, Aleppo’s Christians prepare for Christmas Read More »

South Korea’s opposition leader on Friday urged ruling party lawmakers to side with the “people” and impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed martial law bid, a day before a second parliamentary vote that appears on a knife edge.A week after a first attempt to remove Yoon for the martial law debacle foundered, the country’s …

Second martial law impeachment vote for S. Korean president on knife edge Read More »

Ukraine said Friday that it was fending off a new missile attack on its energy system, the latest in Russia’s campaign targeting the war-torn country’s power grid during the winter season.Russia has escalated its strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, plunging hundreds of thousands into temporary blackouts as temperatures hit -5 degrees Celsius (23 Fahrenheit).To fend …

Ukraine facing ‘massive’ Russian attack on energy sector Read More »

China’s foreign minister Wang Yi told his Egyptian counterpart on Friday that Beijing is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Syria, as the two top diplomats met in the Chinese capital.Ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad fled the country after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group and its allies, bringing a …

China FM says ‘deeply concerned’ about Syria in talks with Egypt counterpart Read More »

President Emmanuel Macron was expected Friday to name a new prime minister after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier, whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis.Centrist French politician Francois Bayrou, leader of the centrist MoDem party and seen as one of Macron’s possible picks for prime minister, …

Macron expected to name new French PM after deadlock Read More »

Georgian ex-footballer turned far-right politician Mikheil Kavelashvili is set to become Tbilisi’s next figurehead president in an indirect election denounced as “illegitimate” by the current pro-EU leader.Picked by the governing Georgian Dream party as a loyalist, the former forward for the English Premier League’s Manchester City is known for his expletive-laden parliament speeches and tirades …

Ex-Man City striker set to be Georgia’s new far-right president Read More »

A Filipina inmate on death row in Indonesia told AFP from prison Friday that her planned transfer was a “miracle”, in her first interview since Manila and Jakarta signed an agreement last week to repatriate her.Mother of two Mary Jane Veloso, 39, was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after the suitcase she was …

Filipina on Indonesia death row says planned transfer ‘miracle’ Read More »

Some callers are women fearful they have been drugged and sexually assaulted; others are doctors worried they have misdiagnosed them — a helpline set up amid France’s notorious mass rape trial has tapped a nation’s unease.The helpline, known as the Reference Centre on Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (or CRAFS, its acronym in French), was launched by …

France gets new helpline amid trauma of mass rape trial Read More »