Hundreds of thousands turn out at pro-Palestinian marches in Europe
Huge numbers turned out at pro-Palestinian rallies in Europe on Saturday, calling for an immediate end to the war in...
Geostrategy
Not all ‘A’s: Unconventional paths that led to Nobels
Stockholm, Sweden -- Some Nobel laureates were straight-A students from the get-go. But others AFP spoke to recounted how they...
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Geostrategy
Yemen stampede kills 85 at a charity distribution event
In one of the deadliest stampedes in a decade, more than 80 people died and hundreds were injured at a...
- The incident occured inside a school where aid was being distributed among hundreds of people gathered to receive handouts
- According to the UN, more than two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line, including employees who have not been paid in years
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Syrian Kurds ready for talks with Damascus, sharing resources
"We affirm our readiness to meet and talk with the Syrian government and with all Syrian parties to hold discussions...
- President Bashar al-Assad rejects the Kurdish administration in parts of Syria and accuses it of "separatism".
- Several rounds of talks since 2018 between Damascus and the Kurds have failed to achieve any results.
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15 Tunisian migrants missing after Europe bound boat capsizes
Tunis, Tunisia - Fifteen Tunisian migrants are missing after their boat sank in the Mediterranean during an attempt to reach Europe,...
- The boat carrying 19 Tunisians sank Monday night, said a statement by Tunisia's National Guard, which oversees the coastguard.
- Four migrants were rescued by a fisherman after the boat sank, while the search for the remaining 15 continued Wednesday morning.
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Dozens of Iraqi policemen arrested after convict escapes custody
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - A former Iraqi religious official convicted of corruption has escaped police custody, prompting the arrest of more than...
- Saad Qambash was once head of Iraq's Sunni Waqf, and had been jailed for four years earlier this month for fraud.
- Investigating authorities had uncovered "documents" as evidence leading to the arrest of those involved.
Geostrategy
Millions of Indonesians travel home in annual Eid exodus
Jakarta, Indonesia -- On motorcycles, cars, buses, planes or by boat, millions of Indonesians are travelling to their hometowns in the...
- This year marks the first "mudik", as the annual exodus is known, since Covid-19 restrictions were removed at the end of 2022 in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
- Indonesia's transport ministry has predicted up to 123 million people will travel for Eid this year, up from 85 million estimated to have made the trip last year.
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India set to overtake China as world’s most populous country: UN
India's population will be 1.4286 billion compared to China's 1.4257 billion at mid-year, the United Nations Population Fund's State of...
- India has no recent official data on how many people it has because the census, due in 2021, was delayed due to coronavirus.
- Critics say the government is deliberately delaying the census to hide data on contentious issues such as unemployment ahead of national elections next year.
Geostrategy
Step aside US: China’s road to global leadership goes through Middle East
If China successfully mediates the Israel-Palestine peace talks, it will cement its status as a global peacemaker, a role that...
- Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has expressed readiness to help facilitate peace talks between Israel and Palestine
- He made separate phone calls to Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers, emphasizing China's push for peace talks
Geostrategy
Afghans below poverty line doubled under Taliban, says UN
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) released on Tuesday a stark new assessment of 2022 data estimating 34 million Afghans...
- Vast foreign subsidies were halted and aid programs dramatically cut back after the US-backed republic fell in 2021.
- "Some have been compelled to sell their homes, land, or assets that generate income," the UNDP report said.
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Israeli army shoot, injure seven during West Bank raid
NABLUS, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES - Israeli forces shot and wounded seven people in a raid Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, the...
- The Palestine health ministry reported "six minor injuries from live fire" reached Jenin governmental hospital.
- There was no immediate confirmation of the identity of those wounded in Jenin, a hotbed for Palestinian armed groups.
Geostrategy
Middle East thaw: Now Qatar and UAE to reopen embassies
"The technical committees are now doing their work in this context, and it is expected that there will be exchange...
- The two countries re-established relations in Jan 2021, after the UAE took part in a nearly four-year Gulf blockade of Qatar, but they are yet to restore the diplomatic missions.
- Opening the embassies would be just the latest in a series of reconciliatory steps for Gulf relations since heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Iran moved to restore ties last month.
Hundreds of thousands turn out at pro-Palestinian marches in Europe
Huge numbers turned out at pro-Palestinian rallies in Europe on Saturday, calling for an immediate end to the war in...
Geostrategy
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Lebanon MPs demand UN protection of heritage sites from Israel attacks
The Lebanese MPs called on Azoulay to "urgently prioritize the protection of these historic sites by mobilizing UNESCO’s authority.
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Trump wins White House in stunning comeback
The polarizing Republican's win, following one of the most hostile campaigns in modern US history, was all the more remarkable...
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Republicans seize control of US Senate: networks
Republicans wrested the US Senate from Democratic control, ending four years in the minority, in its quest to dominate every...
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Israel escalates strikes in Lebanon, Gaza as Netanyahu visits Northern Border, and Hezbollah claims missile attack
Israel intensifies airstrikes across Lebanon and Gaza, escalating cross-border violence as Netanyahu urges troops to push Hezbollah back and prevent...
- Netanyahu's visit came after an air strike killed at least three people near the southern Lebanon city of Sidon,, and as more bombs hit the country's east
- Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday said a potential ceasefire with its allies Hamas and Hezbollah "could affect the intensity and type of our response."
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Lebanon accuses Israel of truce rejection after deadly Beirut strikes and growing Gaza crisis
A US-brokered plan reportedly under consideration would see Hezbollah pull back 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, north of...
- The strikes on Lebanon came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met US officials to discuss a possible deal to end the war against Hezbollah
- In Gaza, where Israel has been engaged in a major offensive in the north for nearly a month, a Hamas official said the Palestinian group had rejected short-term truce
Geostrategy
Israel, US envoys discuss possible ceasefire amid rising casualties in Lebanon conflict
With US mediation, a ceasefire proposal emerges for both Gaza and Lebanon, balancing Israel's security demands and Lebanon’s need for...
- Netanyahu told Washington envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk that any Lebanon deal must guarantee Israel's longer term security
- More than a month into its war with Israel, Hezbollah says it is ready for a truce, but there are limits to what it can accept after suffering devastating attacks