Latest in World Highlight
Latest in World
Japan: ‘World must agree to disagree’ on whaling
Japan’s top whaling official has said that Tokyo did its best to meet criteria established by the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ) on whaling. The statement comes as 33 countries urged Japan to stop the practice. Joji Morishita, Japan’s International Whaling Committee (IWC) commissioner, said in a statement on Monday that the island-nation has …
Putin’s mind games with Turkey
Allah may have stolen the Turkish government’s sanity, but who stole Russian President Putin’s? Fiona Clark looks at the escalating tension between the two countries. If it weren’t enough to accuse the Turkish president’s family of being directly involved in funding terrorism by selling “Islamic State” (IS) oil, Russia’s president has now continued his verbal …
Turkey to halt troop transfers to Iraq after angry objections from Baghdad
Turkey has promised to stop deploying troops to northern Iraq after Baghdad threatened to appeal to the UN Security Council to force the soldiers out. Iraq’s government says Turkish forces entered the country illegally. Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu assured Iraq on Sunday that no more troops would be sent across the border until Baghdad’s …
Joe Biden likely to bring harsh criticism to Ukraine
Joe Biden will likely express heavy criticism in Ukraine’s capital. The United States is losing its patience with regard to Ukraine’s judiciary reforms and its battle against corruption. Frank Hofmann reports from Kyiv. It took over a year and a half for Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to even begin implementing his most important campaign promise: …
Libyan factions reach agreement aimed at ending political deadlock
The two rival governing bodies in Libya have announced they have reached an agreement aimed at ending the power standoff which followed Moammar Gadhafi’s overthrow. The plan would need approval by both parliaments. Following weekend talks in Tunisia, the opposing factions announced an initial agreement had been reached which aimed to end the country’s political …
What have we learned in Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq?
International military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya have led to some of the worst possible outcomes. Will the United States and Europe repeat their past mistakes in their war on the “Islamic State”? Scenes from September 11, 2001, vaguely resemble those of November 13, 2015: Terrorists carry out an unthinkable attack in a country …
Allied airstrikes kill ‘Islamic State’ militants
At least 32 “Islamic State” militants have been killed and more than 40 wounded in airstrikes in Syria’s Raqqa province. The bombings were reportedly carried out by the US-led coalition. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that more that 15 explosions had hit “Islamic State” (IS) facilities in the group’s de …
In Cartoon: Egyptians make Moulid candy dolls shaped like putin
Assad: UK airstrikes in Syria doomed to fail
Britain’s bombing campaign against extremists in Syria is “illegal” and will only cause “terrorism” to spread, President Bashar al-Assad says. The Syrian strongman made the remarks in an interview with The Sunday Times. In remarks published Sunday, Assad ridiculed British Prime Minister David Cameron’s assertion that there are as many as 70,000 opposition fighters in …
London stabbing an ‘act of terror’: UK police
UK air forces carry out second wave of airstrikes in Syria
Turkish security officers killed in clashes with Kurdish rebels
Kurdish militants have killed three security officers and wounded several more in the southeast of Turkey. Government troops blocked off a border town in pursuit of the attackers
Iraq summons Ankara’s envoy over Turkish troops deployed near Mosul
Turkey committed a ‘hostile act’ by deploying troops to northern Iraq, according to the Foreign Ministry in Baghdad. Turkey claims it just reinforced an existing training camp for local volunteers
Germany’s Freund in incredible 19th World Cup ski jumping victory
Severin Freund has scored another ski jumping World Cup victory in Lillehammer, Norway. The German expressed surprise at his victory after having to wait two hours in bad weather for his run, nearly losing his nerve. Germany’s Severin Freund, showing nerves of steel and a great deal of patience, clinched an astounding 19th World Cup …
Egypt, Russia negotiating to restore air links
Flights will not resume before 2016, says Russian transport minister
Suspected Israeli organ trafficker arrested in Turkey: Reports
A suspected Israeli organ trafficker who was wanted on an Interpol red notice has been arrested at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport. A court has ordered he be extradited to Israel
UN mediator in Yemen for peace talks
The UN envoy has arrived in Yemen for talks with government leaders and Shiite rebels ahead of scheduled peace talks in Geneva. More than 5,700 people have been killed since a Saudi-led air campaign began in March. UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed arrived in Aden on Saturday for talks with President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi …
The Balkan route to Western Europe for Yugoslavia guns
Many weapons on Europe’s black market come via the Balkans. The terrorists in the Paris attacks allegedly used such weapons. The illegal arms trade from the Balkans is a security risk that affects all of Europe. According to media reports, the November 13 Paris attackers used two Zastava M-70 assault rifles from the former Yugoslavia. …
Russia ratchets up war rhetoric – and not just in Syria
A rock band sings about taking Berlin; politicians and the media threaten a nuclear attack. The war rhetoric in Russia is impossible to ignore. But there’s a different mood within Russian society. The popular Russian rock band Va-Bank released a new music video on Wednesday. It’s called “And After Berlin” and is a cover version …
In French elections, clashing visions of Muslim identity
The fledgling Union of French Muslim Democrats faces an uphill struggle in upcoming regional elections. The party emphasises that it wants to get young Muslims involved in the political process
Turkish soldiers enter northern Iraq, Baghdad demands swift withdrawal
Baghdad says the entry of a battalion of Turkish troops is a violation of its sovereignty. Iraq’s foreign ministry has described the activity as “an incursion” and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Turkish forces
Pen-selling refugee finds success in Beirut
Three months after a heartbreaking photo kickstarted a crowd-funding campaign, life has improved for Abdul Halim Atar, the refugee and single father in Beirut who resorted to selling pens to provide for his family
Washington Post reporter’s 500 days in Iran prison marked by US reading event
Journalist Jason Rezaian has spent 500 days in an Iranian jail on charges including espionage. His brother has launched a petition at the UN for his release and the US Department of State has petitioned on his behalf. The National Press club in Washington, D.C., has honored imprisoned Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian by organizing …
Bad weather conditions delay US shipment to International Space Station
Bad weather conditions over Florida stopped NASA from launching its Cygnus spacecraft to send supplies to the International Space Station (ISS). The next attempt will be in less than 24 hours from the failed launch. NASA was intending to send its first shipment of critical supplies in almost eight months to the International Space Station …
Dawn of the designer babies? Here’s an idiot’s guide to human gene editing
Human gene editing tools have existed for years, raising hopes of preventing incurable diseases. These tools are now coming to fruition. So it’s high time we learned more about our brave new world. What is human gene editing? Gene editing is a broad field in science. When it comes to human gene editing, we’re talking …
A day in CO²e emissions
How much does a Monday in winter speed up #climatechange? Are you ready for an inconvenient truth of Christmas cookies and greasy cheeseburgers? Here’s a day’s worth of carbon emissions. You may not have given much thought to the idea of how much or how little carbon your lifestyle releases into the universe and ultimately …
Nigerian Shiites brave terror threat
Among the millions of Shiite Muslims marking Arbaeen, an important fixture on the Islamic calendar, are pilgrims in Nigeria. They intend to join the final stretch of a pilgrimage despite the terrorist threat. They come from northern Nigeria, Ghana, Chad, Cameroon, Benin and Togo. Clad from head to toe in black, they have been walking …
Tusk’s ‘concerted action doesn’t make sense’
In interviews with several European newspapers, European Council President Donald Tusk called for a u-turn in European refugee policy. How helpful are his remarks in finding a much-needed compromise? Irregular migrants to Europe should be detained for as long as needed to check their identity, Donald Tusk has said, urging Europe not to underestimate the …
Erdogan vows to step down if Russia’s IS oil trade claims proven
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday he’d resign if Russia proved its claim that Turkey is involved in illegal oil trading with the “Islamic State” (IS) militant organisation
Obama White House ‘in violation of’ Anti-Torture Convention
Human Rights Watch has called on the Obama administration to launch a new and credible investigation into Bush-era CIA torture. The White House has so far failed to comply with international law, the group said. A year has passed since the US Senate released the summary of a still classified report detailing CIA torture of …
IS-controlled oil moved through Turkey on industrial scale: Russia
Russia’s intent is to destablise Turkish state and put it in defensive position by trade sanctions, says analyst