United Nations, United States | AFP | The United Nations wants Libya’s internationally-backed government to agree to shut down 30 detention centers holding 15,000 migrants, most of whom will be sent back to their countries, the head of the IOM said Tuesday. The detention of the migrants, most of whom …
Read More »US threatens new action against South Sudan
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States on Tuesday threatened to take unspecified measures against South Sudan’s government unless it moves to end the nearly four-year war and stop harassing UN peacekeepers and aid workers. US Ambassador Nikki Haley put the onus squarely on President Salva Kiir …
Read More »UN to discuss tougher response to Libya slave auctions: France
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council must take stronger measures, possibly including sanctions, to put a stop to slave auctions in Libya, the French ambassador said Monday. France has requested an urgent meeting of the council for Tuesday, a week after the top UN body held …
Read More »Putin urges ‘compromise’ ahead of new Syria peace talks
Sochi, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that efforts to end Syria’s six-year war were entering “a new stage” ahead of a planned meeting of Syrian government officials and opposition leaders, warning both sides that compromise would be necessary. The new talks should happen soon, Putin said …
Read More »Putin informs Trump about talks with Assad: Kremlin
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday informed US counterpart Donald Trump of his talks with Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, saying Damascus is in favour of conducting parliamentary and presidential polls, the Kremlin said. “Vladimir Putin informed Donald Trump of the main results of a meeting with …
Read More »Suicide car bomb kills 21 in town north of Baghdad
Kirkuk, Iraq | AFP | A suicide car bomber killed at least 21 people in an attack on a busy market in a town north of Baghdad on Tuesday, a security official said. Dozens more were wounded when the attacker blew up the vehicle in the middle of the fruit …
Read More »Thousands more US troops arrive in Afghanistan: general
Washington, United States | AFP | Approximately 3,000 additional American troops have now deployed to Afghanistan under President Donald Trump’s revised strategy for the war-torn country, the Pentagon said Thursday. The Pentagon had previously put the number of US forces in Afghanistan at about 11,000 but Trump in August authorized an …
Read More »UN warns fuel running out for Yemen hospitals
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United Nations warned Wednesday that fuel supplies needed to run Yemen’s hospital generators and pump clean water will run out in less than three weeks unless the Saudi-led coalition lifts its blockade. The dire forecast came as Yemen battles one of the world’s …
Read More »Syria on agenda as Putin and Erdogan meet in Russia
Sochi, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Sochi on Monday, with efforts to bring peace to Syria set to dominate their talks at the Black Sea resort. Despite being on opposing sides of the Syrian conflict, Russia and Turkey have …
Read More »As Iran-Saudi ‘Cold War’ heats up, what next?
Tehran, Iran | AFP | From a Yemeni missile attack to the resignation of Lebanon’s prime minister, the “Cold War” between Middle East rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has been heating up. Experts believe the risk of a direct military clash is low, but why have tensions escalated now and how …
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