Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday urged the international community to “do more” following reports of the “abhorrent and despicable” enslavement of vulnerable African refugees arriving in Libya. “Canada will not stay silent in the face of such inhumane atrocities,” Trudeau said in a statement …
Read More »Pakistan minister resigns after violent Islamist protests: state media
Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP | Pakistan’s law minister Zahid Hamid has resigned, state media reported Monday, meeting a key demand of Islamist protesters who have clashed violently with security forces and blockaded the capital Islamabad for weeks. Hamid “has submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to steer …
Read More »Thousands flee as Bali raises volcano alert to highest level
Karangasem, Indonesia | AFP | A rumbling volcano on the resort island of Bali could erupt at any moment, authorities warned Monday as they raised alert levels to maximum, accelerated a mass evacuation and closed the main airport, leaving tourists stranded. Massive columns of thick grey smoke that have been …
Read More »Pope arrives in Myanmar on high-stakes visit
Yangon, Myanmar | AFP | Pope Francis arrived in mainly Buddhist Myanmar Monday on a highly sensitive visit to a country facing sharp global criticism for the alleged ethnic cleansing of its Rohingya Muslim minority. The 80-year-old pontiff, the first to travel to Myanmar, was welcomed by children from different …
Read More »Saudi vows new Islamic alliance ‘will wipe terrorists from the earth’
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia’s crown prince vowed to “pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth” as officials from 40 Muslim countries gathered Sunday in the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance. “In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of …
Read More »Pope heads to Myanmar and into Rohingya crisis
Rome, Italy | AFP | Pope Francis set off Sunday on his 21st and possibly most delicate overseas trip yet, a six-day visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh against the backdrop of the unfolding Rohingya refugee crisis. The 80-year-old pontiff’s plane left Rome en route for Yangon, Myanmar’s main city, shortly …
Read More »South Africa’s new export is Miss Universe
Las Vegas, United States | AFP | Beauties from across the globe converged in Las Vegas Sunday, where Miss South Africa was crowned Miss Universe. Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, 22, edged out her rivals from Colombia and Jamaica to take the crown. Nel-Peters, a graduate in business management, said her disabled half-sister has …
Read More »Iran earthquake death toll rises to 483
Tehran, Iran | AFP | The number of dead in a major earthquake that hit Iran’s western province of Kermanshah this month has risen to 483, official news agency IRNA said. The rise from a previous toll of 436 reported last week came after some people died from their injuries …
Read More »Forty injured as Spain nightclub floor collapses
Madrid, Spain | AFP | Forty people were injured after a section of floor at a packed nightclub on Spain’s holiday island of Tenerife collapsed Sunday, sending revellers plunging into the basement, officials said. Rescuers rushed to the Butterfly Disco Club in Adeje at about 2:30 am (0230 GMT) after …
Read More »Brexit without EU trade deal ‘not end of world’: WTO chief
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) said Sunday it would not be “the end of the world” if Britain failed to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, but there would be costs. Roberto Azevedo told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper that …
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