Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that transgender people may not serve “in any capacity” in the US military, citing the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” their presence would cause. In late June, Pentagon chief Jim Mattis delayed for six months a plan put in …
Read More »US House votes to slap sanctions on Russia, Iran, N. Korea
Washington, United States | AFP | The US House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to impose tough new sanctions on Iran, North Korea and Russia, a move that will antagonize the Kremlin as well as European nations fearing economic ramifications. The measure notably constrains President Donald Trump’s ability to waive …
Read More »Iran’s tech sector blooms under shield of sanctions
Tehran, Iran | AFP | The names may be unfamiliar but the services are immediately recognisable: Snapp is Iran’s answer to Uber, Digikala is its Amazon, and Pintapin its Booking.com. US sanctions have protected the Islamic republic’s tech sector, barring Silicon Valley from profiting from one of the world’s most promising …
Read More »Syrian rebel aid program was ‘dangerous and wasteful’: Trump
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Monday announced he had ended a program to support rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad because it was “massive, dangerous, and wasteful.” The comments came days after General Tony Thomas, the head of US special operations confirmed that …
Read More »N. Korea official: ‘We don’t care’ about US travel ban
Pyongyang, North Korea | AFP | Washington’s ban on US citizens travelling to North Korea will have no effect on the country’s tourism industry and Pyongyang does not care about it “at all”, a senior development official insisted Tuesday. The measure is due to be enacted this week and once it …
Read More »The force is female: India’s women cops take a stand
The force is female: India’s women cops take a stand Jaipur, India | AFP | All-female police units are shaking up the male-dominated force in conservative northwest India, hitting the streets to combat sex crimes and a pervasive culture of silence around rape. One such squad in Jaipur has …
Read More »Trump attacks US attorney general as weak on Clinton emails
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump attacked Attorney General Jeff Sessions again on Tuesday, calling him “VERY weak” in pursuing intelligence leaks and failure to go after former Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton over her emails. Trump’s latest Twitter salvo followed a report in the Washington …
Read More »Erdogan urges all Muslims to ‘visit’ and ‘protect’ Jerusalem
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday urged all Muslims to visit and protect Jerusalem after violence broke out over metal detectors that Israel installed and later removed from a sensitive holy site in the city. “From here I make a call to all Muslims. …
Read More »VIDEO: Court delays Ruhinda County MP Donozio Kahonda bail
VIDEO: Court delays Ruhinda County MP Donozio Kahonda bail Jinja, Uganda | NBS TV | Jinja High Court Judge Eva Luswata has set 27th July the date to deliver her ruling on the bail application filed by Ruhinda county MP Donozio Kahonda. Kahonda who was convicted in May 2017 on charges of …
Read More »Erdogan’s slams Israel for ‘disregard of law’ in Jerusalem crisis
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused Israel of flouting international law in the crisis over security measures at a sensitive Jerusalem holy site, saying the Jewish state was harming itself and the region. Israel installed metal detectors at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif …
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