Seventh presidential hopeful arrested in Nicaragua

Another presidential candidate was arrested in Nicaragua on Saturday, police said -- the seventh potential contender detained by Daniel Ortega’s government in the lead-up to elections on November 7.
25 July 2021

60 Cubans prosecuted so far over protests: official

About 60 Cubans have been prosecuted so far for participating in unprecedented demonstrations against the government earlier this month, a senior official said Saturday.
25 July 2021

Decades of Nuke testing in french Polynesia

French President Emmanuel Macron faced pressure to apologise for the devastating impact of decades of nuclear testing as he kicked off his first official trip to French Polynesia. 
25 July 2021

Slow Taliban’s momentum

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has suggested that the Afghan security forces’ first job was to make sure they could slow the Taliban’s momentum before attempting to retake territory, as Afghan forces plan to consolidate forces around strategically important parts of the country. 
25 July 2021

Four nations threat to climate goal

Ahead of a key climate meet in London, scientists have warned that only four leading G20 nations’ climate targets would lead to disastrous global warming. 
25 July 2021

Kidnappers in Nigeria release 28 schoolchildren, another 81 still held, says negotiator

Kidnappers who raided a boarding school in northern Nigeria earlier this month released 28 children on Sunday but another 81 remain in captivity, according to a pastor involved in the negotiations for their release.
25 July 2021

Saudi Arabia’s Hima rock art makes Unesco heritage list

Saudi Arabia’s Hima, a mountainous area that is home to a large collection of rock art images dating back thousands of years, has been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the agency announced on Saturday.
25 July 2021

At least six Cameroonian soldiers killed in raid by Islamist insurgents

At least six Cameroonian soldiers were killed and four wounded during an attack by Islamist insurgents on an army outpost in the far north of the country, state broadcaster CRTV said on Saturday.
24 July 2021

Violent protests mar funeral of slain Haiti president

Haiti bid a rowdy farewell to assassinated president Jovenel Moise on Friday as his funeral was roiled by nearby gunfire and protests, prompting a high-level US delegation to leave abruptly and other dignitaries to duck into vehicles for safety. 
24 July 2021

Blinken to visit India with vaccines, China in focus

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel next week to India, an important partner in US efforts to counter China and in vaccine diplomacy that is hobbled by its own Covid-19 crisis. 
24 July 2021

Flood-hit China braces for typhoon

China shut down ports and railways yesterday as it braced for Typhoon In-Fa as parts of the country struggled to recover from devastating floods earlier this week. 
24 July 2021

Pegasus Spyware: Millions sleep well because of such tech

Amid the raging controversy over its surveillance software Pegasus, Israeli cybersecurity company NSO Group has defended itself by saying that millions of people around the world sleep well at night and walk in the streets safely due to such technologies available with intelligence and law enforcement agencies. 
24 July 2021

Philippines evacuates thousands as monsoon rains flood Manila

Philippine authorities moved thousands of residents in the capital, Manila, out of low-lying communities yesterday as heavy monsoon rains, compounded by a tropical storm, flooded the city and nearby provinces.
24 July 2021

Biden picks Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador to Australia

President Joe Biden plans to nominate Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late President John F Kennedy, as US ambassador to Australia, CNN reported on
24 July 2021

Drone attacks Iraq base hosting US troops

A drone attack has been carried out on a military base in Iraqi Kurdistan that hosts American troops, without causing any casualties, the US-led coalition said yesterday.
24 July 2021

Russia sends aid to Cuba

Russia dispatched nearly 100 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Cuba, the defence ministry said yesterday, following unprecedented street protests over the
24 July 2021

US, Russia to hold new round of talks

The United States and Russia will hold high-level talks next week in the second bid in as many months to encourage stability in the tense relationship, officials said Friday. 
24 July 2021

This day in history

1934 - Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated in Vienna by Nazis.
24 July 2021

China sanctions US citizens, entities over Hong Kong

Beijing has announced sanctions on seven American citizens and entities in response to a US advisory on deteriorating freedoms in Hong Kong, just days ahead of a visit from a senior Biden administration official.  
24 July 2021

Amnesty urges moratorium on surveillance technology

Allegations that governments used phone malware supplied by an Israeli firm to spy on journalists, activists and heads of state have “exposed a global human rights crisis,” Amnesty International said, asking for a moratorium on the sale and use of surveillance technology. 
24 July 2021