Former Burkina Faso president Blaise Compaore goes on trial next week over the deadly crackdown against the popular uprising that toppled him, in what has been branded a “witch hunt” by his supporters. Thirty-three people were killed when the authorities crushed street protests against the long-serving Compaore in October 2014, according to an official toll. … Read more
Ugandan troops have pulled out of the hunt for rebel leader Joseph Kony in the Central African Republic (CAR), the army has said. He and his Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) group had become “weak”, and no longer threatened Uganda, it added. The LRA was notorious for chopping off people’s limbs and abducting children to use … Read more
The Ugandan army said Wednesday it has neutralised the Lord’s Resistance Army, as troops began withdrawing from the Central African Republic where they had been hunting the group’s feared leader Joseph Kony. “The decision to withdraw was premised on the realisation that the mission to neutralise the LRA has now been successfully achieved,” Ugandan army … Read more
Pakistan’s powerful army chief has confirmed the death sentences passed by military courts on 30 militants, some of whom were involved in the country’s worst-ever extremist attack, authorities said Wednesday. The military did not give a date for the executions, but when the army chief has given such orders in the past the hangings have … Read more
A bomb killed six people and wounded more than 30 in Syria’s second city Aleppo on Wednesday, state television reported. The blast hit the southwestern neighbourhood of Salaheddin, which was once on the front line between rebels and government forces before the army retook full control of the city in December. State television did not … Read more
One of the founding fathers of the internet, Robert Taylor, has died. While working at the Pentagon in the 1960s, he instigated the creation of Arpanet – a computer network that initially linked together four US research centres, and later evolved into the internet. At Xerox, he later oversaw the first computer with desktop-inspired icons … Read more
One soldier enjoys a cigarette, another sits reading quietly on the riverbank: seen from the Chinese side of the border, North Korea’s army does not appear to be on a war footing despite all the bellicose language. Dandong city is the main crossing point to North Korea, and every day hundreds of tourists embark on … Read more
Six months since Iraqi forces launched a vast operation to oust the Islamic State group from second city Mosul, they have recaptured its east and are battling for the west. Here are key dates in offensive: – October 17: Iraqi forces launch the assault. The jihadists had declared an Islamic “caliphate” there in June 2014 … Read more
Egyptian Coptic Christians observed Easter Mass under tight security on Saturday with the ancient minority still reeling from twin church bombings that killed dozens just days before. In Saint Mark’s Cathedral, where Coptic Pope Tawadros II led the mass, worshippers passed through three metal detectors as policemen and soldiers stood guard in the sprawling compound … Read more
Egyptian Copts will celebrate Easter mass on Saturday, marking one of Christianity’s most joyous occasions just days after the deadliest attacks in living memory against the country’s religious minority. The faithful will spend a large part of Easter eve going through arduous security checks outside places of worship, after twin Palm Sunday bombings killed 45 … Read more
North Korea’s military forces were massed in Pyongyang early Saturday for a show of strength by leader Kim Jong-Un as tensions mount over his nuclear ambitions. Hundreds of flatbed trucks packed with soldiers lined the banks of the Taedong river in the predawn darkness for a parade through the North Korean capital. Ostensibly the event … Read more
Egyptian Copts observed a solemn Good Friday with prayers and fasting, as the community reeled from two church bombings that killed dozens on Palm Sunday. The government had declared a state of emergency and called in the army to protect “vital” installations following last week’s suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group. But in … Read more
Egyptian Copts observed a solemn Good Friday with prayers and fasting, as the community reeled from two church bombings that killed dozens on Palm Sunday. The government had declared a state of emergency and called in the army to protect “vital” installations following last week’s suicide bombings claimed by the Islamic State group. But in … Read more
A suspected chemical attack on a rebel-held town in Syria’s Idlib province on April 4 killed dozens of people. Western powers blamed the incident on President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and days later, the United States responded by firing cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase. Here is a recap of developments: On April 4, 2017, an … Read more
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has denied ordering last week’s suspected chemical attack on a rebel-held town, believes his victory is inevitable in the six-year-old war ravaging his country. Bolstered by the steady support of Russia and Iran, Assad has appeared unfazed by Western threats to his regime — even after one of his airbases … Read more
With tens of thousands of adoring citizens looking on –along with invited international media — North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Thursday opened a prestige housing project as he sought to burnish his country’s image in the midst of mounting tensions over its nuclear ambitions. The Ryomyong Street development is a collection of residential tower … Read more
Amnesty International has slammed an unprecedented ban by Thailand’s junta on using the internet to communicate with three trenchant critics of the monarchy, saying authorities had hit new lows in curbing free speech. The new order makes any online interaction with the trio in the Kingdom — including contacting them, and following or sharing their … Read more
A bloody clash between the army and police in Nigeria’s restive northeastern Yobe state left one soldier and three police dead, a security source told AFP. The police confirmed the fracas in the state capital of Damaturu, but did not say if there were casualties. “The Nigeria police force is abreast of the unfortunate incident … Read more
Islamic militants who landed on a Philippine tourist island triggering deadly clashes with security forces had planned to stage a mass kidnapping, the military said Wednesday as it pursued five fighters still on the loose. The army said the Abu Sayyaf group, notorious for a kidnap-for-ransom spree that has targeted foreigners, had planned to snatch … Read more
The Philippines sent military reinforcements to one of its most famous tourist islands Wednesday as a deadly operation to flush out heavily armed Islamic militants entered its second day. The army said the death toll rose to 10 before dawn as government forces killed a sixth gunman believed to be from the Abu Sayyaf, a … Read more