World
Spanish coach Flores 'sadly' ends UAE adventure - (7 days ago)
ReutersFormer Atletico Madrid coach Quique Sanchez Flores is going back to Spain after quitting Al Ahli on Tuesday to become the latest high-profile departure from the United Arab Emirates's Pro League.He had been widely expected to sign a new two-year contract, having led Al Ahli to second place in the league this season, but instead announced he would be leaving with immediate effect."I'm
Taliban willing to hold talks on reducing civilian casualties: UN - (7 days ago)
AFPThe Taliban have said they are willing to discuss how to reduce civilian casualties in the ongoing insurgency in Afghanistan, a top UN envoy said on Tuesday.Jan Kubis, the UN special representative for Afghanistan said that the militants had agreed to hold talks with the UN and discuss the issue of civilian deaths, which rose by 24 percent in the first half of 2013 compared to last year."I can
Sudan formally orders firms to shut South's oil flow - (7 days ago)
AFPSudan's oil ministry on Tuesday formally told oil companies to block the export flow of South Sudanese crude, following an order from President Omar Al-Bashir.Oil Minister Awad Ahmad al-Jaz presented the written directive in a meeting Tuesday with senior executives of the GNPOC joint operating company and Petrodar, the ministry said in a statement.It orders them "to stop the process of
Mandela spends fourth day in hospital - (8 days ago)
AFPNelson Mandela was spending his fourth day in hospital Tuesday where he was being treated in intensive care for a lung infection.The 94-year-old former president was rushed to a Pretoria hospital early Saturday and was said to be in serious but stable condition.His latest health scare has been met with prayers and a growing acceptance among South Africans that their hero may be nearing the end
Mandela still in hospital in serious condition - (8 days ago)
APFormer President Nelson Mandela's condition remained serious but stable on Monday, his third day in a Pretoria hospital, the South African government said."His condition is unchanged," the office of President Jacob Zuma said in a brief statement. It urged South Africans to pray for Mandela and his family.Mandela, who is 94 years old, was taken to a hospital in the capital early Saturday to be
S.Sudan says will keep exporting oil to Sudan despite stoppage threat - (8 days ago)
ReutersSouth Sudan continues to pump oil to Sudan despite a threat from its neighbour to stop cross-border flows in a row over alleged support for rebels, its oil minister said on Monday.The landlocked African country, which has to use Sudan's export facilities, has piped around 7 million barrels of crude to its neighbour since resuming production in April, Stephen Dhieu Dau told reporters."This
Taliban beheads two boys in southern Afghanistan - (8 days ago)
ReutersTaliban fighters beheaded two boys aged 10 and 16 as a warning to villagers not to cooperate with the Afghan government, local officials said.The boys, named Khan and Hameedullah, had travelled to Afghan army and police checkpoints near their home in the southern province of Kandahar, scrounging for leftover food to bring to their families, the officials said."The boys were on their way
Passenger plane skids off runway in Myanmar - (8 days ago)
AFPA Myanma Airways plane carrying about 60 passengers skidded off the runway at a regional airport on Monday, officials said, the second such incident in less than a month.Both propellers on the Chinese-made Xian MA60 were damaged in the landing at Kawthaung in the southern region of Taninthari, but nobody was injured, according to police."The plane skidded off the runway into the nearby field,"
Kerry postpones Mideast visit: Report - (8 days ago)
AFPUS Secretary of State John Kerry, who was to return to the region this week for talks with Israelis and Palestinians, has postponed his visit, Israeli media reported on Monday.According to Israel HaYom, a newspaper considered close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kerry had been due to arrive on Tuesday, but put off the visit "to give (Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas) more time" to
UK reluctant to mediate in Ethiopia dam controversy - (9 days ago)
The UK government has called on the Nile riparian states to negotiate a water-distribution agreement.“We recognise that the security of the Nile waters is a major strategic necessity for Egypt,” a UK Foreign and Commonwealth (FCO) spokesperson told Ahram Online.Dr Eassam El-Haddad, Egypt's assistant presidential advisor for external relations and international cooperation, raised the
US close to OK on arming Syrian opposition fighters: Officials - (9 days ago)
APThe Obama administration could decide this week to approve lethal aid for Syrian rebels and will weigh the merits of a less likely move to send in U.S. airpower to enforce a no-fly zone over the nation wracked by two years of civil war, officials said Sunday.White House meetings are planned over the coming days as Syrian President Bashar Assad's government forces are apparently poised for an
Indonesia passenger plane crash-lands, two injured - (9 days ago)
AFPAn Indonesian passenger plane carrying 52 people crash-landed at an eastern airport Monday, injuring two, officials said, the latest accident to hit the country's fast-growing aviation sector.The MA-60 aircraft, operated by state-owned Merpati Nusantara airlines, was coming in to land at an airport in East Nusa Tenggara province when the accident happened, said transport ministry spokesman
US surveillance leaker 'not afraid' of capture - (9 days ago)
AFPThe 29-year-old government contractor who turned whistleblower to reveal vast US surveillance programs says he is not afraid, despite the intelligence authorities' threat to hunt him down.In footage shot by The Guardian newspaper, Edward Snowden said he packed his bags for Hong Kong three weeks ago, leaving behind a "very comfortable life" in Hawaii, a salary of $200,000, a girlfriend, a
Family visits Nelson Mandela in hospital: South Africa - (9 days ago)
APNelson Mandela received visits from family members on Sunday at a hospital where the former president and anti-apartheid leader was being treated for a recurring lung infection, while South Africans expressed their appreciation for a man widely regarded as the father of the nation.There was no official update on 94-year-old Mandela after his second night in the hospital. His condition was
Gusty monsoon kills 23 in Sri Lanka: Official - (9 days ago)
AFPMonsoon rain and strong winds in Sri Lanka have killed at least 23 people with many more missing, mostly fishermen caught in rough seas, an official said Sunday.The navy and air force are searching for 26 fishermen who have been missing at sea since the monsoon hit early Saturday, said a spokesman for the Colombo-based Disaster Management centre, Sarath Lal Kumara.The bodies of 22 fishermen
Italians vote in city polls with all eyes on Rome - (9 days ago)
AFPItalians voted Sunday in the second round of municipal polls in 67 towns and cities, with Rome's right-wing mayor Gianni Alemanno facing a stiff challenge from the centre-left candidate.Little known on the national scene, challenger Ignazio Marino picked up 43 percent of the vote in the first round two weeks ago, while Alemanno, a former neo-fascist, came in second with 30 percent.Victory for
Naked cyclists protest aggressive drivers in Mexico - (10 days ago)
AFPSome 3,000 demonstrators -- some bare head to toe, others in bathing suits or underwear -- braved catcalls and embarrassed smiles from residents as they biked some 12 miles (20 kilometers) to end up in Guadalajara, the biggest city in Mexico's Jalisco state.In downtown Mexico City, nearly 2,000 bikers -- naked or scantily clad -- also demonstrated. Some slapped "fragile" stickers on their
Hungary defences hold firm as Danube flood nears Budapest - (10 days ago)
AFPHungary's flood defences held firm Sunday morning as central Europe's worst floods in a decade moved through the northwest of the country toward the capital Budapest.So far, however, Hungary has avoided the chaos seen elsewhere in central Europe. No casualties or serious injuries have been reported yet although authorities say around 1,000 people have been evacuated from towns and villages
British government pressed over use of US spy system - (10 days ago)
AFPThe UK's opposition Labour Party demanded Saturday clarification from the British government on its use of a controversial US surveillance programme.There are concerns that eavesdropping agency GCHQ, in using US data, may have been able to circumvent British legal processes required to seek personal information from Internet companies.According to The Guardian newspaper, which helped break
At least 18 dead in battle over disputed Somali port city - (10 days ago)
ReutersAt least 18 people have been killed in gunbattles in southern Somalia's Kismayu, residents said Saturday, in the heaviest fighting the disputed port city has seen in more than four years.The clashes, the first since several former warlords staked rival claims on the lucrative port and fertile hinterlands in May, has stoked fears among locals of a return to the clan wars that tipped the
Head of Russian church urges monks to shun Internet - (10 days ago)
ReutersThe head of the Russian Orthodox Church has urged monks not to use cellphones to access the Internet in order to avoid temptation."Now the Internet appears to be a great temptation," Patriarch Kirill said during a trip to the Zograf monastery in Greece, according to a transcript of his remarks posted on the church's website."Many monks act, in my view, quite unreasonably. On the one hand,
Mali holds crisis talks with Tuareg rebels - (10 days ago)
AFPTalks between Malian authorities and armed ethnic Tuareg rebels aimed at resolving the conflict in the north of the country opened on Saturday after a day's delay."The aim is to find a durable solution to the grave crisis engulfing Mali," said President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso which is mediating the negotiations.Tensions remain high in the north of Mali after heavy fighting near the
18 arrested in India after brutal witchcraft killing - (10 days ago)
AFPAt least 18 tribal villagers in India's northeast were arrested for hacking to death a man they suspected of practising witchcraft, police said Saturday.They claimed they were told to kill the victim by a Hindu goddess who appeared in their dreams.Mobs have killed at least 200 people over the past five years who they have accused of practising sorcery and witchcraft -- mainly in
Angry Pakistan summons envoy after US drone strike kills 9 - (10 days ago)
ReutersA U.S. drone strike killed nine people in northwest Pakistan, security officials said, prompting newly sworn-in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to summon America's envoy on Saturday to protest against such attacks.The missile strike, on a compound near the Afghan border in the North Waziristan region late on Friday, was the first U.S. drone attack in Pakistan since Sharif was sworn in on
Sudan opposition vows Bashir will fall within 100 days - (10 days ago)
AFPSudan's opposition alliance on Saturday announced a 100-day plan for the peaceful overthrow of the government of President Omar al-Bashir, who has been in power for more than two decades."I expect the regime will fall before the 100 days finish," said Farouk Abu Issa, who represents more than 20 opposition parties.He said the first month of the plan includes public forums and a mass rally.Over
3 NATO troops killed in apparent Afghan 'insider attack' - (10 days ago)
AFPA man wearing Afghan uniform shot dead three NATO-led soldiers on Saturday in the east of the country, the international coalition said, in the latest apparent example of an "insider attack"."Three ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) members were killed when an individual wearing ANSF (Afghan National Security Force) uniform turned his weapon on them and opened fire," a spokesman
Sudan's Bashir orders stoppage of South Sudan's oil - (10 days ago)
ReutersSudan's president ordered a stoppage of all South Sudan's oil exports from Sunday, accusing his neighbour of backing rebels on his territory.President Omar Hassan al-Bashir urged youths to join the army and prepare for "holy war". He did not name the enemy but the head of Sudan's paramilitary forces said his men were ready to confront Khartoum's long-time opponent South Sudan.The order to
Anxiety over student loans as US lawmakers play politics - (13 days ago)
AFPRecent Northeastern University graduate Greg Dube hopes to launch a bright engineering career soon, but like many young Americans, he is haunted by a looming financial burden: some $150,000 in student loan debt."I think I'm going to end up paying back more than double that in total," said the 23-year-old, predicting it will take 20 years to repay his loans -- if he's lucky enough to find a
German top court orders tax equality for gay couples - (13 days ago)
AFPGermany's top court ruled Thursday that same-sex partners in civil unions are entitled to the generous tax benefits granted to married couples, in another landmark step for gay rights in Europe.The Federal Constitutional Court in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe said denying gays and lesbians in so-called registered partnerships tax breaks extended to married people violated their civil
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AFPTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan rallies supporters after riot police again clash with thousands of anti-government demonstrators in a second week of nationwide unrest.Three people have died in the protests against Erdogan and his Islamic-leaning Justice and Development Party (AKP), in power since 2002.Following are the main events of the past days:- May 28: A peaceful local protest
AFPTurkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is facing one of the biggest challenges of his decade in power with anti-government protests that critics say have exposed growing discontent with his increasingly authoritarian and conservative agenda.Here are the key events since Erdogan's Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed power in the predominantly Muslim but staunchly
AHRAM ONLINEFounders of Egypt’s 'Rebel' campaign, a newly established movement that aims to withdraw confidence from President Mohamed Morsi by collecting citizens' signatures, spoke at an open forum on Wednesday to discuss the campaign, which has recently gone viral online and on the streets.'Rebel' campaigners hope to collect 15 million signatures and hold a mass sit-in on 30 June –
BBC SportWhen it's put to him that he might be the most talented athlete in the world to hold a racquet, a bashful Ramy Ashour admits "that's pretty great".The 25-year-old Egyptian is more than just the current squash world number one - his elastic, unorthodox brilliance and charisma could be the key to squash breaking out beyond its four walls and regaining a place on the wider sporting
