World
60 die in Sudan gold mine collapse - (21 days ago)
AFPDozens of people have been killed in a gold mine collapse in Sudan's Darfur, said the chief of the district where fighting over gold in January led to the region's worst unrest in yearsIt is not known how many people may still be missing after Monday's accident."The number of people who died is more than 60," Haroun al-Hassan, the local commissioner in Jebel Amir, North Darfur, said on
Malaysia's Anwar raises voter fraud alarm ahead of election - (21 days ago)
ReutersMalaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday that tens of thousands of "dubious" voters may have been flown in to key states to boost the government's chances in this weekend's election, an accusation denied by the ruling coalition.Electoral fraud is a sensitive issue in Malaysia, where a civil society movement has sprung up to demand electoral reforms in increasingly large
'Shameless' British fraudster jailed for selling fake bomb detectors - (21 days ago)
A British businessman was sentenced to 10 years in jail on Thursday after a judge described him as having "blood on his hands" for selling fake bomb detectors to Iraq and other countries and endangering lives for profit. James McCormick, 56, was convicted of fraud last week for selling equipment based on a $20 novelty machine for finding lost golf balls. McCormick made more than $40
Impressive rise in political literacy in Egypt: British Ambassador - (21 days ago)
All AfricaBritish Ambassador to Egypt James Watt said on Thursday, ahead of the World Press Freedom Day, that the rise of political literacy in Egypt is changing politics."The 'liberation of minds' is, in my view, the most potent driver of democracy," Watt said in a blog that was published on the foreign office's website on Thursday.This Friday, May 3, marks the 20th anniversary of the World
Ethiopia confirms jail terms for blogger, opposition figure - (21 days ago)
AFPAn Ethiopian court on Thursday dismissed the appeal of blogger Eskinder Nega and opposition leader Andualem Arage who were jailed last year for terror-related offences."The sentencing is still correct so there is no reduction," said Supreme Court judge Dagne Melaku, confirming Eskinder's jail term of 18 years and Andualem's life sentence.One of the charges -- serving as a leader of a terrorist
Somali famine killed 258,000, half of them children: Report - (21 days ago)
AFPAlmost 260,000 Somali people, half of them children, died of dire hunger from 2010 to 2012, greatly more than was feared at the time, an official report said Thursday.Half of those who died were children aged below five -- almost a fifth of that age group died in the hardest-hit area -- and UN officials admitted they could have done more to prepare for the famine."Famine and severe food
Obama won't rush to act against Syria over chemical arms - (21 days ago)
President Barack Obama signaled on Tuesday he is no rush to respond quickly to Syria's apparent use of chemical weapons, taking a cautious approach to the country's civil war, mirroring the views of the American public, most lawmakers and some U.S. allies.Obama, who last year declared that the use or deployment of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would cross a "red line," told
Attorneys for New Jersey men say Boston bombing influenced sentences - (23 days ago)
Two New Jersey men convicted of conspiring to join an al Qaeda-linked militant group have appealed their sentences, arguing that prosecutors were unduly influenced by the Boston Marathon bombing, one of their attorneys said on Tuesday. Mohamed Alessa, 23, and Carlos Almonte, 27, were sentenced to 22 years and 20 years respectively in prison on April 15, just after two bombs exploded at the
Nigeria court delays verdict against Iran 'arms dealer' - (23 days ago)
AFPA Nigerian judge on Tuesday postponed his verdict against an alleged member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who is charged with an illegal arms shipment. Azim Aghajani, who has been held in detention pending the verdict, was in court alongside his alleged Nigerian co-conspirator, Ali Abbas Jega.Judge Okechukwu Okeke said he needed more time given the complexity of the case, promising a
Russian tourists help Hungary spa town flourish amid crisis - (23 days ago)
A former Soviet military airport in western Hungary where MIG fighter jets landed for decades when Hungary was under Soviet rule is now receiving a different type of Russian visitor - tourists arriving in charter flights. Locals have welcomed the new Russian "invasion" of tourists who fly into Sarmellek to head to the spa town Heviz, saying they have brought money, new jobs, and even
Russia bars airlines from flying over Syria after incident - (23 days ago)
Russia has banned its airlines from flying over Syria, the aviation agency said on Tuesday, after a plane with 160 passengers detoured to avoid danger from fighting on the ground. Syrias spreading civil war has largely halted airline traffic to and from the country. The Rosaviatsiya agency said most Russian airlines had heeded a recommendation issued in February not to cross Syrian
Egypt withdraws from nuclear non-proliferation meeting in Geneva - (23 days ago)
Egypt withdrew from the sessions of the preparatory committee for the 2015 Review Conference to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) in Geneva, Egypt's state-run news agency MENA reported on Monday. According to the news agency, the decision came in response to the failure of the international community to end the presence of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass
Breaking a sports barrier, NBA's Jason Collins comes out as gay - (23 days ago)
ReutersCollins became the first active player from any of the four major U.S. men's professional sports leagues to publicly reveal his homosexuality.He did so in a first-person account published in Sports Illustrated, saying he had gradually become frustrated with having to keep silent on gay issues. The Boston Marathon bombings this month had convinced him not to wait any more for a perfect
Unknown gunmen kill five, rob bank in north Nigeria - (23 days ago)
ReutersGunmen armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked a police station and a bank in northern Nigeria, killing three policemen and two civilians, authorities said on Monday, in a region struggling to control an Islamist insurgency.The gunmen struck the town of Ringim late on Thursday night, said Abdul Jinjiri, police spokesman for Jigawa state, where the town is located."After attacking a
Desmond Tutu discharged from hospital after successful treatment - (23 days ago)
AFPPeace icon Desmond Tutu has been discharged from a South African hospital after he was successfully treated for a persistent infection with no new cancer scare, his foundation said Monday.The 81-year-old retired archbishop, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997, checked into hospital five days ago for tests and treatment for a persistent infection.Tutu was discharged "following
North Korea holds back seven South Koreans at industrial zone - (23 days ago)
ReutersNorth Korea held back seven of 50 remaining South Koreans at the suspended jointly run factory zone north of the heavily armed border on Monday, citing last-minute checks on taxes and wages.The North withdrew its 53,000 workers from the complex this month amid spiralling tension between the two Koreas. The North had prevented South Korean workers and supplies from getting in to the zone
Thai rebels press for independence, set to scupper peace talks - (23 days ago)
ReutersLeaders of a Muslim rebel group in southern Thailand said they will press for an independent state and made other demands that are likely to scupper a second round of peace talks, which started in Malaysia on Monday.Resistance to Bangkok's Buddhist rule has existed for decades but flared up violently in 2004 since when a campaign of bombings and roadside shootings has killed over 5,300
Germany charges four over Iran nuclear equipment sales - (23 days ago)
AFPGerman prosecutors said Monday they had charged four men with breaching sanctions against Iran by delivering equipment for an atomic reactor that the West suspects is part of a covert nuclear weapons programme.Three men with joint Iranian-German nationality, identified only as Kianzad Ka., Gholamali Ka. and Hamid Kh., and German national Rudolf M. were arrested last August in police raids
Afghan president confirms received CIA cash - (24 days ago)
AFPAfghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday confirmed that his government received money from the US Central Intelligence Agency, following reports of cash being handed over in suitcases and backpacks."Yes, the NSC of Afghanistan has received money from CIA in the past 10 years. The amount was not big, rather it was small," Karzai said in a statement, referring to the National Security Council
Boston bombing suspect had links to slain Islamists: Source - (24 days ago)
AFPOne of the brothers suspected of carrying out the Boston bombings had made links with two figures in the Islamist anti-Kremlin insurgency in the Northern Caucasus, both of whom were killed by Russian security forces, a security source said Monday.Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, who was himself killed during his capture by US authorities, was known to have been in contact with a Dagestan militant named
Myanmar should deploy more troops in volatile state: Commission - (24 days ago)
Myanmar must urgently address the plight of Muslims displaced by sectarian bloodshed in western Rakhine State and double the number of security forces to control the still-volatile region, an independent commission said on Monday.Its long-awaited report recommended a mixed bag of humanitarian and security responses to violence last June and October that killed at least 192 people and left 140,000
Belarus to extradite Russian accused of Plane Hijack Bid - (24 days ago)
RIA NovostiThe Belarusian Prosecutor General's Office has decided to extradite to Russia a Russian businessman accused of attempting to hijack a plane while drunk, an official spokesman said on Monday.Russian prosecutors sent an extradition request to their Belarusian counterparts earlier this month for Sergei Kabalov, who failed to return from a vacation in Egypt. He was detained by police in
Suicide bomber kills eight in Pakistan: Police - (24 days ago)
AFPA suicide bomber killed at least eight people and wounded 45 others when he rammed his motorcycle into a bus in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar on Monday, police said.Two staff at the Afghan consulate were among those killed in the attack, which police said targeted a top civil servant who heads the city's administration.Violence has spiked in the nuclear-armed country ahead of
CIA gave millions in cash to Karzai over the years: Report - (24 days ago)
AFPThe CIA has delivered tens of millions of dollars in cash packed in suitcases and backpacks to the office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai for more than a decade, the New York Times reported Monday."We called it 'ghost money'," Khalil Roman, Karzai's deputy chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, told the Times. "It came in secret, and it left in secret."The money was aimed at obtaining influence,
40 hurt in powerful blast in historic Prague - (24 days ago)
AFPA powerful blast ripped through a multi-storey building in Prague's historic centre on Monday, injuring about 40 people, rescuers said, adding that some people may be buried in the rubble.Police have sealed off the area popular with tourists and evacuated about 220 people from several nearby buildings, Prague police spokesman Tomas Hulan told the public Czech TV.He said the blast, in a
Two wounded in shooting as new Italy government sworn in - (25 days ago)
Two policemen were wounded in a shooting outside government offices in Rome on Sunday, just as the country's new coalition cabinet was being sworn in.The incident occurred about a kilometre away from the presidential palace where Prime Minister Enrico Letta and his ministers took the oath of office.Italian news agency ANSA said two policemen were wounded, one in a critical condition, adding that
Bomb kills five at Pakistan election office: officials - (25 days ago)
AFPA bomb attack targeting an election candidate's office in northwest Pakistan on Sunday killed at least five people and wounded 22, police said, the latest violence ahead of polls next month.The device exploded outside the office of an independent candidate in the garrison city of Kohat, which is adjacent to Pakistan's restive tribal areas along the Afghan
US authorities charge man in ricin probe - (25 days ago)
AFPA 41-year-old martial arts instructor was charged with sending ricin-laced letters to President Barack Obama and other public officials following his arrest Saturday.James Everett Dutschke was formally charged with attempted use of a biological weapon just hours after being detained at his home in Tupelo, Mississippi at 12:50 am (0550 GMT) by federal agents.Three letters laced with ricin were
Italy unveils new government after two-month deadlock - (25 days ago)
AFPItaly's prime minister unveiled a new coalition government on Saturday, finally breaking a two-month stalemate in the recession-hit country which had tested the patience of European partners with a motley team including Silvio Berlusconi's protegeCentre-left moderate Enrico Letta named as his deputy Angelino Alfano -- a move aimed at appeasing the right but which angered critics of billionaire
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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
Ministers in Prime Minister Hisham Qandil's cabinet following the recent reshuffle (new appointees are in italics): 1. Minister of Agriculture Ahmed Mahmoud Ali El-Gizawi2. Minister of Antiquities Ahmed Eissa3. Minister of Aviation Wael Maadawi4. Minister of Communication Atef Helmy5. Minister of Culture
AP— April 15, 2013: Two bombs explode in the packed streets near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring more than 140.— January 17, 2011: A backpack bomb is placed along a Martin Luther King Day parade route in Spokane, Washington, meant to kill and injure participants in a civil rights march, but is found and disabled before it can explode. White
The convenient marriage between Iran and the Arab left would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, given the traditional ideological paradoxes between patriarchal Persian Shiism, on the one hand, and leftist orthodoxy on the other.Indeed, a casual viewer of Hizbullah's Al-Manar television, or the Iranian-funded Al-Mayadin TV, these days would probably think that the two Shia propaganda
