New European Commission road map lays out conditions for quick accession Serbia and Montenegro could be set to join the European Union as early as 2025, according to a new action plan launched by Brussels. The EU enlargement plan for the Western Balkans, presented by the European Commission on ... Read More »
Trump-Russia: Steve Bannon refuses to testify before House committee – source
Former White House senior strategist will defy subpoena, citing lack of agreement on scope of questioning, says individual familiar with matter The former White House senior strategist Steve Bannon will not testify before the intelligence committee of the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, according to sources – defying ... Read More »
Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria, Cameroon despite ‘defeated’ claims
MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA: Boko Haram fighters stormed a village in northeast Nigeria and murdered two civilians, while six people were killed in an attack in northern Cameroon, a local resident and security sources told AFP on Monday. The attacks came as Nigeria’s military again maintained the jihadists had been defeated, ... Read More »
Pentagon doesn’t know what happened to more than $800m in spending, claims report
The Defence Logistics Agency reportedly misstated hundreds of millions of dollars in project spending The US Defence Department can’t account for more than $800m(£571m) in spending, according to an audit of one of its agencies. A review of the Defence Logistics Agency, a subsection of the Defence Department, shows ... Read More »
Erdogan rejects option of partnership with EU
ROME: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rejected proposals of a partnership with the EU, insisting full membership to the bloc is the only option, in an interview published Sunday. Hosting Erdogan on a visit to Paris in January, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was “hypocrisy” to say ... Read More »
UN: Rohingya crisis could endanger regional security
JAKARTA, Indonesia: The UN’s human rights chief has warned that Myanmar’s persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority has the potential to spark regional conflict. Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein reiterated while in Indonesia on Monday that acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing may have occurred in the campaign of violence against ... Read More »
Tillerson warns against China, Russia engagement in Americas
WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Thursday warned countries in the Western Hemisphere to beware of Chinese investment, saying it is reminiscent of European colonialism. He also derided Russia for selling weaponry to unfriendly, authoritarian governments in the region. Before embarking Thursday on a five-nation trip to Latin America, ... Read More »
AP confirms 5 previously unreported Myanmar mass graves
BALUKHALI REFUGEE CAMP, Bangladesh: The Associated Press has confirmed more than five previously unreported mass graves in the Myanmar village of Gu Dar Pyin through multiple interviews with more than two dozen survivors in Bangladesh refugee camps and through time-stamped cellphone videos. The Myanmar government regularly claims massacres like Gu ... Read More »
Taliban active in 70% of Afghanistan, study finds
WASHINGTON: The Taliban are openly active in 70 percent of Afghanistan’s districts, fully controlling 4 percent of the country and demonstrating an open physical presence in another 66 percent, according to a BBC study published on Tuesday. The BBC estimate, which it said was based on conversations with more than ... Read More »
Trump grants 7,000 Syrian immigrants right to stay in US as civil war rages
Administration had previously revoked special status for Haitians and El Salvadorians The Trump administration will allow thousands of Syrians to remain in America for at least 18 months. In extending Temporary Protected Status to some 7,000 Syrians currently in the US, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that war-convulsed ... Read More »