Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told his visitors that his appeal to participate in the elections was directed to the general Lebanese expatriates, not to a class or sect. “The aim is based on two main points, urging the spread and alienation to participate in the elections and thus their entry ... Read More »
DEATH IS COMING Black Death warning in NINE countries – including Brit holiday hotspots – amid fears PLAGUE could spread on flights from Madagascar
PLAGUE warnings have been issued for NINE countries surrounding Madagascar amid fears the disease could spread via sea trade and flight routes. The outbreak is considered a much bigger threat to the region than in previous years because it has taken on its pneumonic form – meaning it is ... Read More »
Iraqi Kurds offer to ‘freeze’ independence referendum result
Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Region has offered to “freeze” the result of September’s referendum on independence and begin dialogue with Baghdad. A statement also proposed a ceasefire “in order to prevent further violence and clashes” triggered by the launch of a Iraqi military operation last week. It saw troops and ... Read More »
Kenya opposition leader urges boycott of repeat elections
NAIROBI, Kenya: The leader of Kenya’s main opposition party urged his supporters to boycott a rerun of the country’s disputed presidential election scheduled for Thursday amid rising political tensions and fears of violence. Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga urged his political coalition to become a “resistance movement” and called on ... Read More »
Thailand grieves in elaborate final goodbye to King Bhumibol
A ceremony in an ornate throne hall Thursday morning began the transfer of the remains of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej to his spectacular golden crematorium in the royal quarter of Bangkok after a year of mourning for the monarch Thais hailed as “Father.” Three separate and intensely solemn processions ... Read More »
Ocean acidification is deadly threat to marine life, finds eight-year study
Plastic pollution, overfishing, global warming and increased acidification from burning fossil fuels means oceans are increasingly hostile to marine life If the outlook for marine life was already looking bleak – torrents of plastic that can suffocate and starve fish, overfishing, diverse forms of human pollution that create ... Read More »
China Unveils New Leadership, With Xi Jinping More Powerful Than Ever
BEIJING — President Xi Jinping thrust China into a new era of strongman politics on Wednesday, unveiling a leadership team without a likely successor among the six officials who will help him rule for the next half decade. In a nationally televised ceremony, Mr. Xi introduced the new ... Read More »
Tillerson Promotes Closer Iraq-Saudi Ties
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Sunday promoted improving ties between Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a way to counter Iran’s growing military assertiveness in the region. Tillerson, participating in the initial meeting of the Saudi Arabia-Iraq Coordination Committee in Riyadh, told Saudi King Salman and ... Read More »
El-Sissi vows to quash terrorism after police ambush
CAIRO: In his first remarks after a deadly attack on the country’s police force, Egypt’s president vowed on Sunday to press ahead with the country’s war against terrorism, secure its borders and hunt down militants. President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi’s remarks came nearly 48 hours after authorities officially announced that ... Read More »
Northern Italy regions overwhelmingly vote for greater autonomy
Voters in Veneto, which includes Venice, and Lombardy, home to Milan, back further devolution from Rome, say regional leaders Two of Italy’s wealthiest northern regions on Sunday voted overwhelmingly in favour of greater autonomy in the latest example of the powerful centrifugal forces reshaping European politics. Voters in the ... Read More »