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by Maya Gebeily Agence France Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Syrian troops backed by Russian jets completed the recapture of the historic city of Palmyra from the Islamic State group Thursday, the Kremlin and the army said, in another blow to the jihadists. Bolstered by air strikes and ground troops from their ally Moscow, Syrian forces battled through the desert for weeks to reach Palmyra. The oasis city has traded hands several times during Syria’s […]
by Sara Hussein with W.G. Dunlop in Baghdad Agence France Presse MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Over 28,000 people have fled since the start of a drive to retake west Mosul, as Iraqi forces closed in Wednesday on a road linking the city with a jihadist-held town to the west. West Mosul is the largest population center still controlled by the Islamic State group, and its recapture would mark the effective end of the cross-border “caliphate” leader […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — Russia and China on Tuesday vetoed a United Nations resolution backed by Western powers that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use. The measure drafted by Britain, France and the United States won nine votes in favor at the Security Council, while three countries opposed it — China, Russia and Bolivia. Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Egypt abstained. UN resolutions require that there be nine positive votes and […]
by Sara Hussein Agence France Presse SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Hundreds of civilians fled through the desert Tuesday to escape fighting and privation in Mosul, joining thousands of others who left their homes amid dire conditions in the city’s west. Iraqi forces launched a major push on February 19 to recapture the west of Mosul from the Islamic State jihadist group, retaking the airport and then advancing north. Security forces reached the southernmost […]
by M JEGATHESAN KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Two women arrested over the nerve agent assassination of Kim Jong-Nam are to be charged with his murder, Malaysia said Tuesday, as North Korea sent a senior diplomat to retrieve the body from the morgue. The spectacular killing of Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother with VX, a fast-acting poison developed for warfare, sparked an international probe and lurid stories of Pyongyang’s Cold War-style tradecraft. South Korea says its isolated […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The heir to the Samsung empire and four other top executives from the world’s biggest smartphone maker were indicted Tuesday on multiple charges including bribery and embezzlement, South Korean prosecutors said. “Special prosecutors today indicted Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-Yong… for bribery, embezzlement, hiding of assets overseas… and perjury,” said Lee Kyu-Chul, spokesperson for the team probing a corruption and power abuse scandal that has seen President Park Geun-Hye […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean retail giant Lotte on Tuesday signed a deal to provide a golf course that will host a controversial United States missile defense system loathed by Beijing, Seoul’s defense ministry said. Food- and retail-focused Lotte Group, South Korea’s fifth-biggest company, has come under growing pressure from China, a crucial market, over the proposal. The plan by Washington and Seoul to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in […]
by Sara Hussein Agence France Presse MOSUL, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi forces battled jihadists in west Mosul on Sunday, aiming to build a floating bridge across the Tigris to establish an important supply route linked to the recaptured east bank. A week into a major push on the western side of the city, where an estimated 2,000 holdout jihadists and 750,000 civilians are trapped, government forces made steady progress. But after relatively easy gains on […]
SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia and Indonesia announced the full restoration of military ties Sunday as the countries’ leaders held talks following a brief spat over teaching material deemed offensive to Jakarta. Indonesia had reported the suspension of all military cooperation with Australia from December before clarifying that only language training had been put on hold. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said after two hours of talks that he and Indonesian President Joko Widodo had […]
by Nazeer al-Khatib with Rana Moussaoui in Beirut Agence France Presse AL BAB, Syria (AFP) — An Islamic State group suicide bomber killed 51 people outside Syria’s Al-Bab on Friday, in a major blow just hours after rebels seized the town from the jihadists. In a statement distributed online, the group said its suicide bomber “drove his car bomb into the middle of a gathering of Turkish soldiers and apostates working in Susian”. At least […]
SEOUL, South Korea (Reuters) –South Korean President Park Geun-hye has been impeached by parliament over her role in an influence-peddling scandal linked to her friend Choi Soon-sil, and now awaits a Constitutional Court review of that decision. The court has said it will conclude oral arguments on Monday (February 27). It has not said when a verdict will be delivered but, according to past practice, a decision could be reached after about two weeks. If […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea denounced its chief ally and diplomatic protector China for “dancing to the tune of the (United States)” after it banned coal imports in apparent punishment for a missile launch. Beijing and Pyongyang have a relationship forged in the blood of the Korean War, but ties have begun to fray in recent years, with China increasingly exasperated by its wayward neighbor’s nuclear antics. Last week it announced the suspension […]
