International

Nigeria releases more Boko Haram suspects

ABUJA, Nigeria (AFP) — Nigeria has freed another 51 Boko Haram suspects in the latest round of dropped cases for lack of evidence, the justice ministry said Monday. Over the course of last week, hundreds of suspected Boko Haram extremists appeared before a court at the Kainji military base in central Niger state. A total of 526 suspects have been released from custody after it was found there was not enough evidence to prosecute them, underscoring concerns […]

Israel announces ‘historic’ gas contract with Egypt

JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — Israel has struck an “historic” contract for sales of billions of dollars’ worth of natural gas to Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday. “This will bring billions of dollars to state coffers,” he said in a statement announcing the deal with Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel. The Israeli energy group Delek said the value of the contract was $15 billion. It […]

Macron’s migrant law faces rough ride in parliament

by Katy Lee and Clare Gallen © Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — French President Emmanuel Macron faces a difficult week as lawmakers weigh up a controversial bill that toughens France’s stance on migrants, with even some of his own party reluctant to back it. After France processed a record 100,000 asylum applications last year, Macron vowed to grant asylum faster but also to deport economic migrants more swiftly, while better integrating those who stay. The new […]

Trump backs improved background checks on gun buys

by Brian Knowlton © Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump signaled support Monday for improving background gun checks amid mounting pressure for reform in the wake of the Florida school shooting, as the accused gunman appeared in court. Nikolas Cruz, charged with killing 17 people, sat silently with his head bowed during a procedural hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in what is expected to be a lengthy and emotional prosecution. Wednesday’s rampage […]

77 dead as Syria enclave pounded ahead of expected ground assault

by Abdulmonam Eassa Agence France-Presse HAMMURIYEH, Syria – Heavy Syrian bombardment killed at least 77 civilians in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta on Monday, a war monitor said, as regime forces appeared to prepare for an imminent ground assault. The escalation came as pro-government forces were also expected to enter the northern Kurdish-controlled enclave of Afrin, to take a stand against a month-old Turkish assault there. Held by rebels since 2012, Eastern Ghouta is the last opposition pocket around […]

Canada voices concern to Israel over mass expulsion

OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canada, which takes in more African refugees from Israel than any other nation, has voiced concerns to the Jewish state over its planned mass deportation of African migrants, an official said Monday. A spokesman for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa is “concerned” that Israel is working to expel thousands of Eritreans and Sudanese who entered illegally over the years, giving them an ultimatum: leave by April 1 or risk being imprisoned […]

5.9 intensity quake shakes Mexico anew, scares residents

  MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — A medium intensity earthquake struck southwestern Mexico early Monday morning, scaring residents already shaken by a powerful quake two days earlier, though there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The US Geological Survey said its magnitude was 5.9 and it struck at a depth of 40.2 kilometers (25 miles), some 32 kilometers (20 miles) northeast of the town of Santa Catarina Mechoacan in Oaxaca state at 0657 […]

Iran resumes hunt for missing plane

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranian rescue teams resumed their search on Monday for a passenger plane that disappeared high in the Zagros mountains the previous day with 66 people onboard, local media reported. State television said the weather had improved after blizzard conditions hampered search efforts Sunday, and that helicopters were now able to take part in the hunt for Aseman Airlines flight EP3704. The authorities had called off the rescue effort overnight as heavy […]

Togo talks offer ‘last chance’ to resolve crisis

  by Emile Kouton with Celia Lebur in Lagos © Agence France-Presse LOME, Togo (AFP) — After six months of political crisis, a dialogue between Togo’s government and the opposition opening on Monday is seen by many as the last chance to resolve a bitter dispute over the rule of embattled President Faure Gnassingbe. But the talks have raised a welter of emotions in this tiny west African country, ranging from hope to incredulity. “It’s a ‘last […]

Trump slams FBI over school shooting, blames preoccupation with Russia probe

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump slammed the FBI Saturday for failing to heed signs that could have prevented the Florida school shooting, charging the agency was too preoccupied with probing his campaign team over Russian election meddling. Allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential race and collusion with the Trump campaign are being investigated by several congressional committees and by special prosecutor Robert Mueller, who took charge of the federal […]

Iran airline retracts toll of 66 dead in plane crash: media

TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Aseman Airlines on Sunday retracted its statement that all 66 people aboard a passenger plane had died after it crashed, as rescue teams struggled to find the wreckage. The ATR-72 twin-engine plane crashed amid severe weather in the Zagros mountains after taking off on a domestic flight from Tehran. “Given the special circumstances of the region, we still have no access to the spot of the crash and therefore we […]

‘Do not test Israel’s resolve’, Netanyahu warns Iran

by Michelle Fitzpatrick and Joseph Schmid Agence France Presse MUNICH, Germany (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran on Sunday over aggressions by Iran and its “proxies” in Syria, saying he would not allow them to “put a noose of terror around our neck.” Calling it “a message to the tyrants of Tehran”, he warned in a speech at the Munich Security Conference: “Do not test Israel’s resolve.” His fiery comments came as […]