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THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — Former Ivory Coast president Laurent Gbagbo will Monday ask the International Criminal Court to acquit him of crimes against humanity and free him after seven years in detention. Gbagbo, 73, is the first-ever head of state to be handed over to the Hague-based ICC, where he has been on trial since 2016. He faces four counts of crimes against humanity for his role in fomenting a wave of post-electoral […]
by Kay Armin Serjoie Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Monday they launched a missile strike against a “terrorist” headquarters in Syria in retaliation for an attack that killed 24 people in the Iranian city of Ahvaz. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had vowed a “crushing” response to last month’s assault — claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group — on a military parade commemorating the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war. “The headquarters of those […]
by Richard SARGENT / Hla-Hla HTAY Agence France-Presse YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) – Two Reuters journalists accused of breaching Myanmar’s state secrets law while reporting on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims were jailed for seven years Monday, fuelling international outrage a week after the army was accused of genocide. Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, who have been held in Yangon’s Insein prison since their arrest in December, were charged with violating the Official […]
by Aidan Jones / with Hla-Hla Htay in Maungdaw Agence France-Presse COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AFP) — With a repatriation plan in tatters and funding evaporating for a million refugees with ever-growing needs, Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar to Bangladesh face a grim future one year after the latest eruption of a decades-old conflict. Raids by Rohingya militants on August 25 last year across Myanmar’s Rakhine state spurred an army crackdown which the United Nations has […]
by Blanca Morel / Julia Rios Agence France-Presse MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — Thousands of Nicaraguans marched through their capital on Wednesday demanding that anti-government protesters jailed over the past four months be released. “Liberty for our political prisoners,” yelled many in the rally. They also called for President Daniel Ortega, a 72-year-old former guerrilla who has been in power the last 11 years, to step down. The demonstration was a show of defiance over a […]
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — The Nicaraguan government on Tuesday accused the opposition of “coup-driven terrorism” and blamed it for 197 deaths that have occurred in nearly four months of protests against President Daniel Ortega. Rosario Murillo, who is Ortega’s wife, vice president and chief government spokeswoman, made the allegation to state media. She vowed that protesters and opposition sympathizers who have been convicted over the unrest, would “pay for their crimes.” The 197 death toll […]
by Eric Randolph with Thomas Watkins in Washington Agence France-Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranians were bracing on Monday for the return of US sanctions against the backdrop of angry protests and a corruption crackdown that are roiling the embattled government of President Hassan Rouhani. The country has seen days of sporadic protests and strikes in multiple towns and cities driven by concerns over water shortages, the economy and wider anger at the political system. […]
KHOST, Afghanistan (AFP) — Hundreds of mourners Saturday buried the victims of a twin suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in eastern Afghanistan, as the death toll rose to 35, officials said. Two suicide bombers dressed as women struck a Shiite mosque in Gardez, capital of Paktia province, Friday as it was crowded with worshippers for weekly prayers. The burqa-clad attackers shot at the mosque’s security guards before opening fire on worshippers then detonating […]
by Ammar Karim Agence France-Presse BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — As the stultifying summer heat sends Iraqis in search of cool spots, restaurateur Ali Hussein provides sanctuary — even though it means hooking up to an expensive generator. “The clients must be comfortable when they eat,” said Hussein, who stakes his reputation on ensuring customers are constantly blasted by air conditioning. Outside, temperatures at this time of year can reach 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit), sending […]
GAO, Mali (AFP) — Canadian armed forces officially launched their peacekeeping mission in restive northern Mali Tuesday, marking Ottawa’s return to the blue helmets after more than a decade. The contingent of 250 soldiers and six helicopters is expected to conduct medical evacuations in the north of the country from Wednesday as they take over from German troops. “My team and I are extremely proud to wear the blue beret as UN soldiers from Canada,” […]
KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — AFP driver Mohammad Akhtar, a 31-year-old father of four who was among 23 people killed in a suicide attack in Kabul, was a “great friend” known for his kindness and honesty, colleagues said Monday. Sunday’s attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group, happened as supporters of Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum were leaving the capital’s international airport after welcoming home the former warlord from exile. Akhtar’s death […]
KANO, Nigeria (AFP) — At least 30 people were killed during raids on villages in northwest Nigeria in the latest deadly attacks by cattle rustling and kidnapping gangs in the restive region, residents told AFP on Wednesday. Armed bandits on motorcycles stormed five neighbouring rural villages in the Maradun district of Zamfara state on Tuesday afternoon, firing indiscriminately and stealing livestock. “We recovered 30 bodies from the attacks and we have so far buried 26 […]
