World News

Japan PM tells Biden that new era requires more military muscle

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged Friday alongside US President Joe Biden to modernize his country's military, warning that Russia's invasion of Ukraine had opened a dangerous new era and could embolden China.. China under President Xi Jinping has been increasingly forceful on Taiwan and staged major military exercises in August after a defiant visit to the self-governing democracy by Nancy Pelosi, then the speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 3 mins read

World News

French Muslim union sues nation's biggest literary star Houellebecq

The Union of Mosques in France is suing the controversial French novelist Michel Houellebecq for discrimination, hate speech and inciting violence in remarks to an interviewer, the organisation told AFP on Friday. . Houellebecq has said the controversial sections would be edited out of the interview online, and in a forthcoming book in which the remarks will feature.

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 1 mins read

World News

Pressure mounts on Bolsonaro ally after riots

Brazil tightened the screws Friday on a former minister of far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro following riots against his leftist successor and the discovery of a possible election interference plan.. - 'State of defense' - The minister also confirmed the discovery at Torres' home of a draft decree proposing emergency steps for the possible "correction" of the October election that Bolsonaro lost to Lula by a razor-thin margin.

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Colombia to investigate claims US, local soldiers raped indigenous girls

Colombia President Gustavo Petro on Friday ordered an investigation into the alleged rape of underage indigenous girls by US and local soldiers.. In 2020, prosecutors opened an investigation into the alleged rape of a 15-year-old Nukak girl by eight Colombian soldiers in Guaviare.

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 1 mins read

World News

'Bad shape': Azerbaijani blockade of Karabakh drags on

A blockade by Azerbaijanis of the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh has left supermarkets and pharmacies in the territory's capital Stepanakert with bare shelves, further isolating the beleaguered majority-Armenian population.. Armenia and Azerbaijan fought in the early 1990s for control of Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict that left 30,000 dead and ended in an Armenian victory.

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 2 mins read

World News

Polisario holds leadership poll under shadow of Morocco-Algeria tensions

The Polisario movement, which seeks independence in disputed Western Sahara, started meeting Friday for leadership elections in the shadow of mounting tensions between host Algeria and Morocco, which controls most of the territory.. "It's the first congress since the armed struggle resumed," the movement's representative in South Africa, Islam Beissat, told AFP. The conflict dates back to 1975, when colonial occupier Spain withdrew from Western Sahara, sparking a 15-year war between the Polisario and Morocco for control of the territory.

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Spain court hears Rabat case over reporter's spyware claim

Morocco on Friday called on a Madrid court to exonerate the kingdom of repeated claims by a Spanish journalist that it was responsible for bugging his phone with Pegasus spyware.. "It is not possible to confirm that the Kingdom of Morocco has any responsibility whatsoever" in this spyware affair, Sergio Berenguer, one of Rabat's lawyers told the court.

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 3 mins read

World News

Morocco-Algeria spat spills into football with African cup no-show

The decades-long rivalry between North African neighbours Morocco and Algeria has spilled onto the football pitch, leaving the Moroccan team out of the African Nations Championship (CHAN).. Fouzi Lekjaa, head of Morocco's FRMF football federation, said it was "really regrettable that the Moroccan national team, which had been preparing seriously for six months to participate in CHAN and defend its title, was deprived of the chance".

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 2 mins read

World News

Iran top diplomat hopes for restoration of Saudi ties

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed hope during a visit to Lebanon Friday that diplomatic ties between Tehran and Riyadh could be restored through dialogue between the two regional arch-rivals.. Amir-Abdollahian told a news conference in Beirut "we are ready to restore ties," and such a move "would have positive repercussions on the entire region."

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 2 mins read

World News

Shock in France over boy's suicide after homophobic bullying

The suicide of a 13-year-old French boy who was bullied at school for being gay has shocked the country, prompting warnings that homophobia kills.. Transport Minister Clement Beaune, who came out as gay while serving as Europe minister in 2020, tweeted: "Homophobia kills.

Fri, Jan 13, 2023 2 mins read