Photo Christian families who had left El Arish, in northern Sinai, arriving at a church in Ismailia, Egypt. Credit Ahmed Aboulenein/Reuters CAIRO — Dozens of Egyptian Christian families fled their homes in the northern Sinai Peninsula on Friday, driven by a targeted campaign of Islamist violence that has killed at least seven people in recent weeks. People flooded into a church compound in the city of Ismailia, […]
By John Walcott and Matt Spetalnick | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON A proposal the Trump administration is considering to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation has stalled over warnings from defence and intelligence officials that the move could backfire, according to officials familiar with the matter. “If you do that, there is no way to escalate, and you would foreclose any possibility of talking to the […]
Two years after Donald Trump was booed at an influential conservative event, the US president returned to the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday for a victory lap. But his rambling address, at an event that was more campaign rally than detailed presentation of policy, struck a jarring note at the end of a week that saw a semblance of orthodoxy from the new administration. While his […]
By Emily Stephenson and Steve Holland | NATIONAL HARBOR, Md./WASHINGTON NATIONAL HARBOR, Md./WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said he would make a massive budget request for one of the “greatest military buildups in American history” on Friday in a feisty, campaign-style speech extolling robust nationalism to eager conservative activists. Trump used remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), an organization that gave him one of his first […]
For years, it was something in the olive oil. Scientists, puzzled by the lengthy lifespans of Mediterranean communities, pointed to the condiment as a key ingredient in the elixir of life. Then there was Japan, whose lengthy spell at the top of global longevity rankings was put down to its citizens’ low-fat diet and love of raw fish. Now, with South Koreans storming to the top of […]
Submitted by Daniel Mitchell via The Foundation for Economic Education, Early last month, in a column on my hopes and fears for 2017, I fretted about fiscal chaos in Italy leading to default and bailouts. Simply stated, I fear that Italy, along with certain other “Club Med” nations, has passed the point of no return in terms of big government, demographic decline, and societal dependency. And this […]
Senator Leila de Lima insisted she was innocent of the drug trafficking charges that could see her jailed for life. The highest-profile critic of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war was arrested on Friday on charges supporters said were meant to silence her, but she vowed to keep campaigning against killings and “repression”. In comments to journalists moments before police detained her following an […]
By Alexandra Alper and Noe Torres | MEXICO CITY MEXICO CITY Mexico on Thursday expressed “worry and irritation” about U.S. policies to two of President Donald Trump’s top envoys, giving a chilly reply to the new administration’s hard line on immigration, trade and security. Comments by Trump about a “military operation” to deport criminals added to the tense atmosphere, and prompted a clarification from Homeland Security chief […]
A body set up by the Saudi-led coalition to investigate civilian casualties in Yemen said on Thursday a technical fault was responsible for the death of seven people in a 2015 air strike but cleared the alliance of other attacks. Saudi Arabia and its allies in a mostly Gulf Arab military coalition have been bombing the Iran-aligned Houthi movement since they seized much of northern Yemen in […]
Bots appear to behave differently in culturally distinct online environments. A new paper says the findings are a warning to those using artificial intelligence for building autonomous vehicles, cyber security systems or for managing social media. (via WSJ)
British boxer Amir Khan and Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao are on course to fight in the UAE. Khan said on Twitter that his team is in talks with Pacquiao to be the WBO world welterweight champion’s next title challenger. Pacquaio, a six-weight world champion said on the social media platform that his next fight will be in the UAE, adding: “My team and I are in negotiations […]
By Tom Miles and John Irish | GENEVA GENEVA Opposing sides in the Syrian war came face-to-face in U.N. peace talks for the first time in three years on Thursday, to hear mediator Staffan de Mistura implore them to cooperate to find a way out of almost six years of war. “I ask you to work together. I know it’s not going to be easy to end […]
Posted: Feb. 23, 2017 7:00 am Updated: Feb. 23, 2017 10:31 am MANILA, Philippines (AP) A Philippine court issued an arrest warrant on drug charges Thursday for an opposition senator and former top human rights official who is one of the most vocal critics of President Rodrigo Duterte and his deadly anti-drug crackdown. The Regional Trial Court in Muntinlupa city in the Manila metropolis issued the […]
Viewers who love to binge series like Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage are about to get introduced a yet another superhero on Netflix. Netflix announced its lineup of new titles coming to the platform in March, with plans to release even more new original content along with viewers favorite titles. This includes the anticipated series based in the Marvel Universe, Iron Fist based on the comic […]
Photo Iraqi forces attacked the Mosul airport in an offensive to take the western side of the city from the Islamic State on Thursday. Credit Ahmad Al-Rubaye/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces have seized most of Mosul’s airport, an important milestone in the broader offensive to retake from the Islamic State the western half of the city, allied and Iraqi officials said on Thursday. […]
NIMR Automotive, a subsidiary of Emirates Defense Industries Company (EDIC), on Thursday announced that it is set to supply more than 1,750 armoured vehicles to the UAE Armed Forces under three new contracts. NIMR will deliver 1,500 JAIS 4×4 and 6×6 infantry fighting vehicles, as well as more than 150 HAFEET 630A artillery support vehicles and 115 AJBAN 440A vehicles equipped with anti-tank guided missile systems from […]
BEIRUT: Turkish-backed Syrian opposition announced on Thursday they had taken full control of Al-Bab from the Daesh group, marking a key defeat for the jihadists after weeks of heavy fighting.The town of Al-Bab, just 25 kilometers (15 miles) south of the Turkish border, was the last Daesh stronghold in the northern Syrian province of Aleppo.“We are announcing Al-Bab completely liberated, and we are now clearing mines from […]
Rights group says the case shows how Thailand’s computer crime laws shut down investigative journalism. Bangkok: A British journalist with the BBC faces up to five years in a Thai jail after a lawyer brought a criminal defamation case against him over an investigation into fraud on a popular tourist island. Rights groups say the case is the latest example of how Thailand’s broad defamation and computer […]
IDEX 2017 ends on a high-note with a total of 90 deals valued at more than AED 19.177 billion Abu Dhabi-UAE: 23 February, 2017 At a press conference on the fifth and last day of the 13th edition of the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX 2017), Naval Staff Colonel Fahed Nasser Al Thehli, Official Spokesperson of the fourth edition of the Naval Defence Exhibition (NAVDEX 2017), […]
By Humeyra Pamuk and John Davison | ISTANBUL/BEIRUT ISTANBUL/BEIRUT Turkey-backed rebels have seized the centre of the town of al-Bab from Islamic State, Turkish state media and rebels officials said on Thursday, marking a likely breakthrough in Ankara’s drive to wipe out the militant group in northern Syria. Turkey launched its Syrian operation, dubbed “Operation Euphrates Shield”, in August in an effort to push Islamic State from […]
Many fear electronic voting machines can be hacked and tampered with. Image: iStock The hacking campaign around the US presidential election, cyberattacks against Ukrain’s power grid, and even the internet crippling Mirai botnet DDoS attack all demonstrate how cyberattacks have grown to threaten the very fabric of society itself, NATO has warned. Citing the impact of high profile incidents like these, Jamie Shea, deputy assistant secretary general […]
BAGHDAD U.S.-backed Iraqi security forces closing in on the Islamic State-held western half of Mosul stormed the city’s airport and a nearby military base on Thursday, state television said. Counter-terrorism service (CTS) troops and elite interior ministry units known as Rapid Response descended on the airport early on Thursday and the nearby Ghozlani military complex, CTS spokesman Sabah al-Numan told state TV. “Our forces started a major […]
Russia is pressing world powers to provide Syria with billions of dollars for reconstruction to bolster its faltering efforts to resolve the Arab state’s six-year conflict. But European and Gulf states, angered by Russia’s military intervention that tilted the war in favour of President Bashar al-Assad, will only contribute if Moscow secures a peace settlement that sets the terms for an eventual political transition, western diplomats say. […]
For the past several months we’ve warned that the taxpayers of the City of Dallas, despite all of the tough talk coming out of their elected city council members, would ultimately be forced to bail out the failing Dallas Police and Fire Pension (DPFP) system. And just last night the DPFP board voted 9-0 to approve a plan that would do just that. The plan to save […]
