Airstrike by east-based army targets field hospital in southern Tripoli, a doctor killed

TRIPOLI, Oct 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — An airstrike killed a doctor and injured two paramedics working in a field hospital in the south of Tripoli, which has been witnessing a deadly armed conflict between the east-based rebel army and the UN-backed government based in the capital. “Dr. Samer Sulaiman al-Sibai was…

Namibia, Guinea to cooperate on energy

WINDHOEK, Oct 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — Namibia and Guinea signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the energy sector. The two countries agreed to form a joint committee to carry out the MoU. The committee will work together with both countries’ energy ministries to explore partnership opportunities especially in…

Turkish military campaign against Kurdish forces begins in northern Syria

DAMASCUS, Oct 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — The Turkish military campaign against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began on Monday night in northern and northeastern Syria, Syria’s state TV and activists reported. The state TV in Syria said the Turkish attack targeted the SDF-held Tal Tawil area in the northeastern countryside…

Iraqi president calls for national dialogue amid deadly protests

BAGHDAD, Oct 8 (NNN-Xinhua) — Iraqi President Barham Salih urged protesters to join national dialogue, asserting that he categorically rejects targeting peaceful demonstrators and security forces as well. In his speech addressing the Iraqi people, Salih called on the demonstrators “to join a constructive and genuine dialogue within the national…

Iraq military admits ‘excessive force’ used in deadly protests

BAGHDAD, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Iraq’s military admitted for the first time it had used “excessive force” in nearly a week of deadly protests, as paramilitary units said they were ready to back the government. More than 100 people have been killed and several thousand wounded in demonstrations increasingly spiralling into…

French PM open to idea of quotas for migrants

French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe PARIS, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he was not opposed to introducing quotas for migrants, part of an effort by his government to heed voters’ concerns about immigration that are being seized upon by political rivals. The government, closely allied…

Clashes as indigenous march on Ecuador capital over fuel price hike

QUITO, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Hundreds of indigenous people and farmers clashed with Ecuadoran security forces as they marched toward the capital Quito to protest against rising fuel prices. Riot police and the military used tear gas to try to disperse the marchers in the town of Machachi on the…

Hopes for a deal dim as US-China trade talks get underway in tense atmosphere

WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Prospects for progress in US-China trade talks dimmed after Washington blacklisted Chinese companies over Beijing’s treatment of predominantly Muslim ethnic minorities, and President Donald Trump said a quick trade deal was unlikely. The move by the US Commerce Department could deepen divisions between Washington and Beijing at a…

Indonesian President Joko Widodo to visit Singapore for Leaders’ Retreat

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) meeting Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Sochi, Russia, on May 21, 2016 SINGAPORE, Oct 8 (NNN-CNA) — Indonesian President Joko Widodo will be in Singapore on Tuesday for a two-day visit as part of the Singapore-Indonesia Leaders’ Retreat, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)…

Spanish authorities brace for Catalan separatists verdict

Supporters of Catalan independence take part in a protest to mark the second anniversary of the Oct 1 illegal referendum of independence in Barcelona BARCELONA, Oct 8 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Spanish authorities are bracing for potentially violent protests in Catalonia as the region counts down to the possible jailing of separatist…