Kashmir crisis: India says soldier killed in border clash

An Indian paramilitary soldier stands guard near a temporary checkpoint during lockdown in Srinagar SRINAGAR, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — An Indian soldier was killed by Pakistani forces on the Kashmir border, the military said, as a tense lockdown in the region of seven million residents entered its third week. The…

Myanmar blames Rohingya repatriation failure on Bangladesh

YANGON, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Myanmar on Friday pushed blame for its second failed attempt to repatriate the Rohingya on Bangladesh, a day after not a single refugee turned upto return to conflict-scarred Rakhine state. The Myanmar military waged a brutal crackdown on the stateless Muslim minority in western Rakhine state, leading…

Rohingya offer special prayers to go home

Rohingya Muslim refugees pray at a mosque in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh KUTUPALONG (Bangladesh), Aug 124 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Rohingya imams offered special prayers on Friday for a safe return to their homeland ahead of the second anniversary of hundreds of thousands of the minority fleeing Myanmar to Bangladesh.…

Sudan women fight gender imbalance in transition

KHARTOUM, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) : They were on the front lines and in the negotiating rooms that brought down military rule but Sudan’s women have yet to take their rightful place in the new institutions. The signing last week of the documents outlining the transition to civilian rule was a…

US, Taliban due to resume peace push at Doha talks

DOHA, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The US and the Taliban said they would return to talks in Qatar aimed at bringing a close to Afghanistan’s 18-year conflict. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a media WhatsApp group that day two of the ninth round of negotiations in Doha would “restart after…

Bolivia enlists ‘supertanker’ plane to battle wildfires

LA PAZ, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Bolivia took delivery on Friday of a “supertanker” aircraft to help fight wildfires that have devastated vast swathes of forest and agricultural land. The government hired the Boeing 747-400 plane after failing to extinguish fires that have destroyed around 7,770 square kilometres of the eastern…

Italy political crisis: 5-Star, PD make early progress in talks on new government

Italian President Sergio Mattarella speaks to the press after consultations with political parties’ leaders, in Rome ROME, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The first day of talks between the 5-Star Movement and the Democratic Party (PD) to form a new Italian government ended on Friday with both sides reporting progress and…

Tunisia arrests media mogul presidential candidate: Party

TUNIS, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Tunisian authorities arrested a presidential candidate and founder of a major television channel for alleged money laundering, his party said on Friday, hours after his channel was banned from covering campaigning. “About 15 police cars blocked the road and rushed to Nabil Karoui’s car before…

Turkey: Pres Erdogan to visit Moscow after convoy hit in Syria

ISTANBUL, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Moscow on Tuesday (Aug 27) for a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, the presidency said in a statement, days after a Turkish convoy was hit by an air strike in Syria. The surprise visit comes as the…

Update: US-China trade war deteriorates, as Trump lashes out at Beijing

WASHINGTON, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States and China exchanged blows on Friday as each side increased punitive tariffs on the other, intensifying a trade war that is threatening to engulf the global economy. In a rapid back-and-forth, Beijing took action against US$75 billion in American goods in response to US…