Assad urges progress on Idlib deal ahead of Syria talks

DAMASCUS, April 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Friday (May 19) called for progress on a stalled buffer zone deal around militant-dominated Idlib region ahead of fresh talks aimed at ending his country’s eight-year war. Assad met envoy Alexander Lavrentiev from key ally Russia in Damascus to discuss…

Cargo load to be profitable sector versus passenger ridership on ECRL

Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) chairman Tun Daim Zainuddin. Photo courtesy of Bernama KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 (NNN- Bernama) — Cargo load will be the more profitable sector for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) compared with passenger ridership as the rail link will provide a land bridge that will…

Rohingya repatriation: Fourth Bangladesh, Myanmar talks on May 3

DHAKA, April 19 (NNN-BSS) – Bangladesh and Myanmar will hold their next Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting in Naypyidaw on May 3 to discuss the development made so far for safe repatriation of Rohingya people. “The next Bangladesh-Myanmar joint working group meeting will be held in their capital (Naypyidaw) on…

Police arrest over 500 in London climate protest

Security forces take a protester into custody as Extinction Rebellion (XR) members continue to block central junctions on the third day in a row in London, United Kingdom on April 18, 2019. British Police announced that the total number of arrests reached 500. Photo courtesy of Anadolu Agency LONDON, April…

Iraqi court frees French national citing lack of evidence for joining Daesh

BAGHDAD, April 19 (NNN-Xinhua) — An Iraqi court on Thursday freed a French national suspected of joining the Daesh militant group for lack of evidence, the Iraqi judiciary said. The French defendant, who was previously transferred from neighboring Syria, was released by the Investigative Court of Karkh in Baghdad “for…

Israel releases Palestinian prisoner held for 18 years

Khalil Ahmad Shawamreh, 47, from Dura village, southwest of Hebron, celebrate after prison release. Photo courtesy of WAFA HEBRON, April 19 (NNN-WAFA) – Khalil Ahmad Shawamreh, 47, a Palestinian who has been detained in Israeli jails for 18 years, was released on Thursday. At Zahiriya checkpoint to the south of…

EU warns against human rights abuses in China

‘Human rights are not less important than economic interests,’ says foreign policy chief Mogherini at a plenary session of the European Parliament. Photo courtesy of Anadolu STRASBOURG, April 19 (NNN-ANADOLU) – China continues to deteriorate on civil and political rights despite its progress on economy and social rights, said the…

Torture still practiced in Afghan detention centres: UN report

File photo of UN shows Afghan National Police guard the office of the Governor of Bamyan Province, Afghanistan on 22 July 2009. Photo courtesy of UN UNITED NATIONS, Apr 19 (NNN-APP)- Torture is still widespread in Afghanistan’s State-run prisons for detainees linked to ongoing conflict there, the UN noted, while…

Pakistan PM Imran Khan named among Time’s 100 most influential people of 2019

NEW YORK, April 19 (NNN-APP)- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been named among the ‘100 Most Influential people’ of 2019 by Time, a mass-circulation US magazine, with a senior journalist underscoring his potential to turn Pakistan around towards a better future. The prestigious list, unveiled on Wednesday, selected the…

Barr defends Trump before release of special counsel’s Russia report

NEW YORK, April 19 (NNN-NNA) – U.S. Attorney General William Barr on Thursday offered a spirited defense of President Donald Trump ahead of the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election, emphasizing that it found no collusion between Trump’s campaign and Moscow. Barr,…