DAMASCUS, Syria (Reuters) — Syria’s Minister of Reconciliation Ali Haidar said Wednesday in Damascus that the victory of the Syrian army in the northern city of Aleppo is a “strategic and qualitative” one. Speaking to reporters after meeting with China’s special envoy to Syria, Xie Xiaoyan, Haidar said that the Syrian army’s recent sweeping victories in the city will have a huge impact politically and militarily. “The victory in Aleppo is a strategic and qualitative […]
International
Quake of magnitude 6.2 strikes China’s Xinjiang, no reports of casualties
XINJIANG, China (Reuters) — An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hit China’s far western region of Xinjiang on Thursday (December 8), the China Earthquake Administration said, with tremors shaking buildings near the epicenter about 100 km (60 miles) west of the regional capital of Urumqi. There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties from the quake, which struck at a depth of 6 km (4 miles). A police office in Hutubi county where the […]
Britain sets Brexit timetable
LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) — Britain will set in motion the Brexit timetable toward the end of March next year, according to a voting by the British Parliament Wednesday night. The parliament discussed for seven hours on Labor Party’s motion that the government should publish negotiation terms and specific text prior to starting the Brexit talks. The motion was endorsed by some Conservative MPs. It was reported that Prime Minister Theresa May once expressed agreement […]
Quake of magnitude 6.2 strikes China’s Xinjiang, no reports of casualties
XINJIANG, China (Reuters) — An earthquake of magnitude 6.2 hit China’s far western region of Xinjiang on Thursday (December 8), the China Earthquake Administration said, with tremors shaking buildings near the epicentre about 100 km (60 miles) west of the regional capital of Urumqi. There were no immediate reports of major damage or casualties from the quake, which struck at a depth of 6 km (4 miles). A police office in Hutubi county where the […]
Indonesia scours for possible survivors a day after quake kills more than 100
ACEH PROVINCE, Indonesia (Reuters) — Intensive efforts to search for possible survivors continued in Indonesia on Thursday (December 8), after a deadly quake in Aceh the previous day. The magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on early hours of Wednesday (December 7) and killed at least 102 people, according to the National Disaster Management Agency. Pidie Jaya regency, located on the east coast of Aceh province in northern Indonesia, was the worst hit area. Search teams formed […]
Italy’s Renzi resigns, hints at early election
by Angus Mackinnon Agence France Presse ROME, Italy (AFP) – Matteo Renzi bowed out as Italian prime minister on Wednesday with a combination of jokes, regrets and a strong hint that he wants to lead his party into an early election battle. Forced to quit after a crushing referendum defeat, Renzi formally submitted his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday evening. The presidential palace said political consultations on forming a caretaker government would […]
Pakistan plane carrying 48 crashes killing all on board
by Gohar Abbas Agence France Presse SADDHA BATOLNI, Pakistan (AFP) – A Pakistani plane carrying 48 people crashed Wednesday in the country’s mountainous north and burst into flames killing everyone on board, authorities said, in one of the deadliest aviation accidents in the nation’s history. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Flight PK661 came down after one of its two turboprop engines failed while travelling from the city of Chitral to Islamabad, the civil aviation authority said. Rescuers, including […]
Syria rebels call for truce as Aleppo losses mount
by Karam al-Masri with Sara Hussein in Beirut Agence France Presse ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) – ebels in Aleppo called for a five-day truce and the evacuation of civilians Wednesday after losing more territory including the Old City to a Syrian army offensive. Heavy fighting in the city stoked mounting international concern, with six Western powers urging a ceasefire and UN chief Ban Ki-moon describing the plight of civilians as “heartbreaking”. US Secretary of State […]
URGENT: 21 bodies recovered from scene of Pakistan plane crash: military
Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP | At least 21 bodies have so far been recovered from the site of a plane crash in northwest Pakistan Wednesday, the military said. “Rescue effort continues. 21 bodies recovered so far,” the military, which is part of rescue efforts, said in a statement. There was “no chance” any of the 47 people on board the Pakistan International Airlines flight from northern Chitral to Islamabad survived, Sardar Aurangzeb Nalota, a local […]
China calls on US to bar transit of Taiwan president
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China has urged Washington to block the president of Taiwan from passing through the US, after reports saying she may stop in New York next month on her way to Central America. Taiwan has diplomatic relations with 22 states and the island’s leaders make regular visits to its small group of allies in Central America and the Caribbean, often stopping in the US for meetings with sympathetic lawmakers. Taiwan’s Liberty Times […]
Aleppo ‘Twitter girl’ safe after family flees army advance
ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — A seven-year-old Syrian girl whose Twitter account from Aleppo gained international attention has fled her home amid heavy fighting, but she and her family are safe for now, her father told AFP Tuesday. With her mother’s help, Bana al-Abed had been posting heart-rending tweets in English on life in the besieged eastern districts of Syria’s Aleppo. But as Syrian government forces edged closer to their home in recent days, the Abed […]
Merkel says situation in Aleppo is a ‘disgrace’ for West
ESSEN, Germany (AFP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Tuesday it was a “disgrace” that the international community had been unable to alleviate the suffering in Syria’s besieged city of Aleppo. “Aleppo is a disgrace,” she said in a speech to her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, slamming Russian and Iranian support for the bombardment by Bashar al-Assad’s regime. “It is a disgrace that we have been unable to establish humanitarian corridors, but we […]
