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West Asia
Explosion in Saudi Capital Riyadh
A car exploded at a checkpoint in Riyadh near Saudi Arabia’s highest security prison at sunset on Thursday, killing the driver and wounding two security officials, the interior ministry said. According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia is a target for militant groups including Islamic State, which has called on supporters to…
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Society
Two explosions in Nigeria leave dozens dead
At least 49 people were killed and dozens injured when two blasts struck a market in the north-east Nigerian city of Gombe on Thursday, according to AFP. The first explosion took place outside a packed footwear shop around 1620 GMT, followed by a second explosion minutes later, said Badamasi Amin, a…
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West Asia
2,700 migrants rescued off Italian coast
Around 2,700 migrants were rescued Wednesday off the coast of Italy, as Europe struggles to deal with a swelling tide of arrivals from across the Mediterranean, says AFP. The migrants were saved in 13 separate operations near Sicily as they sailed for Europe mainly aboard inflatable boats, the coast guard…
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West Asia
Syria and Libya among countries banned for South Koreans
South Korea’s foreign ministry announced it has decided to extend its travel restrictions on six countries for another six-month period, citing high safety risks, according to Yonhap news agency. South Korea will maintain entry restrictions on Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and Libya. The order will be effective through Jan.…
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West Asia
Morocco’s Homophobic statement on Mob Attack
In the wake of a mob attack on a man in Fez on June 29, 2015, Justice Minister Moustapha Ramid has said the assailants should be prosecuted and two suspects are in custody, he has made several anti-gay statements since the assault. He said that homosexuals should avoid “provoking society,”…
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Society
Desmond Tutu hospitalized for treatment of ‘persistent’ infection
The South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, 83 years old, has been taken to hospital with an undisclosed but “persistent” infection, his foundation has said. “Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was admitted to a Cape Town hospital on Tuesday for treatment to a persistent infection,” according to a statement issued on Tuesday.…
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West Asia
Bahrain rights campaigner freed from jail
Bahraini human rights campaigner Nabeel Rajab has been pardoned by King Hamad after serving three months of a six-month jail sentence, the official BNA news agency has reported. The king made the order because of fears over Mr Rajab’s health, it said. An appeals court in May upheld the six-month…
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South Asia
US, Iran reach new deal, curbing Iran’s nuclear bomb ambition
Iran and six major world powers agreed to a nuclear deal on Tuesday, concluding more than a decade of negotiations that could transform the Middle East. U.S. President Barack Obama hailed a step towards a “more hopeful world” and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said it proved that “constructive engagement works”.…
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West Asia
UAE executes woman for killing American teacher
The United Arab Emirates has executed a woman convicted of stabbing to death an American teacher in December 2014. Alaa Badr Abdullah al-Hashemi, a 30-year-old Emirati, was found guilty last month of the murder of Ibolya Ryan. The 47-year-old’s body was discovered in the toilets of a shopping centre in…
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Politics
New framework suggested at Addis Ababa for UNDP
The new financing framework due to be agreed at Addis Ababa for the universal post-2015 development agenda needs to be bold and transformative in supporting countries to tackle the challenges of eradicating poverty, environmental degradation, vulnerability to natural hazards, and protracted conflicts, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark,…
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