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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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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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West Asia
IS ‘behind blast’ at Italian consulate in Cairo
Islamic State militants have claimed they were behind a deadly explosion that severely damaged the Italian consulate in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, according to “BBC” reports. At least one person died and several people were injured when a car bomb went off at the building, destroying most of it, and causing water…
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West Asia
Thousands of Britons leave Tunisia after warning
Thousands of British holidaymakers are to be flown home from Tunisia following warnings that another terrorist attack in the country is “highly likely”. Thirty Britons were killed in a gun attack in Tunisia last month and the Foreign Office (FCO) has now urged all Britons to leave the country. Extra…
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Politics
Former Saudi foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal dies
Once the world’s longest-serving foreign minister, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Saud al-Faisal has died, as reported by family members and a foreign ministry spokesman on Thursday. His death came over two months after he was replaced following 40 years in the job. Prince Saud, who was appointed in 1975, was…
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West Asia
Iraq sentences IS militants to death for Tikrit massacre
An Iraqi court has sentenced to death 24 militants for their role in killing as many as 1,700 soldiers, most of them Shia Muslim recruits. Four others were acquitted for lack of evidence. Isis captured the soldiers when it overran Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit last summer. They were trying…
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West Asia
Clashes in Algerian oasis city, at least 22 dead
At least 22 people have died in clashes between Arab and Berber communities around the Algerian oasis city of Ghardaia, the state news agency says. The city has seen clashes for the last two years, with rivalry among communities for jobs, housing and land. But the two days of clashes…
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West Asia
Libya’s government announces army restructuring
Libya’s unrecognized government announced a restructuring of its armed forces into 11 brigades including militiamen who fought in the country’s 2011 revolution, according to Middle East’s report. Prime minister Khalifa Ghweil said in a statement that the aim of the reforms was to establish a 5,000-strong army integrating heavily armed…
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West Asia
New US campaign against IS in Syria
According to “BBC” reports, the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group is “intensifying” its campaign in northern Syria, President Barack Obama says in his speech. Speaking at the Pentagon, Mr Obama said the US would not send additional troops to Syria but would increase support for the country’s moderate…
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