Politics

  Bamako / AFP A peacekeeper from Togo and two Malian civilians were killed in an attack on a military convoy in Mali, rounding off a bloody week for foreign forces stationed there, a UN statement said. Seven other peacekeepers, also from Togo, were wounded in the attack in the central Mopti region on Sunday, according to the statement by ...

  Kabul /AFP The United Nations is investigating claims that up to 32 civilians were killed in a US airstrike in the volatile Afghan province of Kunduz last week, calling any loss of civilian life “unacceptable”. The strike early last Thursday triggered angry protests in Kunduz, with local officials saying at least 30 people had been killed, many of them ...

  Marrakesh / AFP UN talks to implement the landmark Paris climate pact opened in Marrakesh on Monday, buoyed by gathering momentum but threatened by the spectre of climate change denier Donald Trump in the White House. Diplomats from 196 nations are meeting in Morocco to flesh out the planet-saving plan inked in the French capital last December. “We have ...

  Jerusalem / AFP At least 25 soldiers were killed in weekend fighting between rival Puntland and Galmudug regional forces in the Somali town of Galkayo, military officials on both sides said on Monday. “We have lost 12 men and there are more than 10 wounded,” said Puntland commander Jumale Jama Takar, while his Galmudug counterpart Abdirahman Qoje said: “We ...

  Leesburg / AFP White House rivals Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were still flailing for a knockout blow on Monday as a presidential race that has cast a pall over US democracy neared its end. With one day of campaigning left, both sides had packed schedules in the swing states that will decide whether the Democrat can convert her slim ...

  Rome / AFP An Indian national was amongst two people who died after the outskirts of Rome were hit by a tornado powerful enough to uproot trees, overturn cars and damage buildings, Italian authorities said on Monday. Schools were closed and a clean-up operation was underway in Ladispoli, a coastal town west of Rome where the whirlwind hit on ...

  Jakarta / AFP The Indonesian capital’s Christian governor faced a marathon police grilling on Monday for allegedly insulting Islam, after the accusations sparked a violent mass protest by hardliners in the Muslim-majority country. Friday’s demonstration started peacefully but descended into chaos as night fell with protesters torching police cars and hurling rocks and bottles in the heart of Jakarta, ...

  MONT PELERIN / AFP A deal to unify Cyprus is within reach, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said on Monday as he opened talks aimed at resolving one of the world’s longest running political crises. The Mediterranean resort island has been split since 1974, when Turkish troops occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece. ...

  Muzaffarabad / AFP Pakistan accused India of killing three people including a policeman and wounding four others in cross-border firing on Monday, at a time of heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals. The incidents occurred near the border dividing Indian-held Kashmir from the Pakistani sector of the territory. “A policeman, a man and a woman were killed when Indian ...

  Hong Kong /AFP Hong Kong’s leader said on Monday he would “fully implement” a landmark ruling by Beijing which effectively bars two pro-independence lawmakers from the city’s legislature, in a crisis that heightens fears the rule of law is under threat. It is the latest chapter of political turmoil for the semi-autonomous city as fears grow that China is ...