February, 2016

• 21 February

  Some key hurdles in Brexit referendum campaign cleared

  LONDON / AFP Prime Minister David Cameron has cleared some key hurdles as he takes his first steps in what promises to be a bitter campaign ahead of an EU membership referendum in June, experts said. Starting with a reform deal struck at a European Union summit on Friday, Cameron went on to secure the support of the overwhelming majority ...

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• 21 February

  Shelters multiply as London’s homeless problem grows

  

  London / AFP Every night Andrew, Cristian and Shafiqul visit a church in the wealthy central London district of Westminster to share a meal and get a place for the night sleeping off the cold and wet streets. Currently homeless, the three are among 15 people given places to sleep by six churches and a synagogue, alternating on a daily ...

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• 21 February

  Trump takes S Carolina, Clinton wins in Nevada

  

  Spartanburg / AFP Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump grabbed a big win in the South Carolina primary, while Democrat Hillary Clinton breathed life into her sluggish campaign with a victory over Bernie Sanders in Nevada. The wins for the brash billionaire and the former secretary of state give the candidates a major boost heading into the next major phase of ...

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• 21 February

  6 killed in Michigan shooting rampage, suspect arrested

  Chicago / AFP A man suspected of randomly opening fire in a Michigan town and shooting dead at least six people, including a teenager, was arrested Sunday, US police said. The suspect was apprehended at 12:40 am on Sunday after a shooting rampage Saturday in the town of Kalamazoo, police said. “We believe we have our suspect in custody,” Lieutenant ...

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• 21 February

  Ukraine soldier killed in clashes in rebel east

  Kiev / AFP One Ukrainian soldier was killed in clashes between pro-Russian rebels and government forces in the war-torn east, Ukraine’s military said Sunday. Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said the situation along the frontline was “insecure”, accusing the rebels of violating a shaky truce agreement over the past 24 hours. He said the soldier had died in a sniper ...

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• 21 February

  Uganda re-elects Museveni amid concern over vote credibility

  

  Bloomberg Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni was re- elected for a fifth term, extending his 30-year rule over the East African nation in polls marked by opposition arrests and international concern over the vote’s credibility. The former guerrilla commander won 60.75 percent of Thursday’s vote, renewing his mandate to govern the continent’s biggest coffee exporter as it plans oil production in ...

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• 21 February

  10 Killed in caste riots in north India

  

  Rohtak / Afp Ten people have died in caste protests which triggered widespread arson and looting in a north Indian state, police said on Sunday, as New Delhi faced a water crisis after mobs shut down a key supply. Thousands of troops with shoot-on-sight orders were deployed on Saturday in Haryana state, a day after week-long protests turned violent with ...

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• 21 February

  Car bombs kill 57 in Homs

  

  Beirut / AFP Double car bomb attacks killed at least 57 people in Syria’s central city of Homs on Sunday as international efforts to bring about a ceasefire in the war-torn country floundered. More than 100 people were injured in the twin bomb attacks in the Al-Zahraa district, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor. Syrian state ...

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• 21 February

  Erdogan: Strikes on Syrian Kurds ‘legitimate defence’

  

  Ankara / AFP Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended his country’s fight against Kurdish fighters in Syria as “legitimate defence”, after international powers urged Ankara to rein in its cross-border bombardments. Turkey has been shelling targets in northern Syria for the past week in a bid to stem the advances of a Kurdish-led coalition that has seized territory in ...

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• 21 February

  Russia vows more Syria strikes

  

  Beirut / AFP Moscow pledged to continue backing the Syrian government in its fight against “terrorism”, dashing hopes for a ceasefire the opposition said it would only back if the regime and its supporters hold fire. World powers have been pushing for a so-called cessation of hostilities to pave the way for renewed negotiations aimed at ending Syria’s war nearly ...

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