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Taliban, on Tuesday, pledged to provide a “safe environment” to foreign diplomats, after Australia announced it would shutter its embassy over security concerns. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan assures all foreign diplomats and staff of humanitarian organizations that (we) will not pose any threats to them,” Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem …

Nigeria’s economy grew 0.5% in the first quarter, lifted by higher crude production and oil prices, the country’s statistics office said on Sunday, as activities slowly gain momentum after the gradual easing of coronavirus lockdowns. Africa’s largest economy, exited its second recession since 2016 in the fourth quarter, despite a …

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook Afghanistan on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey, with tremors felt in the capital Kabul. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The earthquake hit at a depth of 17.6 kilometer (11 miles) and its epicenter was in eastern Afghanistan.

The main blaze, dubbed the Lake Fire, has already scorched over 4,451 hectares and forced 250 people from their homes since erupting on Wednesday afternoon in the Angeles National Forest. Firefighters are scrambling to protect thousands of homes from wildfires racing through brush-covered mountains north of Los Angeles that caused …

The Conservative Party is refusing to suspend an MP reportedly arrested on suspicion of rape. The decision to delay suspension has elicited sharp rebukes from opposition parties. Justifying the decision, a spokesperson for the Conservatives whips’ office said: “These are serious allegations and it is right that they are investigated …

The United States and Poland have agreed for the US to deploy at least 1,000 additional American troops and have a permanent military presence in the European country. The agreement, which was announced by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Friday, would probably arouse Russia’s indignation against the backdrop of …

The Commander of the advanced headquarters for joint operations in Kirkuk announced the destruction of two ISIS caches, south of Kirkuk. The Lt. Gen. Special Forces Saad Harbiyeh, said that the 18th Brigade of the Fifth Division of the Federal Police managed to destroy two caches to the terrorist ISIS …

Beijing has defended its sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea after Australia joined the United States in rejecting China’s territorial claims over a disputed group of islands in the strategic waterway, saying its rights have been historically established. At a daily press conference in Beijing on Tuesday, …

The eurozone economy will drop deeper into recession this year and rebound less steeply in 2021 than previously thought, the European Commission forecast on Tuesday, with France, Italy, and Spain struggling the most due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The downbeat assessment of Europe’s economy comes amid concern the U.S. recovery …

An explosion shook parts of the Somali capital of Mogadishu early on Saturday as a suicide car bomber drove into a checkpoint just outside the port, witnesses said, but police made no immediate comment on casualties. “Metal debris fell all over us inside the port and we heard gunfire,” said …

The Lebanese Army Command announced the arrest of a wanted Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS/Daesh) leader near the Syrian border on Thursday. “The patrol of the Intelligence Directorate in the town of Arsal raided the house of the named (J.H.) and arrested him along with a number of people, for heading a …

The Iraqi Ministry of Health and environment announced today, Friday, that the Russian Covid-19 drug will be available in Iraq by the end of next week. The official Iraqi News agency quoted the minister of health, Hassan al-Tamimi, saying that, “the Russian drug is currently manufactured in Iraq and will …

Sri Lanka staged a mock election on Sunday to test measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus during a parliamentary vote in August. According to AFP, the poll was due to be held on April 25 but was put off and then postponed indefinitely due to the epidemic, …

Pope Francis and Christians around the world marked a solitary Easter Sunday, forced to celebrate the most joyful day in the liturgical calendar amid the sorrowful reminders of the devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. Families who normally would attend morning Mass in their Easter best and later join friends …

At least 90 people were killed when a bomb-laden truck exploded at a busy checkpoint in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Saturday, an international organization working in the country said, in the deadliest attack in more than two years. The dead included many students and two Turkish nationals, Somalia’s foreign …

Three Saudi soldiers have been killed near border with Yemen in what is believed to be retaliatory attacks launched by Yemeni fighters on the kingdom. The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Saturday that one officer and two soldiers had been killed in Saudi Arabia’s southwestern Jizan region. However, it  …

Greta Thunberg has told world leaders they have stolen her ”dreams and … childhood with your empty words”. The Swedish teenager was speaking at the opening of a United Nations climate change summit on Monday. “This is all wrong,” she began. “I shouldn’t be up here. I should be back …

Indonesian government has called for calm following violent protests, including in Papua Province, over racial discrimination. “Why must we kill each other because we’re offended?” Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Wiranto said at a joint news conference with several Papuan figures in the capital, Jakarta, on Friday. …

Thousands of Chinese troops streamed into Hong Kong in the small hours of Thursday morning, prompting alarmed witness reports after weeks of threats from Beijing to intervene militarily in the city’s protest crisis. Chinese state media later described the move as an “annual… routine” rotation of Hong Kong’s permanent garrison. …

The President of the Republic, Dr. Barham Salih, received at the Peace Palace in Baghdad on Monday, in the presence of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohammed Halbousi, Speaker of the Popular Mobilization Authority Faleh Fayad and a number of leaders of the Popular …