INTERNATIONAL

Kherrata, a town 200 km East of the capital, Algiers, on Tuesday heard cries of "Algeria, free, democratic" as thousands from all walks of life thronged in a protest. When the anti - government movement, known as the Hirak, started almost exactly two years ago it brought down a president and paved the way for some high-profile corruption prosecutions. Its weekly protests in Algiers attracted huge crowds and were an unprecedented show of popular opinion, considering protests had in effect been prohibited in the city since 2001. The peaceful protest movement, which does not have a centralized leadership, emerged in reaction to former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's decision to campaign for a fifth consecutive term in office. The ailing leader ...

Security forces in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, have fired on hundreds of people protesting against the delay of the country’s elections as at least one explosion was reported at the international airport and armoured personnel carriers blocked major streets. A protest leader told the Associated Press news agency on Friday that “some have died”. According to reports by Al Jazeera, one witness, Yusuf Mohamed, reported a “heavy exchange of gunfire” between security forces and armed guards protecting opposition supporters who began their march along the main airport road. Another witness, Fadumo Moalim, told AFP news agency: “We were peacefully walking along the airport road together with former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire, when the security forces opened fire on us, creating m...

Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing was injured last week when police tried to disperse protesters using water cannon, rubber bullets and live rounds. Her wound was consistent with one from live ammunition, rights groups said. Myanmar has seen days of protests following a coup which overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government. The hospital in the capital Nay Pyi Taw confirmed her death at 11:00 local time (04:30 GMT). A funeral service will be held on Sunday, her family said. "We will look for justice and move forward," a doctor told AFP news agency, adding that staff had faced immense pressure since she was taken to their intensive care unit. Authorities said they would investigate the case. Mya Thwe Thwe Khaing, who turned 20 after she was shot, had been on life support since she ...

China has for the first time revealed that four of its soldiers were killed, and one seriously wounded, in last year’s Himalayan border clash with India, according to a report by South China Morning Post. Previously unknown details of the violent brawl, which broke out between PLA and Indian troops in the Galwan Valley in June, were also made public, in a PLA Daily newspaper report on Friday detailing honors awarded to the five soldiers. According to the report, which blamed India for the casualties without naming it, the deadly encounter was sparked by Indian troops crossing to the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control between the two countries in the remote region. Death toll after the clashes on India - China border have risen to 20 ...

The Biden administration said Thursday it's ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal, in a sharp repudiation of former President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure campaign” that sought to isolate the Islamic Republic. The administration also took two steps at the United Nations aimed at restoring policy to what it was before Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. The combined actions were immediately criticized by Iran hawks and are likely to draw concern from Israel and Gulf Arab states. In addition to signaling a willingness to talk with Iran, the administration also reversed Trump’s determination that all UN sanctions against Iran had been restored. And, it eased stringent restrictions on the domestic travel of Iranian diplomats pos...

Sri Lanka has cancelled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's address to the Parliament, scheduled for February 24, citing COVID-19 constraints. Khan is set to arrive in Colombo for a two - day visit on February 22. Foreign Secretary Adm. Prof. Jayanath Colombage said Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena had written to the government, seeking a postponement of the event, saying that due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the virus variant, which has appeared in various parts of Colombo, he is unable to ensure full attendance in Parliament on the occasion. According to Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, the government had agreed to a request by the Pakistan Prime Minister to address the Sri Lankan Parliament, and decided the address would be made on February 24. Indian Prime Minister Narendra ...

The United Nations voiced concern over the wellbeing of some 600,000 Rohingya Muslims still in the country following the military coup in Myanmar, while the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) is due to hold a meeting on Tuesday over the latest developments. In 2017, a military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine State sent more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing into Bangladesh, where they are still stranded in refugee camps. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Western states accused the Myanmar military of ethnic cleansing, which it denied. The 15-member UNSC will hold an emergency meeting on the military’s actions – probably on Tuesday, according to Britain, which currently holds the council presidency. "We want to address the long-term threats to peace and security, of course w...

National Press Club (NPC) leaders spoke out Monday to urge the government of India to release from prison Aasif Sultan, a Kashmiri journalist who has been ‘unjustly detained’ for two and a half years. In a statement, the NPC mentioned, “Sultan, a writer for the Kashmir Narrator, was arrested in August 2018 on an unwarranted charge of harboring militants, although all he had done was an interview and write about them”. “Since he was imprisoned, almost all of his scheduled court dates in his trial have been postponed. His fate remains uncertain. He is at risk of contracting COVID-19 in crowded prison conditions. His father has a heart condition, and his entire family is distraught,” the statement reads. Sultan’s next court date is set for Feb 26. National Press Club’s President L...

The US State Department's Urdu Spokesperson, Zed Tarar, speaking exclusively to Geo News in Dubai on Sunday urged India to respect the freedom of expression and right to information of Kashmiri people. Tarar said “ Pakistan and India should work out for the reduction of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC) and start a positive dialogue on the Kashmir issue. India and Pakistan both as partners of the US must agree to formulate a strategy to ease tensions against one another through dialogue”. Talking about the Middle East and the Iran nuclear deal, Zed Tarar said that the new US administration certainly intended to rejoin the "nuclear deal with Iran" but would consult with its partners in the Middle East. “Obviously, United Arab Emirates (UAE), China and European Union (EU) wou...

The New York State Assembly has passed a resolution calling on Governor Andrew Cuomo to declare February 5 as Kashmir American Day, drawing a sharp reaction from India which noted with “concern” attempts by “vested interests” to misrepresent Jammu Kashmir’s rich cultural and social mosaic to divide the people. The resolution, sponsored by Assembly member Nader Sayegh and 12 other lawmakers, states that the “Kashmiri community has overcome adversity, shown perseverance and established themselves as one of the pillars of the New York immigrant communities”. It adds that “the State of New York endeavours to champion human rights, including the freedom of religion, movement and expression for all Kashmiri people, which are embedded within the US Constitution, through the recognition of d...