WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State John Kerry has expressed concern to Moscow over reports of Russian military build-up in Syria, the state department says. US media reports said Russia has sent advisers and hardware to Syria, in what Washington fears is an expansion of its support for President Bashar al-Assad. Any such development would…
DAMASCUS – There has been a stunned reaction among Syrian social media users to the photo of a Syrian child washed up on the Turkish shores. The picture which was released by a Turkish news agency, is reported to be of three-year-old Alan, who drowned along with his five-year-old brother Galip and their mother, Rihan….
GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has resigned hours after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest. Prosecutors accuse Mr Perez Molina of masterminding a scheme to defraud the customs service of millions of dollars. He denies the allegations. On Tuesday, Congress stripped him of his immunity from prosecution, a first in…
DAMASCUS – A UN inquiry into the conflict in Syria has criticised the “global failure” to protect the country’s refugees, saying it has fuelled Europe’s migrant crisis. Chairman Paulo Sergio Pinheiro urged the international community to act with “humanity and compassion” by creating legal channels of migration. The inquiry’s latest report says 2,000 Syrians trying…
WASHINGTON – Thousands of Hillary Clinton’s emails while US secretary of state have been released, including many that have been censored after being deemed classified. Mrs Clinton, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the 2016 presidential election, has been under fire for using a private computer server for work emails while in office. But…
CAIRO – Three al-Jazeera journalists convicted in Egypt of “spreading false news” have been sentenced to three years in prison at their retrial in Cairo. Canadian-Egyptian Mohamed Fahmy and Egyptian Baher Mohamed were led away from court after the verdict. Australian Peter Greste was deported back to Australia earlier this year and was on trial…
BEIJING – Usain Bolt won the rematch and 200m gold as he ran a wonderful bend to once again leave rival Justin Gatlin chasing silver and fresh air. On a sweaty, sticky night in the Bird’s Nest, Bolt was out quicker and opened an unassailable lead over the first 100m before coming away down the…
VIRGINIA – Two US journalists have been shot dead during a live TV report in the state of Virginia, their employer has confirmed. WDBJ7 TV reporter Alison Parker, 24, and cameraman Adam Ward, 27, were killed during an interview in Moneta, Bedford County, the TV station said. During the live broadcast, shots and the reporter’s…
LONDON – Stock markets across the US and Europe have fallen sharply as fears of a Chinese economic slowdown continue to haunt investors. Wall Street’s Dow Jones was down more than 4% after the first half-hour of trading, having earlier fallen 6%. London’s FTSE 100 index was 4.8% lower in afternoon trade, with major markets…
BEIJING – Controversial American sprinter Justin Gatlin underlined his status as 100m gold medal favourite as he produced the fastest time in the first round. Gatlin, who has twice served doping suspensions, clocked 9.83 seconds in the sixth heat, albeit with the assistance of a 2.1m/s tailwind. Reigning world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt won…
