Month: December 2018

An Indian government order authorizing some federal investigating agencies to intercept any information stored on computers has triggered a strong opposition protest in Parliament that described it as an assault on people’s right to privacy. The opposition parties are demanding an immediate withdrawal of the Home Ministry order. They fear it would give unlimited powers …

Read more “India’s Probe Agencies Empowered to Intercept Computer Data”

Hundreds of protesters in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, chanted slogans Friday against the government of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, including the popular Arab Spring slogan, “The people want to topple the regime.” It was the fourth day of protests over rising prices and political oppression. Social media reported protests Thursday in more than half a …

Read more “Thousands in Sudan Demonstrate Over Deteriorating Economy”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis Thursday announced he was quitting, personally handing his letter of resignation to U.S. President Donald Trump following a lunch meeting at the White House.   While not mentioning Trump by name, the letter from Mattis outlined sharp differences between his views and those of the president, notably on the …

Read more “Differences With Trump’s Views Prompted Mattis Departure”

Around 7,000 U.S. troops might be withdrawn from Afghanistan. Here are the countries that also contribute to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission. …

The European Union has formally extended economic sanctions against Russia, first imposed more than four years ago for Moscow’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula. …

A French court has fined oil giant Total 500,000 euros ($575,000) after finding it guilty of paying bribes while bidding for a huge gas-field contract in Iran 10 years ago. …

Three more suspects have been arrested in the killing of two Scandinavian tourists in Morocco’s Atlas Mountains.  The bodies of Louisa Vesterager Jespersen, 24, of Denmark and Maren Ueland, 28, of Norway were found Monday in an isolated area near Imlil, often the starting point for treks to Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak and a popular hiking destination. Moroccan …

Read more “Morocco Arrests 3 More in Hiker Deaths; IS Link Suspected “

The United States remains committed to the “permanent destruction” of the Islamic State and other terrorist groups in Syria and around the world, a U.S. diplomat said Thursday. “We will continue to work together with our allies to fight terrorism,” Rodney Hunter, the U.S. political coordinator for the U.S. mission to the United Nations, told a …

Read more “US Committed to ‘Permanent Destruction’ of IS”

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis will leave his post in February, President Trump announced Thursday afternoon.   “General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years,” Trump tweeted. “During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, …

Read more “Trump Tweets: Defense Secretary Mattis to Retire in February”

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a significant withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, U.S. news media are reporting, citing multiple administration officials. …

U.S. Defense Chief Jim Mattis will be leaving his post early next year, saying in his resignation letter that his views are not fully “aligned” with President Donald Trump and citing policies toward Russia and China as among the differences. …

U.S. President Donald Trump says on Twitter that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will retire at the end of February. …

Iranian media say a Tuesday school fire that killed three girls in Iran’s impoverished southeast indicates the country has not resolved safety issues that led to a similar tragedy in 2012. Iranian state media said the three girls died after suffering burns over more than 90 percent of their bodies in the Tuesday morning fire …

Read more “Iranian Media: School Fire Kills 3, Resembles 2012 Blaze “

Three crew members of the International Space Station (ISS) have returned to Earth as they completed their 197-day mission. …

North Korea said Thursday it will never unilaterally give up its nuclear weapons unless the United States removes its nuclear threat first, a statement that raises further doubts on whether leader Kim Jong Un will ever relinquish an arsenal he may see as his greatest guarantee of survival.  The statement carried by the official Korean …

Read more “N. Korea: We Denuclearize When US Removes Its Threat”