The president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has ordered elections to be held earlier than scheduled. Azerbaijan’s Ilham Aliyev has called an early presidential election for February 7, 2024. The president on Thursday ordered officials to hold a “snap election” earlier than planned, according to a
Category: World
Student shoots classmate dead in Russian school before killing herself
Investigators say 14-year-old also wounded five children using a pump-action shotgun as interior ministry probes motive. A 14-year-old girl shot a fellow pupil dead and wounded five other children before killing herself at a school in the Russian city of Bryansk, officials said. Investigators on Thursday said they
World Food Programme to end general assistance in northwest Syria
The World Food Programme (WFP) says it will stop its general food assistance programme across Syria at the start of 2024 due to funding shortages. It will, however, continue to support families affected by emergencies and natural disasters through smaller, more targeted emergency interventions. This
Two months of Israel-Gaza war: How divided is the world?
Two months after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, death and destruction have devastated the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Hamas fighters killed about 1,200 people and took 240 captive during their attack. Israel has responded with deadly bombardment and artillery
Seychelles declares state of emergency after flood and explosion
The floods are the latest in a series of climate shocks recorded this year across East Africa. Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan declared a state of emergency on Thursday after a blast at an explosives depot and heavy rains damaged an industrial zone and surrounding areas.
China warns against ‘undermining’ Belt and Road plan after Italy withdraws
Italy, the only major Western power to have joined China’s global infrastructure initiative, is exiting in 2024. The Chinese government has lashed out at the “smearing” of its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) after its only major Western partner pulled out of the infrastructure project.
Israel’s war on Gaza: Can Guterres’s use of UN’s Article 99 bring peace?
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, in a rare move on Wednesday aimed at formally warning the Security Council of the global threat from Israel’s war on Gaza. Guterres has been calling for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” since
Displacement, death, hunger as Israel’s war on Gaza enters third month
Fighting has escalated in Gaza’s second-largest city of Khan Younis as Israeli air strikes rain down throughout the enclave, forcing Palestinians to flee to increasingly crammed pockets of the territory’s southern edge where there is no promised security, as the war enters its third month.
Ukraine mounts acts of sabotage in Siberia to staunch Russian artillery
The past week of Russia’s war in Ukraine was remarkable, chiefly for something that happened thousands of kilometres to the east of a hardened battlefront. In an apparent sabotage operation of breathtaking audacity, Ukrainian operatives blew up two freight trains in east Siberia travelling on
Conflict-weary DR Congo votes on December 20: A guide to the election
Tensions are rising in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as it prepares for presidential and parliamentary elections while struggling to contain myriad armed groups wreaking havoc in the mineral-rich east. The nation of about 100 million people is a battleground for more than 120
EU-China summit: Leaders say ‘differences’, rivalries must be addressed
With two wars and tense trade relations, European Union and Chinese officials open talks hoping for ‘mutually beneficial’ ties. China and the European Union should not see each other as rivals and must address their differences, leaders from both sides said in the first in-person
Volodymyr Zelenskyy: The forgotten man
Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a forgotten man fighting a forgotten war. The Ukrainian president’s shooting star has lost much of its altitude and gleam as Russia’s grinding invasion approaches the two-year mark. An old war has turned into a plodding stalemate. The ballyhooed Ukrainian “offensive” has
Hakku and the sea: A Pakistani fisherwoman steps up to support her family
What’s your money worth? A series from the front line of the cost-of-living crisis, where people who have been hit hard share their monthly expenses. Name: Hakeema Umar, known as “Hakku” Age: 62 Occupation: Fisher Lives with: Husband Umar Haroon (64) and daughter Hamida (who
‘No other land is home’: Amid Israel bombs, a Gaza City family won’t leave
Gaza City, Gaza — The Abu Shahla family stayed resolute in their house at the centre of Gaza City for two weeks after the Israeli army launched its ground operations in the city. All the while through, their walls shook repeatedly and their hearts were filled
Russia set to hold presidential election in March 2024
Vladimir Putin is widely expected to run again after constitutional reforms he orchestrated in 2020 to help extend his term. Russia’s upper house of parliament has voted to set the date for the country’s next presidential election for March 17, 2024, potentially moving President Vladimir