Pope in UAE for historic trip after call for Yemen relief

Pope Francis landed Sunday in Abu Dhabi on the first-ever papal trip to the Arabian Peninsula, where he is seeking to turn a page in Christian-Muslim relations while also ministering to a unique, thriving Catholic community. Francis earlier Sunday called for the urgent observation of a limited cease-fire in Yemen reached in December and for

Read More

Why Do Extremist Groups Thrive in Africa?

Africa has increasingly become one of the most important emergent battlefields for extremists and for the United States and its allied partners to combat the threat by extremist groups. The January 15 terrorist attack in Nairobi, Kenya, at the high-end DusitD2 hotel and business complex killed at least twenty-one people and injured dozens of other

Read More

East African nations approve individual trade pacts with EU if joint deal not reached

East African countries can individually sign separate trade agreements with the European Union (EU) if a joint deal is not reached within the next four months, according to a statement from a meeting of regional leaders. The East African Community (EAC) and the EU have been at loggerheads for years over signing the so-called Economic

Read More

US says airstrike in Somalia kills 13 al-Shabab extremists

The United States military says it has killed 13 members of the al-Shabab extremist group with an airstrike 30 miles (48 kilometers) outside Somalia’s capital. A U.S. Africa Command statement says Friday’s strike occurred near Gandarshe in Lower Shabelle region. The statement says the al-Qaida-linked fighters have used Gandarshe as a staging area for bombings

Read More

Suicide car bomb explosion in Somalia leaves casualties: police

A suicide car bomb exploded outside a military base for Ethiopian soldiers in southern Somalia on Saturday, leaving an unspecified number of casualties, a police official said.Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the assault and said it had killed 16 Ethiopian soldiers, although the claim could not be independently verified. A local elder who

Read More

Iran unveils new long-range cruise missile

Iran says the missile has a range up to 1,350 kilometers (around 840 miles) Iran on Saturday unveiled a new cruise missile with range up to 1,350 kilometers (around 840 miles), according to Iran’s state television. The missile, named Hoveizeh, was displayed in a ceremony attended by Defense Minister Amir Hatami. According to Hatami, the

Read More

Russia, Turkey become world’s top gold buyers in 2018

Photo (AP) As the demand for gold increased 74 percent globally in 2018, Russia, Turkey and Kazakhstan became the world’s top buyers of gold, a recent report showed. According to the report published by World Gold Council (WGC), the amount of gold bought by central banks around the world in 2018 came to 651.5 tons

Read More

Security raised as EAC review Somalia’s bid

Regional security concerns were raised here yesterday as the East African Community (EAC) tables the application of Somalia to join the bloc today. “The kind of environment we are living today is that we are threatened by terrorism” lamented Chris Kiptoo, the Kenyan principal secretary for Trade said. He told a gathering at the official

Read More

Small extension to Brexit timetable could be acceptable: Rees-Mogg

British Conservative Party Member of Parliament Jacob Rees-Mogg arrives to a pro-Brexit event by the Bruges Group in London, Britain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville Prominent British eurosceptic lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg said he could accept a short delay to the departure from the European Union on March 29 if Prime Minister Theresa May pursued his

Read More

US pulls out of Cold War-era nuclear treaty, blaming Russia

Photo (AP) The United States announced Friday that it was pulling out of a landmark nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, accusing Moscow of violating the Cold War-era pact with “impunity” by continuing to develop banned missiles. President Donald Trump said Russia has been secretly developing “a prohibited missile system that poses a direct threat

Read More