Global

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appears before court in Iran charged with propaganda

The British-Iranian aid worker is charged with ‘propaganda against the system’ (Reuters) By Daisy Lester British Foreign Secretary accused Tehran of putting her through ‘a cruel and inhumane ordeal’ British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe appeared on trial on Sunday at Iran’s Revolutionary Court, charged with “propaganda against the system.” Her lawyer Hojjat Kermani hopes she

Read More

Syria’s first lady faces possible prosecution and loss of UK citizenship

British-born Asma al-Assad has been under EU and US sanctions since 2012 (AFP) By Middle East Eye Britain’s Metropolitan police have opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that Asma al-Assad incited war crimes London’s Metropolitan police have opened a preliminary investigation into allegations that Asma al-Assad, the first lady of Syria, incited and encouraged terrorist

Read More

Kenya pulls out of the maritime case with Somalia in the ICJ

Kenya has notified the International Court of Justice that it will not participate in the maritime case against Somalia just a day before it is scheduled to begin. Kenya has cited the court’s perceived bias and its unwillingness to delay the case – for a fourth time – due to the pandemic as the main

Read More

Sri Lanka to ban burqas, close over 1,000 Islamic schools

A burqa clad Sri Lankan Muslim woman walks in a street of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Saturday, March 13, 2021. Sri Lanka on Saturday announced plans to ban the wearing of burqas and said it would close more than 1,000 Islamic schools known as madrassas, citing national security. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) Sri Lanka on Saturday announced

Read More

Speaker of the Upper House meets with British Ambassador to Somalia

Photo/Somali Times The Speaker of the Upper House of the Federal Parliament of Somalia, Senator Abdi Hashi Abdullahi, had a private meeting with the new British Ambassador to Somalia, Ms. Kate Foster. The President and the Ambassador discussed the overall situation in the country and issues that face the elections are expected to be held

Read More

Turkish police nab 18 Chinese nationals in fake cryptocurrency gang bust

Turkish Police escort suspected gang members in Istanbul on Saturday, March 13, 2021 (DHA Photo) Turkish police busted a gang, nabbing 18 Chinese nationals who rented nine separate villas in Istanbul’s Silivri and Büyükçekmece districts to operate a fake cryptocurrency call center to swindle funds, reports said Saturday. Police carried out the raid after two

Read More

Morocco’s Cannabis Legalization: Benkirane Freezes PJD Membership

Photo: Credit Anadolu Agency By Safaa Kasraoui Morocco adopted a bill legalizing cannabis use for therapeutic use today, making the country one of the few states in Africa to adopt the measure. Former Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane has suspended his membership with the Justice and Development Party (PJD), after Morocco’s government council adopted a

Read More

US joins western criticism of Egypt’s human rights abuses

Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has overseen an extensive crackdown on political dissent that has steadily tightened in recent years (AFP) Joint statement from 31 countries calls on Egypt to end use of ‘terrorism’ charges against human rights defenders and activists The United States joined dozens of Western countries in urging Egypt to end the

Read More

UN urges Somalia to organize elections without delay

By EDITH M. LEDERER The U.N. Security Council urged Somalia’s government on Friday to organize elections “without delay” in a resolution that stressed the pressing threat to the country’s security from al-Shabab and armed opposition groups. The resolution, which was adopted unanimously, authorized the African Union to maintain its nearly 20,000-strong force in Somalia until

Read More

US: George Floyd family, city agree to $27M settlement

Family attorney hails agreement as ‘largest pre-trial settlement in a civil rights wrongful death case in U.S. history’ The family of George Floyd and the US city of Minneapolis have agreed Friday to a $27 million settlement to end a lawsuit against the city over his fatal arrest. Ben Crump, the Floyd family’s attorney, hailed

Read More