Syria army pushes offensive in Daraa: monitor
Beirut (AFP) May 17, 2014 -
Syria's army pressed a counter-offensive against rebels in the south of the country Saturday, firing a surface-to-surface missile and carrying out numerous air strikes in the area, a monitoring group said.
The violence comes a day after the army launched a massive bid to reclaim strategic positions in the west of Daraa province seized by rebels in recent weeks, said the Syrian Observatory fo ...
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Nigeria and neighbours 'declare war' on Boko Haram over abducted girls
Paris (AFP) May 17, 2014 -
Nigeria and its neighbours on Saturday vowed to work together to combat Boko Haram in what Cameroon President Paul Biya described as a declaration of war on the Islamic militants.
Meeting in Paris, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and his counterparts from Benin, Chad, Cameroon and Niger approved an action plan designed to counter an organisation blamed for 2,000 deaths this year alone a ...
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Putin heads to China as Ukraine sinks ties with West
Moscow (AFP) May 18, 2014 -
Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to China on Tuesday to shore up eastern ties as relations with the West plunge to new lows over the Ukraine crisis.
During a two-day visit to Shanghai, Putin and Chinese host Xi Jinping will seek to clinch a raft of agreements including a landmark gas deal crucial for Moscow as Europe seeks to cut reliance on Russian oil and gas.
The two leaders wil ...
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How Chinese officials 'like' banned Facebook
Beijing (AFP) May 18, 2014 -
China's Communist authorities ban their own people from accessing major global social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and more. But when it comes to self-promotion they are increasingly keen users themselves.
The official news agency Xinhua, the Communist Party's official mouthpiece the People's Daily, and state broadcaster CCTV all have Twitter accounts, as do a host of cit ...
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Iran's FM says nuclear deal still possible
Tehran (AFP) May 18, 2014 -
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Sunday that clinching a final nuclear deal with world powers was still possible, despite a tough latest round of talks in Vienna.
"Agreement is possible. But illusions need to go. Opportunity shouldn't be missed again like in 2005," Zarif wrote on Twitter, referring to Iran's long-stalled dispute with world powers over its nuclear programme. ...
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Sri Lanka celebrates end of war, blocks commemorations
Matara, Sri Lanka (AFP) May 18, 2014 -
President Mahinda Rajapakse led celebrations at a major victory parade Sunday to mark the fifth anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka's Tamil separatist war after commemorations for its victims were blocked.
Most top envoys of Western nations stayed away from the parade, but a defiant Rajapakse insisted he would not bow to pressure from foreign critics who are pushing him to investigate claims ...
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China evacuates 3,000 nationals from Vietnam over unrest
Beijing (AFP) May 18, 2014 -
China has evacuated more than 3,000 of its nationals from Vietnam following deadly anti-Chinese violence, state media said Sunday, as Vietnamese authorities clamped down to prevent any further unrest threatening vital foreign investment.
Xinhua news agency said the evacuees included 16 Chinese who were "critically injured" last week in unrest triggered by Beijing's deployment of an oil rig i ...
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