Surge of clashes in Syria on eve of Geneva peace talks
Fresh offensive by Assad forces may threaten a truce that has largely held since February.
| Humanitarian crises, War & Conflict, Syria's War, Syria's Civil War, Bashar al-Assad
Syria's landmark ceasefire was threatening to fall apart after a surge of fresh fighting, especially in northern Aleppo province, just as peace talks were set to resume in Geneva on Wednesday.
The UN's Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, who has said the negotiations will be "crucially important," was in Iran for talks with a key backer of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad.
This week's round of talks will be the second since the Assad government and rebel forces agreed to a partial truce brokered by Moscow and Washington, which has largely held since February 27.
China court refuses to allow gay marriage in landmark case
Case comes after authorities refused the couple’s request to have their relationship officially recognised as a marriage last June
A Chinese judge has ruled against a gay couple’s right to marry in the country’s first same-sex marriage case.
Sun Wenlin, a 27-year-old from the central province of Hunan, had sued the civil affairs bureau in the city of Changsha for the right to wed his 37-year-old partner Hu Mingliang.
Sun decided to take legal action after authorities refused the couple’s request to have their relationship officially recognised as a marriage last June, on their first anniversary together.
In January a court in Changsha agreed to hear their case, which activists said was the first of its kind in China.
Isis destroys gates to ancient city of Nineveh near Mosul
Group has controlled Mosul since 2014 and destroyed numerous cultural artefacts
Isis has destroyed a 2,000-year-old ancient structure near the Iraqi city of Mosul.
The Mashqi Gate, also known as the Gate of God, was one of a number of grand gates which guarded the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh.
Referenced in the Bible, Nineveh dates to the 7th century BC and was once the largest city in the world.
The act is the latest incident in a campaign of cultural vandalism Isis has undertaken in territory it controls.
A source at the British Institute for the Study of Iraq confirmed toThe Independent that the gate had been attacked.
Malaysia politician's office attacked after he describes Zakir Naik as 'Satan'
AFP
KUALA LUMPUR: A petrol bomb was thrown on Tuesday at the office of a senior politician in Malaysia's opposition-ruled Penang state, after he described preacher Zakir Naik as “Satan”.
State officials said no one was injured and no damage caused in the early-morning attack after the fire-bomb landed on the centre's metal shutters.
State Deputy Chief Minister P. Ramasamy said the attack may have been prompted by his Facebook post over the weekend about preacher Zakir Naik.
“It could possibly be related to my comment on Zakir as Satan,” he told AFP.
Al Qaeda 'very active' in Afghanistan: U.S. Commander
Updated 0523 GMT (1223 HKT) April 13, 2016
Afghanistan's top defense official has warned that al Qaeda -- the reason the United States first invaded Afghanistan -- is "very active" and a "big threat" in the country.
A senior U.S. official said they were concerned about al Qaeda leaders in remote areas of the country and there may be many more core operatives in Afghanistan than previously thought.
The warnings of al Qaeda's resurgence come as Afghanistan faces perhaps the most significant summer fighting season in decades, with government security forces facing huge internal challenges, the Taliban both gaining ground and building links to al Qaeda, and ISIS increasing its footprint in the country.
Hiding in plain sight, a hair salon reaches Mexican trafficking victims
A PATH TO PROGRESS
A hair salon in Mexico City, which keeps women coming back with rock-bottom prices, is in fact a front for a charitable operation aimed at rescuing sex trafficking victims and giving them the chance at new lives.
NEW YORK — After more than two decades of working as a prostitute in Mexico City, Esperanza Escobar found salvation in a most unexpected place.
She regularly visited a hair salon in the heart of La Merced, the city's tough red light district, where she would take a break from days when she might have as many as 60 clients wanting sex.
The hair salon, which treated women like Escobar kindly and keeps them coming back with rock-bottom prices, is in fact a front for a charitable operation aimed at rescuing sex workers and giving them the chance at new lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment