Iraq says 14,000 people fled western Mosul in one day
Number of civilians escaping heavy battles between Iraqi army and ISIL skyrockets amid reports of chemical weapon use.
A rapidly increasing flow of people is pouring out of western Mosul, fleeing fierce battles between Iraqi security forces and ISIL fighters, as medical workers warned that women and children have been exposed to toxic gas near the city.
Iraq's interior ministry said on Friday that 14,000 people fled the northern Iraqi city on Thursday alone, the largest wave of internally displaced people (IDPs) since a US-backed operation in west Mosul was launched on February 19.
The total number of IDPs who fled western Mosul since the start of the military push has reached 46,000, the ministry said.
Chinese official calls for easing of internet censorship
‘Great Firewall’ that blocks western websites is too restrictive and hinders economic progress while discouraging foreign investors, says Luo Fuhe
China’s sprawling internet censorship regime is harming the country’s economic and scientific progress, a senior official has said in a rare public rebuke of longstanding Communist party policy.
Internet restrictions had also cooled enthusiasm among overseas investors and should be relaxed for politically innocuous content, said Luo Fuhe, vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top advisory body to China’s rubber-stamp parliament.
It is a rare criticism of the country’s censorship policies, which have become more severe since Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012.
Chevron warns it could face climate change lawsuits with future oil drilling potentially ‘economically infeasible
Activist lawyers put UK companies on notice that legal action could be ‘on the cards’ as environmentalists say oil industry’s ‘entire business model is predicated on extremely dangerous levels of climate change’
In an industry first, one of the world’s biggest oil companies has warned it could face legal action over climate change.
Chevron, the California-based multinational, admitted it could be the subject of “governmental investigations and, potentially, private litigation” because of its role in causing global warming.
And the firm added that regulations designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions might also render the “extraction of the company’s oil and gas resources economically infeasible”.
China to raise defence budget by seven percent in 2017
Latest update : 2017-03-04
China will raise its defence budget by about 7 percent this year, a government spokeswoman said Saturday, continuing a trend of lowered growth amid a slowing economy despite regional tensions over the South China Sea and other issues.
Total defence spending would account for about 1.3 percent of projected gross domestic project in 2017, said Fu Ying, spokeswoman for the legislature. She was speaking at a news conference on the eve of the opening of the body’s annual session.
The precise figure will be provided by Premier Li Keqiang in his address to the National People’s Congress on Sunday morning.
Fu reiterated China’s contention that its military was purely for defence and constituted a force for stability in Asia.
Fu reiterated China’s contention that its military was purely for defence and constituted a force for stability in Asia.
“We advocate dialogue for peaceful resolutions, while at the same time, we need to possess the ability to defend our sovereignty and interests,” Fu said. “The strengthening of Chinese capabilities benefits the preservation of peace and security in this region, and not the opposite.”
Why are Olympic bids increasingly unpopular?
Budapest of Hungary on Wednesday ended its bid, citing a lack of public unity. The move left Paris and Los Angeles as the only 'survivors' of a previously crowded pool of potential candidates.
Another city has turned its back on hosting the 2024 Summer Olympic Games: Budapest of Hungary on Wednesday ended its bid, citing a lack of unified public support. The move left Paris and Los Angeles as the only “survivors” of a previously crowded pool of potential candidates.
Some may say Budapest’s withdrawal did not come as a surprise – the Central European city had always been a long-shot candidate. Yet, after a series of cities decided against the Games over concerns over their massive public costs in recent years, Budapest’s bowing out once again highlights the growing dilemma the International Olympic Committee (IOC) faces in making the Games an international event but also affordable one for host cities.
Pyeongtaek: A US base, Americana in rural South Korea
As it gears up to host a huge US overseas base, the city is a window on to fraught relations between locals and troops.
Pyeongtaek, South Korea - The commercial area adjacent to the main entrance of the United States' Camp Humphreys military base, is a slice of Americana in the Korean countryside.
Most of the signs are in English, the streets are lined with fast-food restaurants, and the street stalls sell french fries and chicken wings beside Korean staples such as blood sausage and rice cakes in red pepper sauce.
Park Kyung-chan remembers skipping through these streets as a child in the early 1970s, when, he says, there were fewer buildings and most of the roads weren't paved.
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