Nigeria postpones election just hours before polls due to open
AFTER 18 YEARS OF WAR, THE TALIBAN HAS THE UPPER HAND IN AFGHANISTAN PEACE TALKS
By Roberta Rampton
Electoral commission says delay is needed to make vote free and fair and will now take place on 23 February
Nigeria’s electoral commission has delayed the presidential election until 23 February, making the announcement just five hours before polls were set to open Saturday.
It cited unspecified “challenges” amid reports that voting materials had not been delivered to all parts of the country.
“This was a difficult decision to take but necessary for successful delivery of the elections and the consolidation of our democracy,” commission chairman Mahmood Yakubu told reporters in the capital, Abuja. He said more details would be released on Saturday afternoon.
Why Kashmir attack could spark a military confrontation in South Asia
The militant attack in India-ruled Kashmir has once again put New Delhi and Islamabad on a war footing. Analysts at the Munich Security Conference say it is a setback to those who wish to see lasting peace in the region.
At least 41 Indian paramilitary troops were killed on Thursday in a suicide bombing in the Pulwama district of India-administered Kashmir. The Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed, which translates as "The Army of Mohammed," claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, according to local media.
It was not the first time that the Islamist group allegedly perpetrated an attack in the Indian part of Kashmir, although the Thursday assault was the deadliest in the disputed region.
‘The climate won’t wait’: French students skip school to protest
Under a bright blue sky on an unseasonably warm February day, several hundred high school and university students skipped class to demonstrate in front of the French ministry for the environment in Paris.
“Look at your Rolex, it’s time for a revolt,” read the sign brandished by 15-year-old Pauline. It’s not her first time demonstrating. She came out for a march for women’s rights, and she plans to keep demonstrating for climate action over the coming weeks.
“I hope the French parliament realises what all French people want: That they respect their climate accord commitments,” she said.
LAST YEAR, THOUSANDS of young Afghans marched across the country, demanding an end to fighting that has destroyed millions of lives since the Soviet invasion in 1979.
The grassroots peace movement led to a number of local ceasefires throughout the country between Taliban militants and Afghan government soldiers. Young men who had recently been trying to kill one another instead shared food and posed for photographs in the streets of Afghan cities. The scenes broadcast around the world were reminiscent of the famous World War I “Christmas Truce” between German, British, and French soldiers.
Trump makes his case for Nobel Peace Prize; says Abe nominated him for it
By Roberta Rampton
U.S. President Donald Trump made the case on Friday that he deserves to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on North Korea and Syria, but complained he probably would never get the honor.
Trump, a Republican, capped off a rambling Rose Garden news conference with a well-oiled gripe that former Democratic President Barack Obama, a nemesis, won the Nobel Prize in 2009, just months into his first term in office.
"They gave it to Obama. He didn't even know what he got it for. He was there for about 15 seconds and he got the Nobel Prize. He said, 'Oh, what did I get it for?'" Trump grumbled. "With me, I probably will never get it."
Xi Jinping's global dreams hit a wall amid growing backlash against China
Updated 0503 GMT (1303 HKT) February 16, 2019
With the shock election of anti-globalist Donald Trump to the US presidency still fresh in their minds, international leaders watched with anticipation as Chinese President Xi Jinping stepped up to the podium at Davos in January 2017.
Xi's speech in favor of globalization and free trade was met with praise by governments and businesses across the world.
"This is a very important speech at an important moment," World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab said afterward.
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