A hospital and clean water – China on the charm offensive in Sri Lanka
China has invested an estimated $11 billion in Sri Lanka, around $8 billion in the form of loans
Photo: Xinhua/Files
In Depth
ICC gives greenlight for probe into violent crimes against Rohingya
Judges of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday authorized an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity, namely deportation, which have forced between 600,000 and one million Rohingya refugees out of Myanmar, into neighboring Bangladesh since 2016.
In spite of soccer cheer, unrest continues to rile Iraq
Iraq’s top Shi’ite cleric, who intervenes in politics only at times of crisis, openly backed the protests in his Friday sermon and said he doubted the elites would deliver reform.
Photo: Agencies
Pakistan not doing enough to curb terror: US report
The US report on Pakistan red flags worries on the resurgence of Al Qaeda that was believed to have been decimated with the killing of its founder Osama bin Laden by US troops in Pakistan May 2011.
Of Lebanon and protests
The financial and monetary situation in Lebanon is on the edge of the abyss due to the fact that public debt is now more than $80 billion, and some say reached the threshold of $100 billion, as well as because of the decline in cash reserves in hard currency in the Central Bank of Lebanon,
UN warns of summary executions in north-east Syria
Amid ongoing fighting in northern Syria and disturbing reports that extrajudicial killings have been streamed online, the United Nations and their partners are continuing to deliver humanitarian supplies to tens of thousands of people displaced by the violence, UN agencies stressed on Tuesday.
UNICEF/Delil Souleiman
World Mental Health Day puts spotlight on suicide prevention
Worldwide, 800,000 people die by suicide each year – one every 40 seconds – making it the second leading cause of death among young people (aged 15 to 29), the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday, spotlighting suicide prevention as the theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day.
Whither the Muslim Brotherhood?
The ouster and recent death of former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi and the incarceration of many of its members has definitely been a setback to the Muslim Brotherhood but it still remains a global and effective organisation.
“Direct talks” in Afghanistan needed
The long Afghan conflict can only be resolved by “direct talks” between its own people, the chief of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told the Security Council on Tuesday, underscoring that they must be inclusive and represent “the whole spectrum of Afghan society”.
Why are Arab countries reestablishing ties with Syria?
Syria’s relations with the Arab world are expected to witness a major breakthrough. In particular, this is being witnessed at the diplomatic level with Arab states reestablishing diplomatic ties with Damascus, as well as in the economic front with trade and investments being sought in Syria.