EU’s Takuba anti-terror force quits junta-controlled Mali

Paris, July 1 (AFP/APP):The French-led Takuba task force of EU special forces has officially ceased operating in Mali, France announced Friday, ending a year-long anti-jihadist effort that soured after two military coups overthrew the civilian government. Takuba, operating with France’s Barkhane mission, was set up […]

17 dead in southern Ukraine strikes, after Russia quits Snake Island

Kyiv, Ukraine, July 1 (AFP/APP): At least 17 people were killed and dozens wounded Friday in missile strikes on Ukraine’s Odessa region, a day after Russian troops abandoned positions on a strategic island in a major setback to the Kremlin’s invasion. The news came after […]

Relief and concern in Sweden after NATO deal with Turkey

Stockholm, June 29 (AFP/APP): Sweden may have clinched a surprise deal with Turkey paving the way for its NATO membership, but Kurds and leftwing parties expressed concern Wednesday about the concessions made to Ankara. “We did not cave in to (Turkish President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan”, […]

France awaits verdicts in marathon 2015 terror attacks trial

Paris, June 29 (AFP/APP):A French court is to hand down verdicts Wednesday against 20 men accused over the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris, after a marathon 10-month trial that reopened the scars of modern France’s worst peacetime atrocity. One hundred and thirty people were […]

French court blocks extradition of ex-Red Brigades members to Italy

Paris, June 29 (AFP/APP): A French appeals court on Wednesday turned down Italy’s request to extradite 10 former members of left-wing Italian extremist groups exiled in France for their involvement in violence decades ago. The ultra-leftist Red Brigades and other armed groups sowed chaos during […]

1 dead, 1 missing as landslides hit Austrian villages

Vienna, June 29 (AFP/APP): One person has died, while another has been reported missing, officials said on Wednesday, after landslides caused by heavy rains cut off access to several communities and waged widespread damage in southern Austria. Record rain falls overnight Tuesday to Wednesday sparked […]

Mozambique still haunted by civil war as new conflict rages

Gorongosa, Mozambique, June 29 (AFP/APP): As Mozambique battles a brutal insurgency, the legacy of a decades-long civil war still haunts the African nation where many former rebels refuse to disarm. “It’s hard to live alone, with nothing, living without family nearby,” said Aurelio Capece Mudiua, […]