NATO bars 8 members of Russian mission as spies

Brussels, Oct 6 (AFP/APP):NATO said on Wednesday it had stripped eight members of the Russian mission to the Alliance of their accreditation, calling them “undeclared Russian intelligence officers” — meaning spies. A NATO official giving the information said that “we can also confirm that we […]

Putin says Europe to blame for gas price spike

Moscow, Oct 6 (AFP/APP):Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Europe was to blame for the current energy crisis after soaring gas prices have spurred accusations that Moscow is withholding supplies to pressure the West. “They’ve made mistakes,” Putin said in a televised meeting with […]

French senators visit Taiwan despite China protests

Taipei, Oct 6 (AFP/APP):A delegation of French senators led by a former defence minister arrived on Wednesday in Taiwan, where they will hold talks with President Tsai Ing-wen, despite strong protests from China. Beijing opposes Taipei having any official diplomatic exchanges and has aggressively tried […]

Rival Libya bodies in new election law dispute

Tripoli, Oct 5 (AFP/APP):Two rival Libyan factions have again disagreed over legislation governing elections planned for December, raising further doubts Tuesday over whether the UN-backed polls can take place. In the latest dispute the equivalent of Libya’s senate, based in the western city of Tripoli, […]

Food-crisis spectre haunts 600,000 in Niger: UN

Niamey, Oct 3 (AFP/APP):The United Nations on Sunday warned that the Tillaberi region of western Niger was facing a “major food crisis”, with almost 600,000 people exposed to food insecurity. The vast region of about the same size as South Korea or Hungary borders the […]

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