Hamas rejects US 'diktats'
GAZA, Aug 18 (AFP/AP): US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in Israel on Sunday as mediators seek to cement a Gaza ceasefire deal, while a senior Hamas official dismissed "American diktats" in negotiations.Making his ninth trip to the Middle East since the Gaza war broke out with the...
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British Foreign Office official quits over Israel arms sales
LONDON, Aug 18 (BBC): A British Foreign Office official who worked on counter terrorism has resigned in protest at arms sales to Israel, saying the UK government "may be complicit in war crimes".Mark Smith wrote to colleagues on Friday, saying he had raised concerns "at every level" in the Foreign...
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Harris bets US ready for first Black woman president
WASHINGTON, Aug 18 (AFP): Is America ready to elect a Black woman as its president? Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be officially confirmed as the Democratic US presidential nominee in Chicago next week, is betting that it is."In my entire career, I've heard people say when I ran... people...
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Businesses, rights defenders decry
ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (AFP): Pakistan's government is throttling the internet and social media while it tests new controls to crush dissent, activists and business leaders say, putting the country's economic recovery at risk.Internet networks have been up to 40 percent slower than normal since July, according to one IT association,...
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Thai king endorses Paetongtarn as PM
BANGKOK, Aug 18 (Reuters): Paetongtarn Shinawatra was endorsed as prime minister by Thailand's king on Sunday, two days after parliament elected her, paving the way for her to form a cabinet in the coming weeks.Paetongtarn, 37, becomes Thailand's youngest prime minister just days after ally Srettha Thavisin was dismissed as...
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Ukraine repels Russian missile attack on Kyiv
KYIV, Aug 18 (AFP): Ukrainian forces said they thwarted a Russian missile attack on the capital Kyiv where air raid sirens sounded before dawn on Sunday."This is the third ballistic missile attack on the capital in August with a clear interval of six days between each attack," the Kyiv City...
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Turkey battles forest fires for third day
IZMIR, Aug 18 (AFP): Firefighters were battling a strong forest fire in Turkey's Aegean city of Izmir for a third day on Saturday, AFP reporters said, a day after hundreds of local people in nearby villages had to be evacuated.Firefighters said they had partially beaten back the flames that have...
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