Anti-government demonstrations met with force by authorities even as president defends people’s right to protest. At least 12 people have been killed in Iran, according to local news media reports, as anti-government demonstrations continued across the country for a fourth night. Thousands have engaged in protests since the first rallies against the high cost of living on December 28, marking the biggest […]

Weapons depots allegedly targeted near Syrian capital as Israeli prime minister vows ‘action’ to halt arms to Hezbollah. Israel launched a series of predawn air strikes then followed up with artillery fire on an army base near the Syrian capital, Damascus, Syria’s military said. The allegation was not denied by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when questioned by reporters later on […]

In a televised New Year address, he reaffirmed his resolve to completely denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, but said Pyongyang would have “no option to explore a new path” if sanctions and other pressures remain. Mr Kim and Mr Trump met for the first time in Singapore in June but, despite a great deal of hype, the resulting agreements were vague […]

US urges restraint and France calls Security Council meeting as showdown looms between Turkish troops and Kurdish YPG. The US has urged Turkey to exercise restraint in its ongoing military operation in northern Syria as Turkish ground forces pressed ahead against the Syrian Kurdish group YPG in the enclave of Afrin. Washington considers the YPG its closest ally in Syria, viewing it as […]

South Yemen separatists, backed by the UAE, declare a state of emergency and vow to topple Yemen’s government. A group of separatists in southern Yemen, backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has declared a state of emergency in the port city of Aden and vowed to overthrow the country’s internationally recognised government within the next week. Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the […]

Dramatic rise in global temperatures continues, according to World Meteorological Organisation. The World Meteorological Organisation has announced that 2017 was, globally, the joint second warmest year on record, continuing the dramatic rise in global temperatures in recent years. In a timeline of observational data, which stretches back to 1880, WMO’s statistics showed that 2017 tied with 2015, with these years […]

Zimbabwe president visited opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is suffering from cancer, at his home in Harare. Zimbabwe’s new president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has ruled out forming a coalition government with the opposition in advance of elections due later this year. His comments on Friday came after visiting opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who is suffering from colon cancer, at his home in the […]

Muslim student groups call for an international body to manage the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. Depok, Indonesia – Saudi Arabia has “politicised” access to the Hajj, according to organisers of a Muslim youth conference in Indonesia. Ziyad Abdul Malik, chairman of the Muslim Students Association’s (HMI) branch in South Jakarta, lambasted the kingdom for using the pilgrimage to […]

The 35th annual Sundance film festival this year has been overshadowed by the industry’s recent sexual misconduct scandals. The 35th annual Sundance film festival is under way in Park City in the US state of Utah. It’s the world’s leading showcase for independent films. But this year’s event has been overshadowed by the industry’s recent sexual misconduct scandals. Al Jazeera’s […]

Governor Tom Wolfe has declared a state of emergency over the opioid epidemic – making Pennsylvania the eighth state to invoke a state of emergency. In the United States, new measures have been implemented to target the smuggling of the deadly synthetic drug fentanyl. It’s one of several opioids behind a nationwide epidemic of drug abuse. Pennsylvania is the latest […]