World

Colombia’s government and the left-wing National Liberation Army, ELN, rebel group have announced plans to re-establish peace talks. A statement jointly signed by ELN commanders Antonio Garcia and Pablo Beltran as well as the country’s high commissioner for peace, Danilo Rueda, revealed that delegations will restart negotiations after the first week of November. The statement noted that Norway, Venezuela and Cuba would be guarantor states in the talks and that the […]

President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Felix Tshisekedi has replaced the head of the country’s armed forces. A statement issued by the presidency, named Christian Songhesha, as the new army chief of staff, replacing Célestin Musense. The country's army is fighting multiple armed groups, mainly in its restive east where ethnic militias and other armed groups are battling for control near the borders with Uganda and Rwanda.

At least 15 prisoners have been killed and many wounded in the latest riot to hit Ecuador’s troubled prison system. Officials say authorities are working on identifying the bodies, while governor of Cotopaxi province, Oswaldo Coronel, revealed that security had been restored. Coronel said 14 of the injured had been taken to hospital. More than 400 inmates have died in prison violence since February 2021, which the government of President […]

US President Joe Biden has announced $60m in aid to Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Fiona, caused widespread destruction across the Caribbean last month. During a visit to Puerto Rico, Biden highlighted federal efforts to help the island deal with the aftermath of the hurricane, which include cash assistance, compensation for damaged homes and a major disaster declaration that he issued to cover the cost of debris removal. Prior to his […]

Burkina Faso’s overthrown Military Chief, Paul-Henri Damiba has agreed to step down two days after army officers announced his deposition. Damiba offered his resignation in order to avoid confrontations with serious human and material consequences. A spokesman for the mediation efforts, Hamidou Yameogo, said the President proposed his own resignation in order to avoid clashes. The Military Chief set seven conditions for stepping down, which include; guarantee of security for his […]

A court in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad has approved bail for former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan. The Court, however, ordered Khan to appear in court on October 7. The bail comes a day after an arrest warrant was issued against him for remarks against police officials and a female judge made at a public rally last month. The warrant was issued after the former prime minister failed to appear for […]

At least 19 people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked an educational institute in the Afghan capital, Kabul. According to police spokesman, Khalid Zadran, 27 others were wounded in the blast, which occurred in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood of western Kabul. Zadran added that the victims included high school graduates, both girls and boys, who were taking a practice university entrance exam at the Kaj education centre.

The European Commission has said it will file a legal challenge against Malta for its golden passport programme. The referral of the case to the EU Court of Justice comes after years of wrangling with Malta about tweaks to the scheme. The passport allows wealthy foreigners to buy citizenship in exchange for an investment of about 1 million euros. Brussels believes the scheme is in breach of EU law because […]

Taiwan has announced an end to its mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for arrivals from October 13. The government also announced that the country will welcome tourists, completing a big step on its plan to reopen to the outside world. Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng, noted that with a well-vaccinated population and the pandemic under control, the time had come to reopen borders. According to Ping-cheng, arrivals will still need to monitor their […]