HONG KONG: The pound plunged against the dollar and euro yesterday after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened to call a snap election to push through Brexit, with analysts warning the currency could fall even further. Johnson’s warning that he will call a poll for October 14 if rebel MPs
ABUJA: A UN human rights expert on Monday urged Nigeria to stop extra-judicial killings by security forces in the country. In a preliminary report at the end of a 12-day visit to Nigeria, United Nations Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard said the perpetrators of such inhuman acts should face justice. “Every
MOSCOW: A Russian court yesterday sentenced a blogger to five years in a penal colony for a tweet calling for attacks on the children of police, a ruling his lawyer said was unprecedented. Vladislav Sinitsa, 30, posted the tweets in the wake of a police crackdown against protesters who have
BOGOTA: A woman running for small town mayor and a candidate for city council were among six people shot and killed in Colombia, an official said Monday. An armoured car carrying all six was hit by long-range weapons and later set on fire in the attack Sunday night in southwest
KHARTOUM: German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas arrived yesterday in Sudan which is ushering in a long-awaited transition from decades of autocratic rule under ousted leader Omar al-Bashir. The visit by Maas comes after Sudan swore in a new prime minister and a civilian-majority ruling body to steer the country through
WASHINGTON: Exorcists advised a Nashville school priest to ban the Harry Potter books, over fears the popular children’s novels could be used to summon spirits. Reverend Dan Reehil contacted exorcists in Rome and the US, who recommended removing the fantasy novels from St. Edward Catholic School’s library in Tennessee. Launched
PORT MORESBY: Papua New Guinea said yesterday that a multi-billion dollar liquefied natural gas project led by Total would go ahead, after the government abandoned demands for the contract to be reworked to better benefit locals. “The government has now cleared Total to proceed full steam ahead,” the ministry for
GLASGOW: One-armed addict Michael arrives at a derelict scrap of land near Glasgow city centre littered with used syringes and other drug detritus to inject cocaine. He is helped by a fellow user, Bryan, who quickly mixes the white powder with distilled water in a small spoon and draws the
PORT SAINT LUCIE: The message was desperate, despondent and urgent. “Anybody who can help me, this is Kendra Williams. I live in Heritage. We are under water; we are up in the ceiling. “Can someone please assist us or send some help. Please.” “Me and my six grandchildren and my
LIBREVILLE: Gabon’s President Ali Bongo Ondimba is undergoing “routine medical checks” in London during a family trip, the presidency said on Monday, denying his health was deteriorating nearly a year after he suffered a stroke. Bongo’s state of health has been the subject of fierce speculation, as the Gabonese leader
