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Monthly Archives: October 2018

Jamal Khashoggi: Trump gives Saudi benefit of doubt in Khashoggi case

US President Donald Trump has cautioned against rushing to blame Saudi Arabia over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He told the AP news agency that Riyadh was being treated as “guilty until proven innocent”.   Mr Trump also said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman had denied knowing what happened to Mr Khashoggi.   Unnamed Turkish officials ...

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Royal tour: Prince Harry gets his beard rubbed

Protocol was well and truly flouted on the latest leg of the royal tour when a five-year-old boy touched Prince Harry’s beard. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are touring Australia and New Zealand after announcing they’re expecting a baby.  Five-year-old Luke Vincent was allegedly mesmerised by the duke’s facial hair because his “favourite person in the world is Santa ...

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India guru Rampal sentenced to life in jail for murder

A self-styled Indian guru and 14 others have been sentenced to life in prison for murdering four women and an 18-month-old baby in 2014. The court in Haryana state convicted Rampal last week. He was also found guilty of another murder and will be sentenced in that case on Wednesday.   The victims suffocated after they were locked in a ...

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US moves to negotiate trade deals with Japan, UK, EU

The US has said it intends to negotiate three separate trade agreements with Japan, the UK and the EU. It could take several months before the negotiations begin, it said.   The move is part of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to reshape trade policies to support his “America First” agenda.   It comes as the US has been fighting ...

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‘Vampire burial’ of child with malaria discovered

Recent findings show that ‘Vampire burial’ techniques were used in ancient times to prevent a child, possibly infected with malaria, from rising from the dead and spreading the disease to the living.   The discovery of an ancient grave of a 10-year-old at a Roman site in Italy suggested that measures were taken to prevent the child–probably infected with malaria–from ...

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Brexit: Cabinet meeting kicks off crucial 48 hours

Theresa May will try to rally ministers behind her this morning at the start of a critical 48 hours for Brexit. On Monday, the PM told MPs an agreement with the EU was “still achievable” despite apparent deadlock over the issue of the Irish border.   EU officials, though, have warned no-deal is “more likely than ever before”.   The ...

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Taliban kill 7 policemen in country’s north

An Afghan official says a Taliban attack on a security outpost in northern Samangan province has killed seven policemen, including a deputy provincial police chief. The provincial governor, Abdul Latif Ibrahimi, says the attack occurred late on Monday in Dari Suf district.   Ibrahimi told The Associated Press on Tuesday that another five policemen were wounded in the attack. He ...

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Theresa May says Brexit deal still ‘achievable’ despite differences

Prime Minister Theresa May has called for “cool, calm heads” as she insisted a Brexit deal was “still achievable” despite differences with the EU. She said it was “frustrating” the two sides could not agree how to guarantee no hard border in Northern Ireland.   The issue could not “derail” the chances of striking a deal, she said.   And ...

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Yemeni president fires prime minister, citing ‘negligence’

Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi has fired the prime minister, accusing him of “negligence” in running the country. In a decree late Monday, Hadi’s office said Ahmed bin Dagher was guilty of poor economic performance and failure to avert a collapse of the currency.   The statement named Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed as the new prime minister. He was previously ...

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Matthew Hedges: Durham student charged with UAE spying

A British student has been charged with spying in the United Arab Emirates, officials have said. The UAE government said on Monday that Matthew Hedges was accused of “spying for and on behalf of a foreign state”.   Mr Hedges, a PhD student at Durham University, was arrested on 5 May in Dubai and has reportedly been held in solitary ...

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