HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Some immigration signs at Zimbabwe’s main international airport are in Chinese, a sign of China’s deep economic inroads in Africa, which Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit this week. Xi arrives Tuesday in Zimbabwe before heading on Wednesday to South Africa. There, he will attend a forum on cooperation between Africa … Continue reading
LE BOURGET, France (AP) — Pushing for a powerful climate deal, President Barack Obama called the global talks opening Monday outside Paris an “act of defiance” against terrorism that proves the world stands undeterred by Islamic State-linked attacks in Europe and beyond. Obama used his speech to more than 150 world leaders to salute Paris … Continue reading
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A European Union envoy criticized Syria on Monday for “gaps and contradictions” in its declarations about its chemical weapons arsenal to the global watchdog overseeing the destruction of the toxic armaments. Jacek Bylica of Luxembourg said that the lack of clarity from Damascus, “make it impossible to have confidence that … Continue reading
BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union leaders and the Turkish prime minister sealed a joint summit with a commitment to re-energize Turkey’s long-stalled membership talks and bolster their common resolve to deal with the Syrian refugee crisis. The 28 EU leaders were leaning hard on Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to stem the flow of migrants seeking … Continue reading
IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Kurdish officials said Sunday three more mass graves have been found in the northern town of Sinjar, where Kurdish forces backed by heavy U.S.-led airstrikes drove out Islamic State militants earlier this month. The discovery brings the total number of burial sites in the area to five and the total number … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel on Sunday suspended contacts with European Union representatives on Mideast peace issues to protest the 28-nation bloc’s decision to label Israeli exports from the West Bank. The decision, which deepened a fissure with the EU over the labeling issue, came as a rash of Palestinian attacks showed no signs of relenting. … Continue reading
JERUSALEM (AP) — A Russian jet recently penetrated Israeli airspace but was not shot down thanks to an open communication system between the two countries, Israel’s defense minister said Sunday as tensions continued to flare between Ankara and Moscow after Turkish troops downed a Russian warplane. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said the plane entered about … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — Airstrikes believed to have been carried out by Russian warplanes killed at least 18 civilians and wounded dozens more on Sunday in a northern Syrian town held by insurgents, Syrian opposition media reported. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes struck the town of Ariha, killing at least 18 … Continue reading
PARIS (AP) — The wave of suicide bombers and gunmen who terrorized Paris marked a new stage in the war against extremism that will leave no country in the world untouched, Iraq’s foreign minister said Sunday. In an interview with The Associated Press, Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Iraq has long known that Islamic State … Continue reading
ZAWERGOSK, Iraq (AP) — Aria is stateless. Like thousands of other children born to Syrian refugees living in Iraq, the 10-month-old girl is beginning her life in legal limbo. Some 240,000 refugees who fled the fighting in Syria now live in Iraq, where among many other hardships, they are often unable to get their children … Continue reading
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Turkish prime minister says Turkey has taken delivery of the body of a Russian pilot who was killed after Turkish F-16s shot down a Russian warplane. Ahmet Davutoglu says the pilot’s body was brought to the border province of Hatay “through Turkey’s initiatives” early on Sunday and will be flown … Continue reading
PARIS (AP) — The latest on the deadly attacks in Paris. (All times local): 3:15 a.m. The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution condemning Friday’s attacks in Paris and pledging to stand in solidarity with France. The resolution approved Monday also pledges to help France “pursue justice against those involved in these heinous attacks.” The … Continue reading
PARIS (AP) — France identified a 27-year-old Belgian who once boasted about killing “infidels” and fought for the Islamic State group in Syria as the mastermind of the Paris attacks, and President Francois Hollande vowed Monday to forge a united coalition capable of defeating the jihadists at home and abroad. Addressing lawmakers after France observed … Continue reading
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — After years of red-eye flights across the Pacific and marathon summits, President Barack Obama had hoped to arrive in this Southeast Asian capital and tout progress in his seven-year charm offensive in Asia: His campaign to move away from the cycle of crisis in the Middle East and toward the rising region was finally … Continue reading
CAIRO (AP) — This is the fundamental contradiction, after Paris: Few in the West want to send ground troops to Syria and Iraq to battle the Islamic State group, but it may be even harder to find anyone who thinks airstrikes alone will defeat the radical extremists. So far, policy makers and experts tend to … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 