The United States and Israel have officially quit the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Day, the culmination of a process triggered more than a year ago. The withdrawal is mainly procedural yet serves a new blow to UNESCO, co-founded by the US after World War II to foster peace. …
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has renewed his commitment to denuclearisation but warned that he may have no option but to seek an alternative course if the United States does not take corresponding measures and maintains sanctions. Kim made the comments on Tuesday during his annual New Year’s Day address, laying out Pyongyang’s top priorities for the 12 months ahead. …
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would not resign if indicted on corruption charges, as police continue to investigate several cases involving him ahead of April polls. Netanyahu, who is enmeshed in three corruption cases and denies any wrongdoing, announced last week that a snap parliamentary elections would be held in April, seeking a fresh political mandate after …
The stabbing of three people – including a police officer – at Manchester Victoria station on New Year’s Eve is being treated as a terror related incident, police have confirmed. A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Two knives were recovered at the scene and a property is being searched in the Cheetham Hill area. The …
US Strategic Command, which oversees America’s nuclear arsenal, has apologised for a tweet that said it was ready to “drop something much, much bigger” than New York’s Times Square ball. The message, posted on New Year’s Eve, was accompanied by a video showing a B-2 bomber dropping weapons. Strategic Command later deleted the tweet, saying it was “in poor taste”, …
It’s not the best way to spend New Year’s Eve, but it’s certainly an unforgettable one. Eight French people have been rescued by helicopter after becoming trapped for eight hours atop a fair ride. The revellers, one as young as 13, climbed aboard the 52-metre (171ft) BomberMaxxx in the Breton city of Rennes for a brief ride above the city. …
Russian rescuers in the city of Magnitogorsk have pulled an 11-month-old baby from the rubble of a block of flats hit by an explosion on Monday. The boy, named Ivan, has serious frostbite, a head injury and leg fractures, and will be sent for treatment in Moscow. He is said to be in a “very serious” condition. Ivan was partially …
Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has cautioned the country’s soldiers to respect hierarchy and desist from abusing their power. Lungu, who fired the army commander and his deputy, on Monday, addressed the soldiers at the swearing-in ceremony of the new military chiefs. He did not give reasons for removing Lieutenant-General Paul Mihova but cautioned his successor, William Sikazwe, not to abuse …
The United Arab Emirates would be willing to step in and help host matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to a senior Emirati sporting official. Aref al-Awani, tournament director for the upcoming Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in the UAE, stressed that while here had been no formal approach from either FIFA or the Qatar Football Association, …
The Confederation of African Football (CAF)has announced the shortlist for the best footballers on the continent in the men’s and women’s categories. Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, Senegal’s Sadio Mane and Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are the top three players on the African continent this year. The winner of the prestigious African Player of the Year accolade will be crowned on January 8, …
