PARIS (AA) – A rights watchdog in France has challenged the government’s ‘abaya’ dress ban in schools at the Council of State, the country’s highest court, a lawyer said. The abaya is a full-length dress worn by some Muslim women for religious reasons. Vincent Brengarth, the lawyer for the Muslim Rights Action (ADM), said on ...
Islamabad, Pakistan — AFP Traders across Pakistan shuttered their shops on Saturday, striking over soaring energy and fuel bills stirring widespread discontent ahead of national elections. Decades of mismanagement and instability have hobbled Pakistan’s economy, and this summer Islamabad was forced into a deal with the Internationa...
Niamey, Niger – AFP Niger’s military regime strongly condemned France on Friday for “blatant interference” by backing the country’s ousted president as protestors rallied near a French base outside the capital Niamey. President Mohamed Bazoum, a French ally whose election in 2021 had created hopes of stability in ...
Beirut, Lebanon – AFP Iran’s foreign minister on Friday rejected accusations from France over Tehran’s interference in Lebanon, urging President Emmanuel Macron to focus instead on his own country. Macron had told a conference of French ambassadors earlier this week that a “key element” to resolve Lebanon’s ...
Niamey, Niger – AFP Niger braced Friday for a weekend of planned anti-French rallies as tensions mount between the country’s new military rulers and its traditional ally. A coalition of civil society groups opposed to the presence of French forces in Niger has called a three-day sit-in, starting Friday. The protest, organised by th...
– ‘French army is ready to respond to any renewed tension that would target French military and diplomatic facilities in Niger,’ General Staff tells Anadolu NICE, France – The French military said on Friday that it is ready to respond if any renewed tensions in Niger target its military and diplomatic facilities in the confli...
Dhaka, Bangladesh — AFP Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters marched on Wednesday demanding information on hundreds of people they say security forces have abducted during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 15 years in power. Opposition supporters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies joined families of those m...
Soldiers in army uniforms appeared on national television and announced the president’s house arrest and the military’s takeover of power LIBREVILLE, Gabon – Military forces have staged a coup d’état in the central African country of Gabon, ousting President Ali Bongo Ondimba. Soldiers in army uniforms appeared on natio...
Jones criticized Republicans for their ‘authoritarianism’ after they applied the chamber’s recently implemented rules to silence him NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Republican-controlled Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday cut off Democratic Rep. Justin Jones from speaking for the rest of the day. Jones criticized Republicans f...
Libreville, Gabon – AFP Rebel officers in the oil-rich central African state of Gabon announced on Wednesday they had seized power following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power since 2009, had been declared victor. Bongo, 64, whose family has ruled Gabon for over 55 years, was placed under house arrest and [...
