British PM Johnson urges lawmakers to back October 31 Brexit
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged lawmakers to support an Oct. 31 Brexit, saying they had promised to honour the result of the country’s 2016 decision to leave the European Union.
Poland’s parliament speaker to resign amid private flight scandal
Poland’s parliament speaker, Marek Kuchcinski, said on Thursday he would resign, after it was revealed he used government aircraft to fly family members.
South Africa’s Ramaphosa wins court case against anti-graft watchdog
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa won a court case against the anti-corruption watchdog on Thursday over a matter concerning ally Pravin Gordhan, ahead of a fresh battle over findings against the president himself.
Gazans too poor to afford sheep for Eid sacrifice under blockade, Israel cash row
Ali usually marks the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha with his family in the Gaza Strip by sacrificing a sheep, a customary annual ritual for those who can spare the cost.
Turkish court lifts block on foreign-backed monitoring group website
A Turkish human rights news website discovered it had been removed from a list of 136 web sites and social media accounts banned by a court, the website’s lawyer said on Thursday.
Two dead in rocket test explosion in northern Russian: RIA
An explosion on a missile engine unit at a military testing site in northern Russia killed two people on Thursday, but released no dangerous substances into the atmosphere, RIA news agency cited the ministry of defense as saying.
Pakistan opposition leader Maryam Nawaz arrested in graft probe
Pakistan’s anti-corruption bureau arrested opposition leader Maryam Nawaz on Thursday, the agency and a spokeswoman for her political party said, the latest high-profile detention of a member of the Sharif political dynasty.
Japan to resume effort to tackle contaminated water problem at Fukushima
Japan is resuming efforts to disperse a build-up of contaminated water at Tokyo Electric Power’s wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant that is stalling progress on cleaning up the site, the government said on Thursday.
Muslim pilgrims descend on Mecca for haj, Saudis warn against politics
Hundreds of thousands of white-clad pilgrims, many gripping umbrellas to ward off Saudi Arabia’s blistering summer sun, descended on Mecca this week ahead of the annual haj.
Pakistan suspends train service to India as Kashmir dispute continues
Pakistan said on Thursday it would suspend a rail service linking it to India, as relations with its arch rival continue to sour over the contested Kashmir region.
