U.N. child rights panel calls on Saudi Arabia to halt Yemen strikes
A United Nations human rights watchdog called on Saudi Arabia on Thursday to halt its deadly air strikes against civilian targets in Yemen and to prosecute officials responsible for child casualties due to unlawful attacks.
Defying China, Malaysia releases Uighur detainees
Malaysia has freed from detention 11 ethnic Uighur Muslims who fled to the southeast Asian nation after a Thai jailbreak last year, and sent them to Turkey, their lawyer said on Thursday, in disregard of China’s request to hand them to Beijing.
British academic held after conducting research in UAE: wife
A British academic is being held in solitary confinement without charge in the United Arab Emirates, five months after he was arrested while in the country conducting field research for his thesis, his wife said on Thursday.
Lebanese newspaper protests politicians’ failure to form government with blank edition
Major Lebanese newspaper an-Nahar published a blank edition on Thursday to protest against what it called a “catastrophic situation” in Lebanon, which five months after an election still has no new government.
Tony Blair sees 50-50 chance of another Brexit referendum
Former British leader Tony Blair said there was a 50-50 chance of another Brexit referendum as Prime Minister Theresa May will be unlikely to secure a parliamentary majority for any divorce deal.
Under pressure from parliamentary partner, UK’s May meets ministers on Brexit
Prime Minister Theresa May will meet some of her ministers on Thursday to discuss Brexit, hours after her parliamentary partner threatened to withdraw its support if she accepts what it calls a “draconian solution” from the European Union.
EU says ‘we are not there yet’ on Brexit deal
There is “no breakthrough yet” in the European Union’s divorce talks with Britain, a spokesman for the bloc’s executive arm in Brussels said on Thursday.
International space station crew have enough supplies – TASS
The International Space Station crew have enough supplies and the aborted launch of a “Soyuz” spacecraft bringing a new crew to the station will not affect operations, TASS news agency cited an unnamed source as saying on Thursday.
Malaysia to abolish colonial-era Sedition Act, death penalty
Malaysia’s cabinet has ordered the suspension of the colonial-era Sedition Act, widely used to rein in dissent, and is working on doing the same for the death penalty as it prepares to repeal both laws possibly by the end of the year.
Iran’s Khamenei orders officials to resolve economic crisis
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered officials to urgently find solutions to ease an economic crisis spurred by the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Thursday.
