* US President Donald Trump on December 25 reiterated that the US Federal Reserve was raising interest rates too quickly but added that US companies were "the greatest in the world" and presented a "tremendous" buying opportunity for investors. On December 24, Trump said "The only problem our economy has is the Fed." * Turkey is determined to cross to the east of the Euphrates river in northern Syria as soon as possible, Ankara's foreign minister was quoted as saying on December 25, signalling renewed intent to launch a military campaign delayed by the US withdrawal. * So far 17,447 people have been displaced by the volcano-triggered tsunami in Indonesia, Indonesian disaster management agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a press briefing in Jakarta on December 26. * German police said on December 25 they had found a flag of the Islamic State (IS) militant group near the site of a suspected attack on a railway track in Berlin and that investigators were examining whether the … [Read more...] about World News in Brief: December 26
Afghan islamic press
Macron visits Strasbourg as police probe potential accomplices
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) is offered a gift as he visits the Christmas market in Strasbourg on Dec 14, 2018 as he came to pay tribute to the victims of the Dec 11 attack who killed four people. (Photo: AFP/Pool) Macron placed a white rose on the Kleber monument, which has become a makeshift memorial in the centre of the city with thousands of candles, flowers and messages, as soldiers sang the Marseillaise national anthem. "The whole nation stands with the people of Strasbourg. This is what I wanted to tell them tonight," said Macron, who had earlier taken part in a European Union summit in Brussels. Annette, 80, one of the hundreds attending the Strasbourg memorial, said she "came to pray for those who are no longer here". The eastern French city near the German border slowly began to return to normality on Friday, with its famous Christmas market reopening after 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt, a small-time criminal turned militant, went on a shooting spree there on Tuesday … [Read more...] about Macron visits Strasbourg as police probe potential accomplices
Islamabad, Kabul reach ‘unique deal’ on peace
Viet Nam News KABUL — Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani said on Saturday an agreement has been made with Pakistan – in writing – on rooting out terrorism. Addressing an event in Kabul, the Afghan president said achievements had been made with Pakistan on finding a solution to the Taliban problem in Afghanistan, reported Tolo News. “The issue of Taliban should be solved in our relations with Pakistan. Some things have been done in this respect and some things are still needed to be done. It has been agreed on paper for the first time. The Afghanistan-Pakistan negotiations framework is now on paper. Now, serious actions are required,” he said. He said there have been improvements in terms of uprooting terrorism. “We should clearly agree on this, on how we will work with each other in the future and how we will prevent other movements,” he added. Ghani did not however give details on exactly what the agreement entailed. … [Read more...] about Islamabad, Kabul reach ‘unique deal’ on peace
Outrage after bloody day for Afghan journalists
Condemnation poured in from across the world Tuesday after 10 journalists were among dozens killed in attacks in Afghanistan, in what the U.N. described as the "deliberate targeting" of the media. A double suicide blast in Kabul left 25 people dead including AFP photographer Shah Marai and eight other journalists, while a BBC reporter was killed in a separate attack in eastern Khost province. The second Kabul bomber dressed like a journalist and detonated himself among the crowd, police said, in what Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called the most lethal single attack on the media since the fall of the Taliban. Journalists from Radio Free Europe and Afghan broadcasters Tolo News and 1TV were among the others killed. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "outraged" by the suicide blasts, which were claimed by the Islamic State group and left another 49 people wounded. "The deliberate targeting of journalists in the attack highlights once again the risks media … [Read more...] about Outrage after bloody day for Afghan journalists
10 journalists among dozens killed in Afghan attacks
Shah Marai (centre) embraces colleagues Massoud Hossaini (left) and Lawrence Bartlett (right), after Hossaini won the Pulitzer Prize in 2012, at the AFP office in Kabul. (AFP/JOHANNES EISELE) The attacks highlight the dangers journalists face in the war-torn country, where violence is increasing as the resurgent Taliban step up their campaign while the Islamic State group makes inroads. A double suicide blast in Kabul killed 25 people, including Marai along with at least eight other journalists, and wounded 49. Reporters Without Borders called it the most lethal single attack on the media since the fall of the Taliban. IS claimed the attack, which was condemned by the United Nations and the European Union. Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanikzai said the second explosion came minutes after the first and targeted reporters at the scene. "The bomber disguised himself as a journalist and detonated himself among the crowd," he said. The BBC confirmed that one of its reporters, … [Read more...] about 10 journalists among dozens killed in Afghan attacks