Fighting died down in much of the country after President Bashar al-Assad’s forces defeated rebels in bloody battles around the capital and southern Syria, bringing just over 60 percent of the country back under his control. Of the 20,000, only 6,500 were civilians
As Gambian journalists assembled for the launch of their new council, memories of past violence hung in the air. The council launched amid events marking the anniversary of the 2004 killing of Deyda Hydara, a veteran newspaper editor who was gunned down by what the Yahya Jammeh regime called “unknown assailants.”
An estimated 1 million people will pack New York City’s Times Square to watch the huge, brilliantly lighted, crystal ball drop to signal the start of the new year. It is an American New Year’s tradition that goes back more than a century
As of now, Poroshenko’s main rival appears to be Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister who announced her candidacy in June
Nigeria’s campaign to vaccinate more people against yellow fever appears to be making headway. The government is partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and UNICEF to immunize more than 26 million people
Some experts say the flexibility of the bank proves it is able to weather financial challenges and say the turmoil of the past two decades have left the ECB better able to deal with future crises
For some children, it means skipping school to find something to eat. They target supermarkets and restaurants and work on corners begging for money just to survive
Pakistan has a mixed record on press freedoms. Although the media is vibrant and there are many TV news channels, state and non-state actors often threaten or harass journalists
Violence and social pressures have not deterred members of the country’s nascent orchestra of mostly young girls from using music to “heal wounds” and promote women’s rights in the strictly conservative Muslim society