Iraq on Tuesday hanged five people convicted on “terrorism” charges in a notorious southern prison, security sources said, despite an international outcry in recent months over the country’s execution record. The five men, all Iraqi, were executed in the Nasiriyah prison in Dhi Qar province, the only one in Iraq that carries out capital punishment, […]

The number of registered births dropped by nearly a third in China last year, in the latest sign that relaxations in the country’s strict family planning policy are failing to spark a baby boom. After decades of a “one-child policy”, Beijing changed the rules in 2016 to allow families to have two children as fears […]

North Korea and Iran resumed cooperation on the development of long-range missiles in 2020, according to a UN report that also confirmed Pyongyang continues to violate various nuclear resolutions. The annual report, produced by an independent panel of UN experts, was submitted to the Security Council on Monday and seen by AFP. It said Tehran […]

Mr Zhao Yong, Deputy Ambassador of China to Nigeria has disclosed that Nigeria is China’s major investment destination in Africa with a bilateral trade growth ranking first among China’s top 40 trading partners globally. Zhao made this known on Monday in Abuja while briefing journalists as part of activities to mark the commemoration of the […]

Two Christian men were publicly flogged Monday in Indonesia’s ultra-conservative Aceh province for drinking alcohol and gambling, in a rare instance of non-Muslims facing a punishment frequently condemned by rights groups. The caning comes less than two weeks after a male couple were flogged nearly 80 times each for having gay sex, which is outlawed […]