Robert Hackwill

Turkey

Davutoglu promises 'rose garden' in Turkey's Kurdish south-east

Turkey's prime minister has been in the mainly Kurdish south-east of the country after weeks of anti-PKK operations left some areas badly damaged.

05/02/2016

Somalia

Car bomb kills three at Mogadishu airport

Three people have died at Mogadishu airport in a suicide bombing just days after an explosion ripped through a Somali airliner, forcing it to make an emergency landing.

05/02/2016

Syria

Civilians flee Aleppo as Syrian army and Russian air power lay siege

Ancient armies fought here, but now modern weapons are beginning to encircle Aleppo, and the city is being hit remorselessly from the air by the

05/02/2016

Spain

Socialists get their turn to form Spanish government after Rajoy fails

Spain is still staggering uncertainly towards a new government a month after an inconclusive general election. King Felipe has now asked the

02/02/2016

World News

Anti-ISIL summit agrees to intensify attacks on Islamic extremists

A day-long summit in Italy of 23 nations engaged against ISIL has reviewed the situation in Syria, Iraq and Libya. Members agreed to intensify their

02/02/2016

USA

Cruz crushes Trump but Sanders catches Clinton in Iowa caucus

They both emerged winners from the first contest of the US 2016 presidentials, even though this was only a caucus and not even a primary, but only

02/02/2016

Pakistan

At least two die as airline sell-off protests turn violent in Pakistan

The months of protests around the Pakistani government’s plans to privatise the ailing national airline came to a head on Tuesday as two people died

02/02/2016

World News

Europol sounds alarm over 10,000 missing migrant children

Europol has alerted the authorities to an aspect of the migrant crisis ignored until now; the fact that 10,000 children have gone missing, and will

02/02/2016

World News

New Michelin guide boasts 2016's best eating places, but launch saddened by suicide

The Michelin good food guide, the global gastronome’s bible, has been published on the day the news one of the brightest stars in French cooking

01/02/2016

France

Cuba and France sign deals and promise to deepen friendly ties

Cuban leader Raul Castro and France’s President Hollande have celebrated a successful start to the veteran Communist’s tour of France. He is the

01/02/2016

France

François Hollande pardons Sauvage and reignites domestic violence debate

French President François Hollande once said granting pardons was not his conception of a modern presidency, and he has done so only once before, for

01/02/2016

Portugal

Public sector workers put Portugal's leftist coalition under pressure

Portugal’s new Socialist-led coalition government is facing its first test; a strike by around half of the country’s 600,000 civil servants. Courts

29/01/2016

World News

Germany gets ready for carnival season with stiffer security

Carnival season is about to kick off in Germany, a week-long festive binge to dispel the chills of winter, but this year preparations are tinged by

29/01/2016

World News

Cinema bids farewell to new wave maestro Jacques Rivette, 87

The last of the great French film directors of the New Wave, Jacques Rivette, has died aged 87 after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for several

29/01/2016

World News

"Explosive" risk of baby-crippling Zika virus spreading says WHO

The World Health Organisation is sounding the alarm, belatedly say its critics, about what it says is an “explosive” threat of the incurable Zika

29/01/2016

World News

Sweden to fly home as many as 80,000 failed asylum seekers

Sweden is preparing to send back nearly half of all the asylum seekers that entered the country last year, and is ready to charter planes to take

28/01/2016

Israel

Ban Ki Moon dismisses Netanyahu's "bolstering terrorism" accusation

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon has not taken his tongue-lashing from Israel’s leader Bejamin Netanyahu lying down. Netanyahu said Ban’s

28/01/2016

Cyprus

Cyprus, Israel and Greece talk regional issues

Bilateral agreements were signed in Tel Aviv between the Israeli and Greek prime ministers before they travelled to Cyprus

28/01/2016

France

Big deals in France on latest leg of Rouhani trip to Europe

Iran’s president continues his coming-in-from-the-cold mini European tour, doing deals with the French to add to the 17 billion euros worth of deals

28/01/2016

Sweden

Nearly half of Swedens' 2015 asylum seekers to be expelled says minister

Of the more than 160,000 people who sought asylum in Sweden in 2015, a record number, between 60,000 to 80,000 may be “heading home”

28/01/2016