WELLINGTON, (APP/AFP): New Zealanders voted convincingly against a proposal to ditch Britain’s Union Jack from the national flag, preliminary results released by election officials showed Thursday. The New Zealand electoral commission said 56.61 percent of voters chose to stay with the existing flag, while 43.16 opted for an alternative “silver fern” design. The result will […]
International News
New Zealand rejects flag change: preliminary results
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Congo president wins third term, opposition cries foul
BRAZZAVILLE, (APP/AFP): Congo strongman Denis Sassou Nguesso was on Thursday declared the winner of presidential elections, extending his 32 years in power in a vote the opposition says was marked by “massive fraud”. Interior Minister Raymond Zephyrin Mboulou announced the results in the early hours (0230 GMT) on national television, saying Sassou Nguesso had secured […]
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Syria army fights IS at gates of Palmyra
DAMASCUS, (APP/AFP) – Pro-government forces pushed a fierce bid to recapture Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra from militants Thursday as Moscow hosted top US diplomat John Kerry for talks on the fraught peace process. The Islamic State group called on civilians still living in Palmyra to leave, as army and pro-government militia battled the militants […]
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Three Brussels attackers identified, police hunt fourth
BRUSSELS, (APP/AFP): Three suicide bombers who struck Brussels airport and a metro train in attacks were identified Wednesday, as the manhunt for a fourth man whose suitcase bomb failed to detonate intensified. Prosecutors said brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui had carried out attacks at Zaventem airport and Maalbeek metro station, while bomb-making expert Najim […]
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N. Korean leader hails solid-fuel rocket success
SEOUL, (APP/AFP): North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un hailed an “historic” advance in the country’s nuclear strike capability, with the successful test of a solid-fuel rocket engine, state media said Thursday. It was the latest in a string of claims by Pyongyang regarding the growing technical sophistication of its nuclear deterrent — accompanied by threats of […]
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No peace deal yet for FARC, Colombia
HAVANA, (APP/AFP): More than three years into marathon peace talks to end Latin America’s last civil war, Colombia and Marxist FARC rebels missed their self-imposed deadline Wednesday, but pledged to keep trying. “To be perfectly frank, we do have to tell the public that at this time, there are still some differences with the FARC […]