(BBC News) General Abdourahmane Tchiani has declared himself the new leader of Niger after a dramatic coup.
Also known as Omar Tchiani, he staged a takeover that started on Wednesday when the presidential guards unit he led seized the country's leader.
Deposed President Mohamed Bazoum was Niger's first elected leader to succeed another since independence in 1960.
Bazoum is thought to be in good health, held captive by his own guards.
He had been considered a key ally by...
(Al Jazeera Media Network) The United States has ordered non-emergency government personnel to leave Haiti, as the Caribbean nation continues to reel under widespread gang violence, kidnappings, and political instability.
In a travel advisory issued late on Thursday, the U.S. State Department ordered the departure of non-emergency personnel and their family members, and said U.S. citizens in Haiti should leave “as soon as possible.”
“Kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens,” the statement said, adding that...
(Al Jazeera Media Network) The situation in Niger “remains fluid” a day after mutinous soldiers detained toppled President Mohamed Bazoum and announced they had seized power in a coup because of the West African country’s deteriorating security situation.
Tensions remain high between supporters of the coup and people loyal to the deposed government, said Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris, who has reported extensively on Niger.
Supporters of the coup ransacked and set fire to the headquarters of the...
(BBC News) Strength-training exercises such as wall squats or holding the plank position are among the best ways to lower blood pressure, a study suggests.
Current guidance focusing mainly on walking, running, and cycling should be updated, the UK researchers say.
Analysis, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, of trials involving 16,000 people found all exercise lowered high blood pressure.
But wall squats and planking led to larger falls than aerobic exercise.
These isometric exercises are...
(Al Jazeera Media Network) A law passed by Israel’s parliament on Monday that would overhaul the judiciary and limit its powers has sent the country into uncharted territory, amid mass protests from the opposition.
The new legislation, known as the “reasonableness bill”, removes the ability of the Supreme Court to strike down government decisions deemed “unreasonable”.
The far-right government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says that the judges have gotten too strong and need to be reined in,...
(Al Jazeera Media Network) Spain appears headed for a hung parliament after national elections on Sunday left parties on the right and left without a clear path toward forging a new government.
With 99 percent of votes counted by 11:45 p.m. (21:45 GMT) on Sunday, the conservative opposition People’s Party (PP) had 136 seats while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s ruling Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) had 122 seats.
Parties with the greatest potential to be kingmakers were...
(BBC News) A drone attack on an ammunition depot in Crimea has led to civilian evacuations and disrupted transport, Russian authorities have said.
Sergei Aksyonov, the Russian-installed governor of occupied Crimea, said Ukraine was behind the attack.
Aksyonov said local residents living within five kilometres of the blast were being evacuated.
Rail services across the Kerch bridge have also reportedly been halted.
Earlier on Saturday, Russian authorities stopped traffic on the bridge, but then swiftly reopened it to...
(BBC News) The Pentagon says it considers army private Travis King to be "absent without leave" in North Korea after he crossed the border during a tour.
Officials admitted they had no idea of his condition or where he was being held.
Earlier, the White House said the U.S. had tried to contact Pyongyang through "multiple channels" but had seen no response.
PV2 King dashed across the heavily fortified border area on Tuesday.
It is unclear if he...
(Al Jazeera Media Network) U.S.-supplied cluster munitions are in Ukrainian hands and being deployed in the field as part of Kyiv’s battle against Russia, White House national security spokesman John Kirby has said.
“We have gotten some initial feedback from the Ukrainians, and they are using them quite effectively,” Kirby said at a news briefing.
Kirby said the cluster munitions are having an impact on Russian defensive formations and manoeuvring.
Ukraine has pledged to use the cluster...
(Al Jazeera Media Network) A man detained in North Korea after crossing the military demarcation line separating the two Koreas is a United States soldier who entered the country “willfully and without authorization,” according to a U.S. military official.
The United Nations Command, which has helped oversee the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between South Korea and North Korea since an armistice ended fighting in the 1950-1953 Korean War, said on Tuesday the individual had been taking part in...
