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3 main takeaways from the historic North Korea-South Korea summit

3 main takeaways from the historic North Korea-South Korea summit North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in held a historic summit on Friday, potentially setting aside decades of animosity and paving the way for a peace deal that would have been unimaginable even a few months ago. The two leaders discussed possibly ending North Korea’s ability to launch nuclear-tipped missiles at the US and its allies. They chatted about formally ending the Korean War, which technically continues, by the end of the year. And they ended their nearly nine hours together with a joint statement, putting all those aspirations down on paper. But that’s not all. They created remarkable scenes, like Kim walking over the border into South Korea. It was the first time a North Korean leader had entered South Korea since the Korean War in the early 1950s. The two leaders even walked side by side on a long red carpet as they inspected an honor guard, later escapi...
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Armenia soldiers join anti-government protests in Yerevan

Armenia soldiers join anti-government protests in Yerevan Hundreds of soldiers have joined anti-government protests in the Armenian capital of Yerevan on Monday, accusing the country's prime minister of corruption and authoritarian rule. In a response to the ongoing protests, the Armenian defence ministry said it would take harsh measures against any member of the military taking part in the demonstrations. Al Jazeera's Robin Forestier-Walker, reporting from Yerevan, said Monday's events are a surprising development. "There are pictures and videos of the soldiers walking down main Yerevan streets. We understand that they are on active duty and that they are part of a peacekeeping force for missions abroad," Walker said. "We have also seen members of the clergy coming out into the streets to take part in the protests," he added. Monday marked the eleventh consecutive day of anti-government protests in Armenia. On Sunday, Nikol Pashinyan ...
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Sri Lanka imposes state of emergency over communal violence

Sri Lanka imposes state of emergency over communal violence Sri Lanka's government has imposed a nation-wide state of emergency to "take stern action" against people instigating communal violence, a government spokesman has said. The measure comes after a local curfew was imposed on Monday in the central city Kandy, after days of unrest between religious communities with a Buddhist man killed and Muslim businesses set ablaze. Police said on Monday there had been riots and arson attacks since the weekend in Kandy district, while sources told Al Jazeera the violence was spreading throughout the South Asian island nation. In the past, religious and ethnic violence had turned deadly in Sri Lanka, where Muslims account for 10 percent of the 21 million population, and Buddhists Sinhalese make up nearly 75 percent. Another 13 percent of the population are Hindus.  Some observers blame the nationalist Buddhist organisation Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) group for the ongoi...
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Russia-sponsored truce begins in Syria's Eastern Ghouta

Russia-sponsored truce begins in Syria's Eastern Ghouta A five-hour "humanitarian pause" called by Russia has come into effect in Syria's Eastern Ghouta to allow civilians to evacuate the area that has been under continuous aerial bombardment. Russia's President Vladimir Putin had ordered a truce from 9am-2pm (7:00-12:00 GMT) on Tuesday, as air attacks and ground operations killed more than 550 civilians in the last eight days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). On Monday, a suspected chemical attack killed one child, according to Syria's Civil Defence rescue team, also known as the White Helmets. The reported chlorine gas attack injured at least 18 others when it hit  Eastern Ghouta's Al-Shifaniyah  town close to the front lines, where rebels are fighting Syrian ground forces who have been trying to penetrate into the besieged enclave since Sunday.The bombardment of the rebel-held Damascus suburb ha...
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Turkey denies reports Syria will help YPG in Afrin

Turkey denies reports Syria will help YPG in Afrin Turkey's deputy prime minister has dismissed as "false" media reports that Syrian government forces were poised to enter a Kurdish enclave in Syria's Afrin. Bekir Bozdag, however, warned any move by Syrian soldiers to help the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, repel a Turkish offensive in northwestern Syria would be a "major disaster" for the region. Turkey will continue its air and ground offensive against the YPG "with determination until the last terrorist is rendered ineffective", Bozdag told reporters after a weekly cabinet meeting on Monday. He was responding to a report by the Syrian state-run SANA news agency earlier in the day that said pro-government forces would enter Afrin "within a few hours to support its people's stand against Turkish regime's attack".  The report by SANA raised fears of a potential clash between Turkish troops and Syrian ...
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Air raids on rebel-held Idlib province intensified

Air raids on rebel-held Idlib province intensified Images of death and destruction from Syria's northern Idlib province have flooded social media with local activists and aid workers saying shelling by Russian and Syrian government warplanes in the area has intensified. Rescue workers from the Syrian Civil Defence, a volunteer search and relief team, say at least 18 civilians have been killed and more than 45 wounded in continuous bombardment and a gas attack on the rebel-held province since Sunday night. "The Russians are on a frenzy. They're going mad. The shelling is ongoing throughout the day and night. The warplanes are hitting residential areas," Hadi Abdullah, a local journalist, told Al Jazeera by phone from the town of Kafr Nabl in the northwestern Syrian province bordering Turkey. "The massacres started yesterday night. The whole area was vibrating. About 12 homes came crumbling down," continued Hadi, describing the attacks on the town on...
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Eight month-old baby raped in Indian Capital Delhi

Eight month-old baby raped in Indian capital Delhi New Delhi, India -  An eight-month-old baby girl has been raped in India’s capital, New Delhi, allegedly by her 28-year-old cousin while her parents were out working. The rape has provoked angry reactions from activists who are pressing for long-pending police accountability to aid in the fight against sexual violence in the country.The mother found her child bleeding upon returning from work in the evening. The doctors at the hospital confirmed the rape and said the baby had to undergo surgery. "I had left for work leaving my children at home. My wife works too. So she too left for work soon after. When she came back, she saw blood-soaked bed and clothes of the child. When she told this to her sister-in-law she made excuses. My child is in critical condition now," the father, a labourer in the city, told Indian news agency ANI. The accused has been arrested, police in Delhi said."We arrested the accused yest...
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