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The announcement came after Mr Biden held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House.
There are currently 2,500 US troops in Iraq helping local forces counter what remains of the Islamic State group.
Numbers of US troops are likely to stay the same but the move is being seen as an attempt to help the Iraqi PM.
The US presence in Iraq has become a major issue since top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and the leader of an Iran-backed Shia Muslim militia were killed in a US drone strike in the capital Baghdad last year.August 16, 2021
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Zambia’s electoral commission has confirmed that last week’s presidential election was won by the opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema.
Hichilema defeated his main rival, the outgoing President Edgar Lungu, by more than a million votes.
It was Hichilema’s sixth attempt at winning the presidency, according to BBC.August 16, 2021
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More than 700 migrants have been picked up by rescue ships from the Mediterranean off the coasts of Libya and Malta this weekend.
About 400 were rescued from a vessel that was taking in water in the central Mediterranean, a further 100 were picked up off Malta, and at least four other boats were rescued.
Most migrants seeking to reach Europe set off from the Libyan coast, hoping to reach Italy, a journey of about 300km.
More than 900 people have died this year attempting the journey, according to BBC.August 16, 2021
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Sudan’s transitional cabinet has unanimously approved a bill that would pave way for it to join the International Criminal Court (ICC), Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok tweeted on Tuesday.
The draft has been approved in preparation for a joint meeting between the governing Sovereign Council and the cabinet to pass it into law.
“Justice and accountability are the backbones of the new Sudan, which is committed to the rule of law that we all seek to build,†Hamdok said.
The development moves Sudan closer to handing over to the ICC suspects wanted for war crimes and genocide in the western Darfur region, including former president Omar al-Bashir, according to BBC.August 16, 2021
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Russia and China have begun holding a large-scale joint military exercise in China’s north-central Ningxia region.
The Sibu/Cooperation-2021 exercises launched on Monday and will run until Friday. They will involve more than 10,000 ground troops and air forces.
The Russian military said that it had sent Su-30SM fighter aircraft, motorised rifle units and air defence systems to China as part of the exercise.
The drills mark the first time Russian soldiers are using Chinese weapons, with the pair having conducted joint exercises since 2005, Russia’s Kommersant newspaper reported.
The exercises aim to “deepen … joint anti-terrorism operations†and “demonstrate the firm determination and strength of the two countries to jointly safeguard international and regional security and stabilityâ€, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Chinese and Russian officials.
“It reflects the new height of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era and of the strategic mutual trust, pragmatic exchanges and coordination between the two countries,†Xinhua said.August 16, 2021
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