Jerusalem: Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday formally handed Benjamin Netanyahu his letter of appointment to start building a coalition government following last week’s general election. In a televised ceremony, Rivlin told Netanyahu that in consultations with all parties elected to the incoming 120-seat parliament, “65 MPs recommended you.” Rivlin had sounded out delegations from […]
Moscow: The recent negotiations between the United States and Turkey have failed to overcome an impasse over Ankara’s plans to deploy Russian S-400 anti-aircraft weapon systems, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials. The newspaper noted that on Monday, US President Donald Trump held a White House meeting with Turkish Finance Minister Berat Albayrak. The […]
Cairo: Egypt’s parliament on Tuesday passed amendments to the constitution that could see President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi remain in power until 2030. The vote, which sends the amendments to a national referendum, was seen by critics as another step back to authoritarianism, eight years after a pro-democracy uprising ended autocrat Hosni Mubarak’s three-decade rule. The 596-member assembly, […]
Khartoum: At least 14 people were killed in clashes inside a camp for internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in the southern Sudanese state of Darfur, official SUNA news agency reported Monday. “Clashes took place inside Kalma camp on Saturday with 14 IDPs killed,” South Darfur State’s Acting Governor Hashim Khalid was quoted as saying. “Weapons are everywhere in […]
Srinagar: Notre-Dame Cathedral went up in flames on Monday in a roaring blaze that devastated the Parisian landmark, a searing loss for the city and for France. Flames that began in the early evening burst through the roof of the centuries-old cathedral and engulfed the spire, which collapsed, quickly followed by the entire roof. A […]
Moscow: Russia will continue its close cooperation with Ankara to resolve the Idlib crisis, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov told Sputnik. “The situation in Idlib is regulated by the Russian-Turkish memorandum from September 17, 2018 … We will maintain active cooperation with Ankara within this memorandum on the Idlib settlement,” the diplomat said in an […]
Helsinki: Finns can expect a broad, ineffective coalition government for the next four years as the Social Democrats, who narrowly won weekend elections, focus on keeping the surging anti-immigration populists out, analysts said. The polls were closely watched to see how the nationalists would do ahead of European Parliament elections in May when many believe […]
Srinagar: Describing Islamophobia a “very very dangerous threat” not only to Muslims but to all of humanity, a group of scholars on Sunday insisted that Muslims need to educate themselves to fight this growing problem. At the end of the third day of the Islamophobia international conference hosted by the Centre for Islam and Global […]
Srinagar: Seven children were killed and 10 more wounded on Sunday when an unexploded mortar shell blew up in eastern Afghanistan. The incident appears to be the latest instance of discarded ordnance claiming civilian lives, in a country littered with landmines, homemade bombs and old shells, Associated Press reported. Assadullah Dawlatzai, the Laghman governor’s spokesman, […]
New York: The world’s largest aeroplane by wingspan has taken flight for the first time. Built by Stratolaunch, the company set up by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen in 2011, the aircraft is designed to act as a flying launch pad for satellites, said a BBC News report. The idea is to fly the […]
