JUBA, South Sudan: South Sudan opposition leader Riek Machar returned to the country Saturday to meet with President Salva Kiir less than a month before their deadline to form a unity government after a five-year civil war.Machar last met face-to-face with Kiir in September, when they discussed outstanding issues in a fragile peace deal. His…
KABUL: Afghanistan’s election commission conceded its failure to release initial presidential poll results set for Saturday and gave no new deadline for the vote which was marred by Taliban attacks and irregularities.The presidential poll on Sept. 28 saw the lowest turnout of any elections in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s ousting.Hawa Alam Nuristani, the chief of…
KABUL: Afghanistan’s election commission conceded its failure to release initial presidential poll results set for Saturday and gave no new deadline for the vote which was marred by Taliban attacks and irregularities.The presidential poll on Sept. 28 saw the lowest turnout of any elections in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s ousting.Hawa Alam Nuristani, the chief of…
BRUSSELS: European Union leaders discussed a new budget plan on Friday that could allow the EU to spend up to 1.1 trillion euros ($1.2 trillion) in the 2021-2027 period, but deep divisions among governments may block a deal for months.Under a proposal prepared by Finland, which holds the EU’s rotating presidency, the next long-term budget…
BRUSSELS: The EU has made a “historic mistake” that risks destabilising the Balkans, senior officials warned Friday, after a handful of countries led by French President Emmanuel Macron again blocked membership talks for North Macedonia and Albania.There was widespread frustration and disappointment, particularly among eastern European countries keen to broaden the EU club, at the…
Failed raid against El Chapo’s son leaves 8 dead in Mexico Updated 18 October 2019 AP October 18, 2019 23:54 Failed raid against El Chapo’s son leaves 8 dead in MexicoCULIACAN, Mexico: Mexican security forces aborted an attempt to capture a son of imprisoned drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman after finding themselves outgunned in…
DHAKA: The time was 2:30 p.m. Small knots of children were loitering around the main street in the Mirpur area of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. Suddenly their faces lit up as a brightly painted rickshaw van appeared. The vehicle, bearing the words “Bidyanondo,” was stacked with food packets. About 60 children from a nearby slum…
MANILA: Five people were reported killed and dozens injured after a strong 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck southern Philippines Wednesday evening, sending people scurrying out of their residences, buildings and shopping malls. Information released by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) showed the shallow quake of tectonic origin occurred 7:37 p.m. 22 km southeast…
WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump will host next year's Group of Seven economic summit of developed world leaders at one of his own properties, the Trump National Doral golf resort near Miami, a White House official said on Thursday.White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said Trump would not profit from use of the…
WASHINGTON: The parents of a British teen killed in a road crash involving a US diplomat’s wife feel their meeting with President Donald Trump was little more than a sloppy attempt at a photo op, their spokesman said Wednesday.Tim Dunn and Charlotte Charles were invited Tuesday to the White House, where they met with Donald…
Woman charged in London with planning to bomb St. Paul’s cathedral LONDON: A woman appeared in court on Wednesday charged with terrorism offenses including scoping out St. Paul’s cathedral as a possible bomb target.Safiyya Amira Shaikh, 36, was remanded in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to appear again at the Old Bailey court on Nov.…
BRUSSELS: French President Emmanuel Macron said he hopes the European Union and Britain were on the cusp of concluding a tentative Brexit deal that leaders would seek to complete at a summit Thursday.The French leader said Wednesday that “I want to believe that a deal is being finalized and that we can approve it tomorrow,”…
ISLAMABAD: Prince William and Kate Middleton met Pakistani President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday as part of a landmark visit to the country. Khan received the royal couple at his official residence in Islamabad shortly after they were greeted by Alvi and his wife. “While welcoming the royal couple, Prime Minister Imran…
ISLAMABAD: Prince William and Kate Middleton met Pakistani President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday as part of a landmark visit to the country. Khan received the royal couple at his official residence in Islamabad shortly after they were greeted by Alvi and his wife. “While welcoming the royal couple, Prime Minister Imran…
BERLIN: German authorities on Tuesday appealed to Turkish and Kurdish communities to avoid echoing the Middle Eastern conflict, after clashes between the two groups over Ankara’s offensive in northeastern Syria.Police said at least five people had been injured in fights between the two communities late on Monday.“We have a responsibility to prevent the conflict in…
ISLAMABAD: Prince William and his wife Kate arrived in Pakistan to a red carpet welcome late Monday for their “most complex” tour to date, with Islamabad eager to tout improved security after years of violent militancy.The couple — the Duchess of Cambridge in a sea-green shalwar kameez, and the Duke in a dark suit —…
ISLAMABAD: Prince William and his wife Kate arrived in Pakistan to a red carpet welcome late Monday for their “most complex” tour to date, with Islamabad eager to tout improved security after years of violent militancy.The couple — the Duchess of Cambridge in a sea-green shalwar kameez, and the Duke in a dark suit —…
ISLAMABAD: Prince William and his wife Kate arrived in Pakistan to a red carpet welcome late Monday for their “most complex” tour to date, with Islamabad eager to tout improved security after years of violent militancy.The couple — the Duchess of Cambridge in a sea-green shalwar kameez, and the Duke in a dark suit —…
LONDON: British media are reporting that the wife of an American official who left the UK after being involved in a fatal road accident no longer has diplomatic immunity.BBC and Sky News said Sunday that UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had told the family of Harry Dunn that “immunity is no longer pertinent” because the…
LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson played down hopes Sunday of a breakthrough in his last-ditch bid to strike an amicable divorce deal with the European Union.Negotiators went behind closed doors for intensive talks in Brussels after Johnson outlined a new set of proposals to Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Thursday.They have very little…
