France, Germany sign contract to develop fighter jet prototype

A full-scale model of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) jet at the Paris Air Show PARIS, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — France and Germany signed a €150 million (US$161.84 million) deal on Thursday to develop a prototype of the next generation fighter jet, a project seen as vital for Europe…

Ahead of Trump’s visit, Indian city cleans the swamp

Taj Mahal NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ahead of the much-awaited visit of US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania to Agra next week, the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has mounted a massive image makeover of the Taj city. According to reports, over 500 cusecs of…

Israel, Palestinian Authority agree to end trade dispute: Officials

JERUSALEM/RAMALLAH, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have reached an agreement to end a five-month long trade dispute, officials said. The dispute, which opened a new front in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, began in September when the PA announced a boycott of Israel calves. The Authority exercises…

No relent in fighting in northwest Syria, deepening misery for civilians

ZAZ (Syria)/ANKARA, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russian warplanes struck at rebel-held towns in northwest Syria again on Thursday  and Turkish artillery supported insurgent attacks elsewhere as officials from the two countries struggled to reach a compromise to halt an escalation in the Syrian war. In Geneva, the United Nations refugee…

Fears over China virus evacuees spark clash in Ukraine

A plane carrying 45 Ukrainians and 27 foreign nationals from Wuhan, the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, arrived in Kharkiv on Thursday KIEV, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Dozens of people protested outside a hospital in central Ukraine and some briefly clashed with police over plans to quarantine evacuees from…

Rare Ethiopian crown, hidden for 21 years in the Netherlands, returns home

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (right) receives the crown from the man who found it, Sirak Asfaw, during a ceremony in Addis Ababa. ADDIS ABABA, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ethiopia’s government on Thursday assumed custody of a priceless 18th-century crown that a former refugee had kept hidden in his apartment in…

Libya: Imported camels evacuated from capital after port comes under fire

TRIPOLI, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Three thousand camels imported from Australia have been walked out of Libya’s capital Tripoli in an overnight evacuation after the port where they arrived came under artillery fire. The camels left Tripoli’s port shortly after midnight on Wednesday, and were herded along a highway leading…

Afghanistan: Taliban deputy leader says ‘committed’ to peace

KABUL, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The deputy leader of the Taliban and one of the world’s most wanted militants has written an opinion piece for the New York Times in which he says the Afghan insurgents are “fully committed” to a deal with Washington. The article, headlined “What the Taliban…

Irish parliament returns with weeks of government talks ahead

DUBLIN, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Ireland’s Fianna Fail will start formal talks next week to try to form a government from a fractured parliament as contenders for prime minister fell well short of doing so at the first sitting since the Feb 8 election. Left-wing nationalists Sinn Fein shocked the establishment…

Colombia’s public school teachers start two-day strike

BOGOTA, Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Public school teachers in Colombia launched a two-day strike on Thursday to protest violence against the profession and killings of activists and other community leaders, leaving more than 7 million children without classes. The teachers’ protest precedes a general strike planned for March 25. The action…