Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday pardoned an Israeli-US woman sentenced by a Russian court to seven-and-a-half years in jail for drug trafficking, the Kremlin said.
The pardon came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected later Wednesday in Moscow where he is due to meet Putin.
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport in April 2019 as she travelled from India to Israel. Russian authorities said they found nine grammes (three ounces) of cannabis in her checked luggage.
"Guided by the principles of humanity, I pardon Naama Issachar," said the decree cited by the Kremlin.
Issachar made a written request for a pardon, her lawyers said in a statement quoted by Russian press agencies on Sunday.
Issachar's mother Yaffa met Putin when he was on an official visit to Israel last week.
Following the meeting, the mother told media that Putin had "promised" he would send her daughter back home.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ...

Putin pardons US-Israeli woman jailed in Russia for drug trafficking: Kremlin

PTI Automatic

US fast food giant McDonald's said on Wednesday it closed all of its restaurants in Hubei, the Chinese province at the epicenter of a virus outbreak that has spread beyond the country's borders.
The novel coronavirus outbreak traced to the provincial capital Wuhan in central China has killed more than 130 people and infected nearly 6,000 people across the country.
That has prompted factories and businesses to close, airlines to cancel flights to the country and governments to discourage travel to China.
McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski called the situation "fluid" and "concerning," and said the chain decided to close all of its restaurants in Hubei, which amount to "several hundred." But three thousand outlets elsewhere in China remain open, he said during a call to discuss the company's fourth quarter financial results.
"Right now, as you would expect, our priority's really on our employees, on our customers, doing everything we can to make sure that they are safe and taken care of," 

McDonald's closes all branches in virus-hit Chinese province

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday sacked a regional chief who forced a firefighter to jump in the air to receive keys for new fire engines.
The head of the central Russian region of Chuvashiya, Mikhail Ignatyev, at a public ceremony last week dangled keys over the head of a uniformed officer in the emergency ministry, forcing him to jump up to take them.
After a video emerged on social media, Ignatyev's press service tried to play down the scandal, saying the men were friendly acquaintances.
But the emergency minister Yevgeny Zinichev criticised Ignatyev's behaviour as unethical.
"It's unacceptable for such a high-ranking official to behave in such a way," he was quoted as saying in a statement released by his press service.
He also said the firefighter behaved inappropriately by playing along, since he represents an "agency respected not only in our country but in the whole world." Putin dismissed Ignatyev on the grounds that he had lost trust in him. He had held the post 

Putin fires regional chief who made firefighter jump for keys

French President Emmanuel Macron accused Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan Wednesday of failing "to keep his word" to end meddling in Libya, saying Ankara was sending ships with Syrian mercenaries to the conflict-torn country.
These were the latest charges set out by the French president against Erdogan on issues ranging from Syria to the Mediterranean in an increasingly strained relationship between Ankara and Paris.
"We have seen in recent days Turkish ships accompanying Syrian mercenaries arriving on Libyan territory," Macron said at a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
This deployment, he added, was "a clear violation of what President Erdogan pledged at the Berlin conference" where world leaders vowed to keep out of the Libyan conflict.
"It is a failure to keep his word," the French leader added.
Activists have accused Turkey of sending to Libya pro-Ankara Syrian fighters who hardened their skills fighting Kurdish militia and jihadists in the Syria ...

Macron accuses Erdogan of failing 'to keep word' on Libya

President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed the new USMCA North American trade pact with Canada and Mexico into law, pronouncing a "glorious future" for US industry.
The USMCA, crafted over years of negotiation between the three countries, replaces the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.
Trump has long campaigned against NAFTA, which he said resulted in shipping US jobs abroad.
"Today, we are finally ending the NAFTA nightmare," he said at the new treaty's signing ceremony in the White House.
Analysts say USMCA retains many elements of NAFTA, a mammoth deal that created a free trade zone across all of North America, shaking up entire industries and supply chains.
Economists say that overall NAFTA increased growth and raised the standard of living in North America, binding the three countries in a complex web of trade rules and services.
But the new deal does change content rules on auto manufacturing, to boost US jobs, and requires higher salaries for some Mexican auto .

Trump signs long-awaited North American trade deal

Russia's RT television network said Wednesday that one of its journalists was seriously wounded while reporting on the Syrian government's retaking of the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan.
RT said Wafa Shabrouney, a correspondent with its Arabic channel, was reporting from an arms depot left behind by retreating rebel forces.
"According to preliminary information, a shell exploded. According to her driver, Wafa is alive" but she "suffered serious injuries", the network, formerly known as Russia Today, said in a statement.
It said she was being treated and had been transferred to a hospital in Hama.
Syrian government forces recaptured Maaret al-Numan from jihadist and allied rebels on Wednesday, part of a major offensive to retake Idlib province.
Backed by Russian forces, President Bashar al-Assad's regime has managed to retake control of most of the areas it lost since the outbreak of Syria's civil war in 2011.
Financed by the Russian state and accused by critics of being the ...

Journalist with Russia's RT seriously wounded in Syria

The plan urges EU member states to "assess the risk profile of suppliers" and "apply relevant restrictions for suppliers considered to be high risk" accordingly

EU issues strict norms for 5G infrastructure, doesn't impose ban on Huawei

Press Trust of India

Boeing reported its first annual loss in more than two decades Wednesday as the lengthy grounding of the 737 MAX dragged down revenues and added to costs.
The aerospace giant reported a $1.0 billion loss in the fourth-quarter and a $636 million loss for all of 2019, the company's first annual loss since 1997.
The MAX has been grounded since March following two fatal crashes. Boeing estimated additional costs of $9.2 billion connected to the grounding to compensate to customers and account for the impact of lower production levels on expenses.

Boeing reports 2019 loss of $636 mn, 1st year in red since 1997

Irish no-frills airline Ryanair has warned it could axe more jobs and bases because of fresh delivery delays to Boeing's crisis-hit 737 MAX jet, according to a staff memo.
Dated January 27 and obtained by AFP on Wednesday, it warned that Boeing had pushed back its MAX aircraft deliveries by a minimum of four months.
The Irish carrier, whose fleet is comprised exclusively of Boeing jets, added that it expected to take delivery of "at least" ten MAX 200 aircraft by September or October "at the earliest".
Ryanair had already shut down some bases and axed 900 jobs last July -- when it forecast that Boeing would deliver just 30 of its ordered jets by May 2020.
The Dublin-based airline had originally expected to take delivery of 58 Boeing 737 MAX jets in time for summer 2020 in the northern hemisphere.
"More negative news from Boeing... on our MAX deliveries," the memo read.  "We will now urgently revisit this summer 2020 schedule to remove another ten aircraft.
Sadly, this means we cannot .

Ryanair mulls extra job cuts after more 737 MAX delays

US prosecutors charged a leading academic at Harvard University Tuesday with hiding his alleged role in a Chinese government program that security officials say steals trade secrets.
The arrest of Charles Lieber, the chairman of Harvard's chemistry and chemical biology department, is the latest development in a long-running saga over suspected intellectual property theft.
US sleuths are investigating hundreds of cases of alleged theft by Chinese scientists working in or visiting the United States.
Two other scientists, both Chinese nationals, were also charged Tuesday, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
One is a Boston University science student who prosecutors say failed to inform US immigration that she was a member of China's armed forces, the People's Liberation Army.
The other is a cancer researcher who is accused of trying to smuggle vials containing biological research out of the US in his socks.
Lieber's arrest is unusual because he is not of Chinese descent and is 

US charges Harvard chemistry head over China link

British citizens evacuated from Wuhan, the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak, will be isolated for two weeks with "all necessary medical attention", Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Wednesday.
"Anyone who returns from Wuhan will be safely isolated for 14 days, with all necessary medical attention," he wrote on Twitter.
"We are working hard to get British nationals back from Wuhan," Hancock added.
"Public safety is the top priority." Britain is preparing to evacuate hundreds of its citizens from the central Chinese city following in the footsteps of several other countries this week.
Thousands of foreigners are among millions of people stuck in the metropolis as China struggles to get to grips with the spread of a SARS-like virus which has claimed 132 lives and begun to spread around the world.
In London, the Foreign Office, which is coordinating the evacuation of British nationals, declined to give details of the arrangements being made.
Once back on British soil, evacuees ...

UK govt says Wuhan evacuees to be 'isolated for 14 days'

A policeman in Kosovo was killed and his colleague and a child were wounded in a blast during a drug search operation, police said Wednesday.
The blast of an unidentified explosive device happened late Tuesday during the operation conducted by an anti-drug unit at a family home in Zhur, a village in southern Kosovo, a police spokesman said.
"Unfortunately, one of our colleagues ... lost his life," spokesman Shaban Osmanolla told reporters.
The victim came into contact with the device which had been placed in a storeroom.
A 12-year-old child, a member of the family whose house was searched, was also wounded in the explosion, the spokesman said.
The second policeman, who sustained life-threatening injuries, was hospitalised in the capital Pristina, health authorities said.
The owner of the house where the blast occurred was detained.  He was previously suspected of possessing drugs and weapons which prompted the search of his home, police said.  Police declined to say immediately ...

Kosovo blast kills policeman during drug operation

The helicopter that crashed into a Los Angeles hillside killing NBA legend Kobe Bryant and eight others, was not equipped with vital software that alerts pilots when aircraft are too close to the ground, officials said.
The terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS), which is designed to send a warning when a collision appears imminent, had not been installed on Bryant's Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, the National Transport Safety Board's (NTSB) Jennifer Homendy said.
"Certainly, TAWS could have helped," NBC News reported Homendy as saying, adding that she could not conclude that its use would have prevented the crash.
The warning system is not mandatory on helicopters under Federal Aviation Administration regulations, despite the NTSB recommending that it be made so on all helicopters with six or more passenger seats, following a 2004 crash.
Medical examiners identified the body of Lakers star Bryant after recovering the remains of all nine of those who died in the crash near LA, ...

Kobe Bryant's helicopter not equipped with vital warning system

Minneapolis: President Donald Trump is  greeted by a cheering crowd at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. AP/PTI(

Trump praised Israel for taking "a giant step toward peace" with the plan, which lays out a vision for future Palestinian statehood if a series of strict conditions are met.

Trump unveils Mideast peace plan, Palestinians reject it as 'çonspiracy'

Kazakhstan will shut down major transport links with China over the coronavirus by February 4 and has stopped issuing visas to Chinese citizens, a government statement said Wednesday.
Regular flights between the two countries will be stopped by February 3 and cross-border passenger train journeys will be stopped February 1, the statement said, while buses between the countries were halted Wednesday.

Kazakhstan to cut China transport links over coronavirus

Sri Lanka will count on Angelo Mathews to steer them out of trouble after Zimbabwe off-spinner Sikandar Raza reduced the tourists to 226 for 5 at lunch on the third day of the second Test in Harare.
All-rounder Raza collected the three wickets to fall in an extended morning session, including that of a well-set Dhananjaya de Silva, for 42, in the over before lunch.
Mathews, who made his first Test double century in the series opener, reached the interval unbeaten on 53, with wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella new to the crease.
Sri Lanka resumed on 122 for two after bad light and rain brought a premature close to the second day, and still trail hosts Zimbabwe by 180 runs at lunch.
Raza made an early breakthrough to dismiss Kusal Mendis (22) but there was greater concern for Kevin Kasuza, who collapsed after he was struck on the helmet fielding at short leg for the second Test in a row.
The ball looped off Kasuza's helmet after a firm pull from Mendis and was caught by Carl Mumba at ...

Sri Lanka rely on Mathews after Raza strikes for Zimbabwe

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lambasted a Middle East plan unveiled by US counterpart Donald Trump as "absolutely unacceptable" in comments published Wednesday.
"Jerusalem is sacred for Muslims. The plan to give Jerusalem to Israel is absolutely unacceptable. This plan ignores Palestinians' rights and is aimed at legitimising Israel's occupation," Erdogan said, quoted by CNN Turk broadcaster.

Erdogan says Trump's Mideast peace plan 'absolutely unacceptable'

South African opening bowler Vernon Philander, who is playing in his final Test, has been fined 15 percent of his match fee after a send-off of England batsman Jos Buttler during the second day of the fourth Test at the Wanderers Stadium.
The International Cricket Council announced on Sunday that Philander had been found guilty of a level one offence for "using language, actions or gestures which disparage or which could provoke an aggressive reaction from a batter upon his/her dismissal in an international match."
Buttler was fined 15 percent of his match fee after the second Test in Cape Town where he was caught on camera swearing at Philander.
Philander announced last year that he would be retiring from international cricket after the series against England.
Philander's final Test was further spoiled when he limped off the field with what appeared to be a hamstring injury after bowling just nine balls in England's second innings on Sunday.

Philander fined in last Test for Buttler send-off

Bangladesh will host Zimbabwe in an international series in February-March, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said Sunday.
The series will kick off with a one-off Test in Dhaka on February 22, and will also include three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals.
The three ODIs will be held in the port city of Chittagong on March, 1, 3 and 6.
The tour will wrap up with two T20Is in Dhaka on March 9 and 11.
This will be Zimbabwe's third visit to Bangladesh in the last five years.

Bangladesh to host Zimbabwe in February-March

Fifteen members of Mali's security forces died in a jihadist assault on Sunday at a camp in the centre of the country, military and local sources said.
"At least 15 Malian military were killed Sunday in the Sokolo military camp during an attack by terrorists," a Malian military source told AFP.
"The military killed were all gendarmes," a local lawmaker said.

Fifteen gendarmes killed in attack on Mali camp: source

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced hope Sunday that he can "make history" in Washington this week during talks on US President Donald Trump's peace plan for the Middle East.
Netanyahu has been invited to meet Trump at the White House on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the project, which has already been dismissed by the Palestinians.
"We are in the midst of very dramatic diplomatic developments, but the climax is still ahead of us," Netanyahu told reporters ahead of a weekly cabinet meeting.
"In a short while, I'll leave for Washington to meet my friend, the President of the United States Donald Trump, who will present his deal of the century... I'm full of hope that we can make history," he added.
Trump on Thursday said he will release his long-delayed plan before meeting Netanyahu in Washington.
"It's a great plan. It's a plan that really would work," Trump said.
Netanyahu's political rival Benny Gantz has also been invited to the White House to meet with Trump on ...

AFP

AFP

Page 177 - Afp