Russian lawmakers will begin reviewing President Vladimir Putin's nomination of a little-known tax chief as the new prime minister on Thursday after his announcement of a sweeping constitutional shake-up fuelled speculation about his future plans.
The overwhelmingly Kremlin-loyal State Duma lower parliament is likely to approve Mikhail Mishustin for the role, following the shock resignation of the government in the wake of Putin's call for reforms to reshape Russia's political system.
The series of bombshell announcements made during and after Putin's state of the nation speech triggered speculation about his role past 2024, when his current presidential term expires.
Some suggested 67-year-old Putin, who is currently two years into his fourth presidential term and has steered the country since 1999, could be laying the groundwork to assume a new post or remain in a powerful behind-the-scenes role.
It is also unclear whether Mishustin, a relatively obscure technocrat disengaged from ..

Russian Parliament to review Putin PM pick after shock overhaul

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Japanese car giant Toyota said Thursday it is investing nearly $400 million in a company working on commercialising electric flying cars for "fast, quiet and affordable air transportation services".
The investment in Joby Aviation comes as the automaker looks to expand into new sectors as the industry rapidly transforms, with president Akio Toyoda pledging to move the firm "from a car manufacturer to a mobility company".
"Air transportation has been a long-term goal for Toyota, and while we continue our work in the automobile business, this agreement sets our sights to the sky," Toyoda said in a statement announcing the investment.
"Through this new and exciting endeavour, we hope to deliver freedom of movement and enjoyment to customers everywhere, on land, and now, in the sky."
Founded in 2009, Joby Aviation is developing a four-passenger electric aircraft that takes off and lands vertically, like a helicopter, though it has multiple rotors.
The firm envisions the aircraft as a mode 

Toyota investing $400 million in flying car company

China's fight against pollution faces new threats from rising levels of harmful ozone gas despite an "impressive" reduction in other airborne particles, according to a report released Thursday.
The country cut its national average level of airborne PM2.5 -- tiny particles that can penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream -- by 27 percent between 2015 and 2019, according to the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
China also reduced its average sulphur dioxide levels by 55 percent during this period, which CREA said was "very impressive progress".
However, levels of ozone gas, which is linked to drops in cognitive performance and educational outcomes, rose 11 percent over this period despite national efforts to fight pollution, the report said.
Ozone, along with nitrogen dioxide, "could be the next frontiers in China's war on pollution", CREA said.
China's air quality gains were mostly achieved through "end of pipe" measures that filter out pollutants .

New obstacles ahead in China's pollution fight: report

Texas on Wednesday carried out the first execution of the year in the United States, putting to death by lethal injection a man convicted of killing his wife 15 years ago because she wanted a divorce.
John Gardner, 64, was sentenced to death in 2006 for killing his fifth wife, who had left him after multiple incidents of physical violence and filed for divorce.
Two weeks before the divorce was to be finalized, Gardner broke into the woman's new home and shot her in the head. Tammy Gardner died two days later.
Prosecutors say Gardner had a long history of violence against his wives. He fatally shot his second wife while she was pregnant.
He had also kidnapped his third wife and beat her daughter, prosecutors say.
Lawyers for Gardner filed an appeal before the US Supreme Court in September, asking that the case be reopened on grounds that he was not properly defended in his trial.
They argued that his lawyers should have developed the theory of "abandonment rage" to explain his ...

Texas carries out first US execution of 2020

Egypt arrested four employees of Turkish state news agency Anadolu on Wednesday after a raid on its Cairo office at a time of rising tensions between the regional rivals, the agency said.
Following the raid on Tuesday, Egyptian police searched the Cairo office through the night before formally arresting four employees: one Turk and three Egyptians.
The Turk, Hilmi Balci, was in charge of finance and administrative duties for the office.
Turkey summoned Egypt's charge d'affaires on Wednesday to protest the raid.
"This is an act of harassment and intimidation against the Turkish press and we strongly condemn it," Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"We expect Egyptian authorities to immediately release (Anadolu's) employees," it added.
The Turkish and Egyptian governments are fierce rivals, since Ankara strongly supported Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood administration that was overthrown by a military coup in 2013.
They are on opposing sides of the Libyan conflict, where Turkey ...

Egypt arrests 4 in raid on Turkish news agency

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signed two articles of impeachment against Donald Trump on Wednesday shortly before they were delivered to the Senate, where the US president faces trial on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
"So sad, so tragic for our country, that the actions taken by the president to undermine our national security, to violate his oath of office and to jeopardize the security of our elections, has taken us to this place," Pelosi said shortly before using several ceremonial pens to sign the articles.
The articles were ceremonially walked through the US Capitol to the US Senate.

Pelosi signs articles of impeachment against Trump, House delivers them to Senate

Firefighters battled to bring a blaze at Malabo's cathedral under control on Wednesday, as flames engulfed parts of the historic building, considered the most important Christian church in Equatorial Guinea.
Dozens of people gathered in silence near the cathedral in the early evening as the fire service sprayed water jets onto the century-old structure.
It was not immediately known whether anyone was hurt in the fire, in which huge flames consumed part of the facade of the building.
"We have just extinguished the fire, it's finished. The roof is gone, it is a catastrophe," firefighter Alfredo Abeso told AFP.
Another firefighter at the scene said: "The whole roof is gone, the interior is burned." The cause of the fire is not known but the cathedral has been closed to the public since January 7 for restoration work.
Built in a neo-gothic style between 1897 and 1916, the cathedral is one of the central African country's main tourist attractions.
The blaze brought comparisons to the ...

Blaze engulfs historic E.Guinea cathedral

The Dow and S&P 500 edged to records Wednesday following a volatile session after the US and China signed a long-awaited trade agreement.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.3 per cent to finish at 29,030.22, and the broad-based S&P 500 added 0.2 per cent to 3,289.30.
The tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 0.1 per cent to end at 9.258.70. Analysts said the choppy trading session reflects worries about lofty US stock valuations following the market's surge since October.

Dow, S&P 500 edge to records after US-China trade deal signed

A fire broke out Wednesday on the roof of the airport in Alicante, a city on the eastern Mediterranean coast which is a tourism hotspot, forcing its closure to air traffic.
"The fire is under control but it has not been extinguished. Firefighters are continuing to work," a spokesman for Spanish airport operator Aena told AFP, adding the airport will remain closed to air traffic until noon on Thursday.
Ten flights which were due to land at Alicante were cancelled, as were 12 which were supposed to depart from the airport, he said.
Another four flights which were due to land at Alicante were diverted to other Spanish airports.
The flames were visible from inside the terminal, according to an AFP photographer at the scene.
Passengers and workers stood outside as dense smoke rose from the terminal building.
No one was injured and the authorities are still not sure what caused the fire.
The airport serves the eastern region of Valencia, which is home to several popular resorts such as ...

Fire forces closure of Spanish airport in tourism hotspot

The US House voted Wednesday to send articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate, a key step in Democratic efforts to remove the president for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
Lawmakers split largely along party lines, 228 to 193, in a vote that will allow a historic Senate impeachment trial of Trump to begin in the coming days.
"This is as serious as it gets for any of us," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the chamber shortly before the vote. "It's not political, it's not partisan, it's patriotic.

US House votes to send Trump impeachment articles to Senate

The past decade has been the hottest on record, the UN said Wednesday, warning that the higher temperatures were expected to fuel numerous extreme weather events in 2020 and beyond.
The World Meteorological Organisation, which based its findings on analysis of leading international datasets, said it also confirmed data released by the European Union's climate monitor last week showing that last year was the second hottest on record, after 2016.
"The year 2020 has started out where 2019 left off -- with high-impact weather and climate-related events," WMO chief Petteri Taalas said in a statement, pointing in particular to the devastating bushfires in Australia.
"Unfortunately, we expect to see much extreme weather throughout 2020 and the coming decades, fuelled by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," he said.
The UN agency said that average global temperatures during both the past five-year (2015-2019) and 10-year (2010-2019) periods were the highest ever 

UN warns of 'much extreme weather' ahead after hottest decade on record

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday proposed the head of Russia's tax service Mikhail Mishustin for the post of prime minister, news agencies reported.
The proposal to appoint 53-year-old Mishustin, a relatively obscure figure who has headed the service since 2010, came after the surprise resignation of Dmitry Medvedev following Putin's proposal of a package of constitutional reforms.
Mishustin will face a vote of approval in the Russian parliament within one week.

Putin proposes tax chief Mishustin for prime minister: agencies

A Turkish court on Wednesday lifted a ban on Wikipedia after almost three years.
Turkey was the only country in the world apart from China to entirely block access to the online encyclopedia.
But its constitutional court ruled last month that the ban, in place since April 2017, violated freedom of expression.
Turkish officials said in 2017 that the ban was needed as Wikipedia had failed to remove content accusing its government of assisting terrorist groups.
Rights groups have regularly criticised the erosion of free speech in Turkey under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, especially since a failed coup attempt in 2016 triggered a massive crackdown on government critics in the press and beyond.
An Ankara judge gave the order on Wednesday for the ban to be lifted by the telecommunications watchdog.
Users said the website was still inaccessible on Wednesday though it was expected to be gradually unblocked nationwide.

Turkey lifts ban on Wikipedia

The past decade has been the hottest on record, the UN said Wednesday, warning that the higher temperatures were expected to fuel numerous extreme weather events in 2020 and beyond.
"Unfortunately, we expect to see much extreme weather throughout 2020 and the coming decades, fuelled by record levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere," Petteri Taalas, head of the UN's World Meteorological Organization, said in a statement.

Past decade hottest on record, 'much extreme weather' ahead: UN

President Donald Trump derided his impeachment as a "con" on Wednesday as Democratic leaders announced the team that will lead the trial in the Senate.
"Here we go again, another Con Job by the Do Nothing Democrats," Trump tweeted seconds after Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House of Representatives, unveiled the seven-member trial team.

Trump derides impeachment trial as a 'con'

House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff will lead the prosecution of President Donald Trump at his impeachment trial in the Senate, House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday.
Pelosi said Schiff, a Democratic lawmaker from California, would be the House "lead manager" at Trump's Senate trial expected to begin on Tuesday.
Schiff led the House investigation that led to Trump's December 18 impeachment for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Adam Schiff to lead prosecution at Trump impeachment trial

Rival captains Faf du Plessis and Joe Root were united in their praise of World Player of the Year Ben Stokes ahead of the third Test between South Africa and England starting at St George's Park on Thursday.
Stokes, man of the match when England levelled the four-match series with a 189-run win in the second Test in Cape Town, was named the world's best player by the International Cricket Council on Tuesday. He is likely to be a key player in a pivotal match in the series.
"It was very well-deserved," said South African captain Du Plessis.
"He's had a fantastic season where he played big moments really well. That's when you really want to judge cricketers, when it really matters, and that's why he has been so successful over the last year. He's single-handedly won so many games for England."
Du Plessis said Stokes had already made a mark on the current series. "He plays a big role, whether his team does well or not.
For us, he is guy that we need to keep quiet because he's that sort .

World star Stokes set to be key again, warns Du Plessis

Wall Street stocks edged higher early Wednesday ahead of the signing of the US-China trade accord and as markets digested mixed earnings reports.
Investors have welcomed the trade deal as a sign of mellowing tensions between the two economic superpowers, but some analysts note investors have largely priced in the positive news, which could limit further gains.
About 15 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 0.2 per cent at 29,000.03, above its all-time closing high.
The broad-based S&P 500 also added 0.2 per cent to 3,289.44, as did the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index, which stood at 9,271.71.
Among individual companies, Goldman Sachs dropped 1.8 per cent as it reported lower fourth-quarter due in part to a one-time charge of USD 1.1 billion for legal costs.
The charge comes as Goldman continues to pursue settlement talks with authorities, including the US Justice Department, over the firm's work for 1MDB, the scandal-plagued Malaysian investment ...

US stocks edge higher ahead of China trade deal signing

After unveiling a cycling team for the Tour de France, Israel is hoping to further boost its image through sport with the announcement Wednesday of a Formula One driver.
Executives from Williams were in the coastal city of Tel Aviv to present Roy Nissany, whom the British team said will be the first driver to display the Israeli flag.
The 25-year-old French-Israeli joins the team after two days of testing last month in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates.
Born in Tel Aviv, he is the son of Chanoch Nissany who took part in the free practice session of the 2005 Hungarian Grand Prix for Italian team Minardi.
While some dubbed him the first Israeli Formula One driver, he was 42 at the time and had spent the majority of his life in Hungary.
His son will enter the Williams ranks as a test driver for the 2020 season, as the team tries to recover from a disastrous 2019.
"Roy demonstrated his capabilities driving in the post-season Abu Dhabi test last year and we were extremely ...

Williams pick Israeli as F1 test driver

Xavi Hernandez may have just turned down the chance to coach Barcelona but "he will be manager one day", the Catalan club's president Josep Maria Bartomeu said on Wednesday.
Former Barca captain Xavi was approached for the Camp Nou job last week but rejected the offer, preferring to remain as boss of Qatari team Al-Sadd for the time being.
That led to Quique Setien's appointment as successor to sacked Ernesto Valverde on Monday, the 61-year-old signing a contact until June 2022, with a break clause in 2021, to allow for change after the club's presidential elections.
Bartomeu believes that in Setien they have found a more than suitable alternative after failing to land their first choice.
"He has shown in the teams he's been with that he loves the beautiful game, he loves above all the way we like to see the game played and it's because of this that he was selected," Bartomeu told Sport website.
But he also had warm words for Xavi, who won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, came ...

Xavi 'will be manager' of Barcelona one day - club president

Turkey on Saturday asked Russia to convince eastern Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar to respect a ceasefire initiative by Ankara and Moscow that he has rejected.
"We are waiting for our Russian friends to succeed in convincing Haftar," Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference.
In a statement read by his spokesman Ahmad al-Mesmari, Haftar claimed that a revival of the political process and the country's stability could only be assured by the "eradication of terrorist groups" and the dissolution of militia controlling Tripoli.
An adviser to Haftar later told AFP that Haftar's position did not amount to a rejection of the ceasefire initiative, but rather "conditions that must be fulfilled" ahead of any truce.
Haftar's forces in April launched an offensive against the capital, seat of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin called for a ceasefire on Wednesday in ...

AFP

AFP

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