In an extraordinary gesture, the UAE government lit up the iconic ADNOC building here on the occasion of the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Council of Ministers to symbolise the close bonds of friendship and cooperation between the two nations.
The flags of India and the UAE and portraits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan were displayed on the facade of the iconic building.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company or ADNOC is the state-owned oil company of the United Arab Emirates.
India's energy security is a top priority for the UAE with ADNOC being the only foreign oil and gas company, to date, to invest in India's strategic petroleum reserves programme. ADNOC is also a stakeholder in one of India's largest refinery and petrochemical complexes, which will be constructed at Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, Khaleej Times reported.
Strategic energy co-operation between the UAE and India was bolstered in March ...

UAE govt marks Modi's swearing-in ceremony by lighting up iconic ADNOC building

PTI Automatic

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says U.S. President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has gifted him an official State Department map, updated to incorporate the long-disputed Golan Heights as part of Israel.
Speaking at a news conference in Jerusalem on Thursday, Netanyahu addressed a nation rattled by the prospect of an unprecedented second election campaign, after the newly re-elected Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition.
In a bid to play down the political chaos and focus public attention on his foreign policy prowess - in particular his close friendship with Trump - Netanyahu whipped out Kushner's map, on which President Trump had scribbled, "Nice."
The White House upended decades of policy when it recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan, which Israel captured from Syria in 1967 and later annexed, a move not internationally recognised.

Netanyahu shows off Trump's map of Israel with Golan Heights

Talks between Fiat Chrysler and Renault have hit a roadblock over the financial terms of the proposed merger between the Italian-US and French carmakers, the French business daily Les Echos reported online Thursday, citing sources close to Fiat Chrysler.
Renault said earlier this week it is studying "with interest" a 50-50 merger proposal from Fiat Chrysler (FCA), a deal the would forge the world's third-largest automaker.  The newspaper reported on its website that a source close to FCA said several Renault board members believe the terms of the offer need to be sweetened.
But that is not how FCA sees things, said the source.
"The offer seems fair, it was approved by the board. It is take it or leave it, and fast!" said the source.
Meanwhile, the daily said Renault is unhappy as the offer is based on its share price on May 24, the day before the offer was announced, or 51.70 euros.
Renault's share price has been punished since the arrest last November of its former chief executive ...

Renault and Fiat Chrysler stuck over merger terms: report

The UN Security Council has approved a resolution extending an arms embargo and other sanctions against South Sudan over objections from African nations, Russia and China that that the measures won't help promote peace.
The US-sponsored resolution received 10 "yes" votes and five abstentions from South Africa, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Russia and China.
A fragile peace deal to end a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people was signed in September, but key elements have yet to be put in place.
Acting US Ambassador Jonathan Cohen expressed disappointment at the lack of African support for the sanctions renewal but said "if there is to be any chance for lasting peace in South Sudan we must stop the flow of weapons used to fuel conflict and terrorize civilians.

UN extends arms embargo, sanctions against South Sudan

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is seeking European support and a potential diplomatic climb-down to ease rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran.
Even as the Trump administration revels in its "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, Pompeo is off to Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Britain to assure European leaders that the U.S. isn't looking for conflict and perhaps to open a channel of communication with the Islamic Republic.
After a brief stop in Berlin to make up for a visit he abruptly called off earlier this month, Pompeo will make an extended stay in Switzerland, which has long represented Washington's interests in Tehran and has been an intermediary between the two. His three days there come amid public signals from President Donald Trump that he wants to talk with Iran.

Pompeo to Europe to seek backing, easing of Iran tensions

An Algerian suspected of setting off a package bomb in southeast France last week has told investigators that he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group, a judicial source said Thursday.
The 24-year-old man, identified as Mohamed Hichem M., was arrested Monday after an extensive manhunt since Friday, when 13 people were wounded by the explosion on a busy pedestrian street in Lyon.
Sources close to the case said that after initially refusing to talk, the suspect admitted Wednesday to planting the bomb, packed with screws and ball bearings and a relatively small amount of acetone peroxide, or APEX.
It was the same volatile compound used in the deadly Paris terror attacks of November 13, 2015 and other incidents since which have claimed the lives of more than 250 people.
The Islamic State group has been behind several of the attacks, although police had said earlier that no one had claimed the Lyon blast.
The suspect's brother, who was also arrested and questioned by ...

French parcel bomb suspect pledged allegiance to IS: source

Ben Stokes starred in all departments as England began their quest to win the World Cup with a 104-run thrashing of South Africa in the tournament opener at the Oval on Thursday.
The all-rounder top-scored with 89 in England's 311 for eight, held a brilliant catch in the outfield and took two for 12, including the last wicket, as England won with 61 balls left.
Jofra Archer did the early damage with the ball, the fast bowler taking three for 27 in seven overs.
Barbados-born Archer, who only qualified for England in March, made his presence felt even before he had taken a wicket with a bouncer that beat Hashim Amla for pace and crashed into the grille of the helmet, with the veteran opener retiring hurt on five.
Archer then reduced the Proteas to 44 for two.
Aiden Markram edged to Joe Root at slip and South Africa captain Faf du Plessis fell for just five when he top-edged a hook to long leg.
But Quinton de Kock kept the Proteas in the hunt, although the opener was lucky when on 25 he .

Stokes stars as England thrash South Africa in World Cup opener

A former US special representative to Somalia who also served as Washington's ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo was named Thursday to be the next United Nations envoy to Somalia, replacing an emissary who was expelled four months ago.
James Swan will replace Nicholas Haysom, who was declared persona non grata by Somalia's government in January after he raised human rights concerns.
Haysom, a South African lawyer and experienced diplomat, was told to leave Somalia after he questioned the government's decision to arrest an Al-Shabaab defector who was running for elected office.
He served in the post for three months.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq announced Swan's appointment, saying he was an "experienced diplomat with a long international career." Haq said he was expected to take up the post as soon as possible.
Swan was US ambassador to the DR Congo from 2013 to 2016, US envoy for Somalia from 2011 to 2013 and US ambassador to Djibouti from 2008 to 2011. He also served as US ...

US diplomat succeeds ousted UN envoy for Somalia

A Florida man escaped from a police officer during a traffic stop and then called the 911 emergency number to complain.
"What do we pay you guys for?" 19-year-old Nicholas Jones said on the call. "I've driven past four cops." An audio recording of the call was posted by the Florida Times-Union on its website.
Jones was pulled over during a traffic stop May 4 in St Johns county, Florida. He made the 911 call about an hour after fleeing in his car.
The startled 911 dispatcher asked Jones to explain what he was talking about.
"I mean he (the police officer) turned his lights on me and got behind me and as he was walking up to my car I did a donut around him and left him," Jones said.
"OK, you want to now see the officer. Or... What's your question?" the dispatcher said.
"Like... My question is ... I'm assuming he put an APB (all-points bulletin, or broadcast) out that has someone looking for my car... so like he definitely got the plate number but I've passed like four cops just driving .

Florida man escapes police, then calls to complain

Sachin Tendulkar will be rooting for Indian victory but at the same time would keep a keen eye on David Warner, Rashid Khan and Jofra Archer, the players who can be potential 'Game Changers' in the six World Cup weeks.
Tendulkar's suggestion for the Afghan star Rashid Khan is to "set attacking fields" and treat the 50-over game like a "Test match", challenging the opposition batsmen regularly.
"I think he's (Rashid) going to be instrumental in creating those upsets in this tournament. If I have to tell him something, I would say, 'Look, treat this like a Test match. Because even in the T20 format, you've been able to pick wickets because the batters have not read what you've done with your wrist. And you do that, back yourself, have an attacking field, and challenge batters to hit over mid-on and mid-off,'" Tendulkar said on his commentary debut on Star Sports.
Tendulkar wants Rashid to challenge batsmen with a deep mid-wicket fielder.
"Of course, deep mid-wicket has to be there in ...

Players Tendulkar would watch keenly: Rashid Khan, David Warner and Jofra Archer

Indian golfer Anirban Lahiri holed a hat-trick of birdies from 14th to 16th to finish strongly in the first round of the Memorial Tournament here Thursday.
Lahiri shot five-under 67 which could easily have been better. He missed a seven footer on the 18th and earlier two others under 10 feet.
Ryan Moore closed with a seven-under 65 while Jordan Spieth was seven under  through 15 holes.
Lahiri, who was 2-under through the first nine, birdied 10th but bogeyed 12th and was still 2-under. Then, he birdied three in a row to go to five-under and rose up the leader board.
Lahiri was hitting his approach shots very well and gave himself a lot of chances. He converted many of them but also missed a few.
He had three birdies and one bogey as he turned in two-under and added one more on tenth. He bogeyed the 12th.
Lahiri has often called the Memorial as one of his favourite events, and it is played at Jack Nicklaus' course. The Memorial is where he came tied-second in 2017, which has been his ...

Lahiri starts with 5-under in first round at Memorial; lies third

King Philippe of Belgium on Thursday tasked two politicians with exploring ways that a new government can be formed following elections in which a far-right party scored a surprise second place.
The royal palace said deputy prime minister Didier Reynders, who is also foreign and defence minister, and former deputy premier Johan Vande Lanotte agreed to do the job.
The king "entrusted them with a fact-finding mission aimed at identifying the challenges our country faces, and the possibilities and conditions needed in order to form a federal government," the palace said in a statement.
The pair, who represent the French-speaking south and the Dutch-speaking north, will be in contact with the negotiating officials in the various regions and communities, it said.
While extremely limited, the role of the Belgian monarch is to serve as a facilitator to build a ruling coalition, often a complicated task with the country's two main communities.
The far-right Vlaams Belang came in a surprise ...

Belgian king names pointmen to help forge new government

The finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee have begun, with 50 kids on stage competing for more than USD 50,000 in cash and prizes and a new, custom-designed trophy.
This year's bee had the biggest field ever, with 562 spellers, more than half of whom got in through Scripps' wild-card program. Last year was the first time that wild cards were allowed into the bee, and the eventual champion was a wild card.
Thursday's finalists include nine spellers who finished in at least a tie for 10th last year. The field will be narrowed to about a dozen spellers in the morning and early afternoon before the prime-time finals on ESPN.
The last 14 champions and 19 of the past 23 have been Indian-American.

National spelling bee finals begin with 50 seeking title

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his re-election and said that he is willing to work with his Indian counterpart to constantly enhance the closer development partnership between the two countries.
"With the joint efforts of both sides, relations between China and India are keeping moving ahead and cooperation between the two countries in various fields is deepening, which meet the common anticipation of both countries and their peoples and provide the stability and positive energy to the region as well as the whole world," Li said in a congratulatory message sent to Modi.
Li said that he is willing to work together with Modi to constantly enhance the closer development partnership between China and India, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Chinese President Xi Jinping already congratulated Prime Minister Modi on May 23, just after the election results were announced.

Chinese Premier congratulates PM Modi on his re-election

Democratic presidential hopeful Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard on Thursday congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was sworn in as India's Prime Minister for a second term.
"I extend my congratulations to Narendra Modi on the occasion of his being sworn in to serve a second term as India's Prime Minister," she said.
She said India is the world's largest democracy, where the recent elections saw over 500 million people cast their votes all across India at nearly one million polling places.
"Through the last several years, we have seen the US-India partnership has continued to grow in areas like regional security and trade," she said.
"It is very important that the US and India continue to work together to solve some of the most pressing issues facing our world, such as combating climate change, preventing nuclear war and nuclear proliferation, protecting our oceans and rivers, improving the economic well-being of our people, as well as protecting individual freedoms and rights," ..

Tulsi Gabbard congratulates PM Modi

The UN Security Council on Thursday extended for a year an arms embargo and sanctions on South Sudan despite resistance from African countries, Russia and China.
A US-drafted resolution was adopted by a vote of 10 in favor with five abstentions. Resolutions in the 15-member council require a minimum of nine votes for adoption.
The measure renews until May 31, 2020 an arms embargo on South Sudan along with an assets freeze and global travel ban slapped on eight South Sudanese nationals for their role in fuelling the war.
The United States sharply criticized the three African countries on the council -- Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast and South Africa -- for refusing to support continued sanctions on South Sudan.
US acting Ambassador Jonathan Cohen expressed regret that the African countries had shown "an unwillingness to stop the flow of weapons to one of the continent's deadliest civil conflicts."
The United States scored a diplomatic victory when it persuaded the council last year to .

Divided UN renews South Sudan arms embargo

Cyprus' foreign minister says 21 countries are taking part in a drill organised by the east Mediterranean island nation that involves the possible evacuation of civilians from Middle Eastern nations.
Nikos Christodoulides said during the drill's final phase Thursday that given its proximity to the Middle East, Cyprus has an important role to play as a regional "safe transfer hub."
Taking part were warships and aircraft from countries including the US, France, Israel, the UK and Germany. The drill involved various rescue operation scenarios during the transport of civilians to a Cypriot port.
Christodoulides said the growing number of countries participating in the annual exercise is indicative of the international recognition of its value.
In 2006, Cyprus was used as a 'safe haven' to evacuate nearly 60,000 civilians from Lebanon.

21 nations take part in regional evacuation drill in Cyprus

The practice of advanced countries such as the U.S., Canada and Japan sending their non-recyclable waste to poorer countries is "grossly unfair" and should stop, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Thursday.
Mahathir comments during a visit to Tokyo on came days after his government announced plans to return thousands of tons of imported plastic waste back to where it came from.
"It is grossly unfair for rich countries to send their waste to poor countries simply because poor countries have no choice and maybe it contributes a little to their economy," Mahathir said at a news conference. "We don't need your waste because our own waste is enough to give us problems."
China banned the import of plastic waste last year, leading several Southeast Asian nations to become new targets.
Japan, a major producer of plastic waste, used to export 1.5 million tons per year, mostly to China. It now ships some to other countries, including Malaysia, while the government and industry seek .

Malaysia PM says global garbage trade 'grossly unfair'

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thani arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday to attend three summits, state media said, the highest ranking official to visit the kingdom since the start of a two-year-old Riyadh-led boycott.
"Prime Minister and Minister of Interior arrived in Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," Qatar News Agency said on Twitter, adding he was received upon arrival by Saudi officials.

Qatar PM in Saudi on first visit since Gulf crisis: Media

Arab and Muslim leaders began gathering in the holy city of Mecca on Thursday for three summits, as host Saudi Arabia seeks to rally support against Iran after a series of attacks that have sparked fears of a regional conflagration.
On the eve of the talks, Riyadh blasted what it called Iranian "interference" across the region and demanded "firmness" over attacks on Gulf oil tankers and pipelines.
That call came just hours after hawkish US National Security Advisor John Bolton said Iran was almost certainly behind the sabotage of four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the UAE coast.
Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels meanwhile have stepped up drone attacks on the kingdom -- one of which resulted in the temporary shutdown of a major oil pipeline.
Saudi Arabia, a staunch US ally, geared up to host leaders from across the Arab and Muslim world for emergency Gulf and Arab summits and a meeting of heads of state from Islamic nations.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Kuwait's emir, 

Arab, Muslim leaders gather in Mecca for Iran-focused summits

Naomi Osaka staged a second successive Roland Garros great escape on Thursday as fellow top seed Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams strolled into the last 32.
World number one Osaka, bidding to add the French Open to her US and Australian Open titles, came back from a set and 2-4 down to defeat former world number one Victoria Azarenka 4-6, 7-5, 6-3.
Her win came on the back of being just two points from defeat in her tournament opener against Anna Karolina Schmiedlova.
The 21-year-old held her nerve, despite squandering two match points late in the deciding set, to secure a clash against Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic.
"I was lucky to have played Victoria twice before. I knew she had been playing well coming into the tournament," said Osaka.
"It was an unfortunate second round draw for me so I am happy to win."
Osaka finished the two-hour 50-minute encounter on Court Suzanne Lenglen with 52 winners and 43 unforced errors.
She becomes the first top seed to win her two ...

Page 2728 - PTI Stories National