Author: AFP

Bottas recovers to outshine Hamilton and Ferraris in Shanghai practice

SHANGHAI: Valtteri Bottas spun his Mercedes before upstaging team-mate Lewis Hamilton and their Ferrari rivals to go fastest in practice on Friday for the Chinese Grand Prix. The Finn tops the early drivers’ standings and he showed why with a lap of one minute 33.330 seconds, pipping Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel

Trump floats idea of third North Korea summit

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is considering a potential third nuclear summit with North Korea’s leader. “We will be discussing that and potential meetings, further meetings with North Korea and Kim Jong Un,” Trump said in the Oval Office at the start of talks with South Korean

British PM May faces quit call after securing Brexit delay

LONDON: British Prime Minister Theresa May faced down a call to resign on Thursday as she implored MPs to resolve the Brexit impasse at last after the EU granted a new six-month delay. May’s 27 European Union counterparts pulled another all-nighter in Brussels before clinching a compromise timetable for Britain’s

Sudan army ousts Bashir, protestors vow further demos

KHARTOUM: Sudan’s army has ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir, but protestors against his iron-fisted rule denounced a “coup” and thousands rallied outside army headquarters as a night-time curfew kicked in. In a sombre televised address on Thursday, Defence Minister Awad Ibnouf announced “the toppling of the regime” and said Bashir

Zelensky to meet Macron before presidential run-off

KIEV: Ukrainian comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, a political novice and favourite to win Kiev’s presidential vote, was set to head to Paris yesterday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron. While many dismissed as a joke his bid to lead Ukraine – a country at war with Moscow-backed rebels – Zelensky defeated

Scientist Katie Bouman designed algorithm for black hole image

NEW YORK: Anonymous to the public just days ago, a US computer scientist named Katie Bouman has become an overnight sensation due to her role in developing a computer algorithm that allowed researchers to take the world’s first image of a black hole. “I’m so excited that we finally get

Libya forces battle for Tripoli despite truce calls

TRIPOLI: Forces loyal to Libya’s internationally recognised government and a rival commander battled for control of the capital Thursday after UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the country faced a “very dangerous situation”. Thousands of people have fled heavy fighting on the outskirts of Tripoli that has left dozens dead and

Taliban announce spring offensive amid Afghanistan peace push

KABUL: The Taliban yesterday announced their annual spring offensive, which comes as the US and Afghan politicians try to negotiate a peace settlement with the Islamist militants. Operation Fath – meaning “victory” in Arabic – will be conducted across Afghanistan with the aim of “eradicating occupation” and “cleansing our Muslim

Dalai Lama discharged from hospital

NEW DELHI: The Dalai Lama left a New Delhi hospital yesterday after three days of treatment for a chest infection, but the 83-year-old will need several days of rest before returning to his Himalayan base, his spokesman said. “His Holiness the Dalai Lama was discharged from the hospital this morning,”

20 killed, 48 injured as bomb rips through Pakistan’s fruit market

QUETTA (Pakistan): At least 20 people were killed and 48 wounded yesterday by a powerful suicide blast apparently targeting the Shia Hazara ethnic minority at a crowded fruit market in Pakistan’s Quetta city, officials said. Body parts littered the scene and injured people screamed for help as black smoke cloaked