US urges Turkey against drilling off Cyprus

WASHINGTON, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — US pressed Turkey against going forward with plans to start exploratory drilling for oil and gas off Cyprus, labeled as illegal by the European Union. “The United States is deeply concerned by Turkey’s announced intentions tobegin offshore drilling operations in an area claimed by the…

Pres Maduro rallies military as Venezuela opposition appeals to troops

CARACAS, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged his troops to be “ready” for potential US military action, as alimited number of opposition supporters marched on military barracks in a bid to win the armed forces’ support. The small turnout for the Saturday marches — with participants in…

Pope Francis asks Bulgarians to ‘open hearts’ to migrants

SOFIA, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Pope Francis urged Bulgarians to opentheir hearts and doors to refugees as he began a visit to the EuropeanUnion’s poorest country, where the main Orthodox Church snubbed holding joint prayers with the pontiff. Prime Minister Boyko Borisov met Francis at the airport, welcoming himwith a…

Boeing knew of 737 MAX safety system glitch year before deadly Indonesian crash

WASHINGTON, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Boeing engineers identified a fault with a pilot warning system on its 737 MAX aircraft in 2017, a year before the deadly Lion Air crash in Indonesia, the company said. Boeing said that management was unaware of the issue until the crash inIndonesia, which killed…

Pres Trump says US backs Israel ‘100%’ over Gaza escalation

WASHINGTON, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Donald Trump assured Israel that it has Washington’s full support after the Jewish state ledwaves of retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinianrockets. “Once again, Israel faces a barrage of deadly rocket attacks by terroristgroups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. We support…

Rocket barrages from Gaza draw Israeli strikes, four Palestinians dead

GAZA CITY, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Gaza militants fired some 250 rockets at Israel, which responded with strikes as a fragile ceasefire again faltered in an escalation that left four Palestinians dead, including a baby killed in disputed circumstances. The latest flare-up came with Hamas, the movement that rules the…

Taliban attack a police headquarters in Afghanistan

KUNDUZ (Afghanistan), May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — A Taliban suicide bomber and several gunmen attacked a police headquarters in northern Afghanistan on Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding 40 more, according to the insurgents and Afghan officials. The attack occurred two days after President Ashraf Ghani offered theTaliban a…

US sends naval strike group to Middle East in ‘message’ to Iran

WASHINGTON, May 6 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States is sending anaircraft carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in a“clear and unmistakable” message to Iran, National Security Advisor JohnBolton said. “In response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications andwarnings, the United States is…

India goes on fifth phase of Lok Sabha polls Monday

NEW DELHI, May 6 (NNN-BSS) — Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his mother Sonia Gandhi will contest from Amethi and Rae Bareli parliamentary constituencies of Uttar Pradesh as India goes on its fifth phase of marathon general election Monday after a six-day recess. Rahul and Sonia are among 674 candidates,…

Brazil’s far-right president nixes U.S. trip in face of protests

BRASILIA, May 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro has cancelled a trip to the United States, his office announced on Friday, after sharp protests against his being honoured as the person of the year by the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce. Due to Bolsonaro’s past racist, homophobic and misogynist remarks,…