Turkey’s Erdogan, Trump discussed U.S. withdrawal from Syria in phone call

Two leaders stress need for support of Syrian political process, set trade goal of $75 billion Washington, Feb 22 (NNN- ANADOLU) -Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump discussed Washington’s planned troop withdrawal from Syria in a phone call late Thursday. The two leaders also reiterated their…

Pope demands action at landmark Vatican summit on child sex abuse

VATICAN CITY, Feb 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Pope Francis on Thursday (Feb 21) opened a landmark Vatican summit on fighting child sex abuse, calling for “concrete measures” and handing top Catholic bishops a roadmap to tackling paedophilia in the church. “The holy people of God looks to us, and expects from…

5.5-magnitude quake hits Japan’s Hokkaido, no tsunami risk

A long line for taxis forms in central Sapporo after a magnitude 5.8 earthquake halted the city’s subway system on Thursday night. Photo courtesy KYODO TOKYO, Japan Feb 22 (NNN-KYODO) – An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 5.8 struck off Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido on Thursday night,…

Venezuela Closes Land Border with Brazil

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has announced that the land border with Brazil will be closed, speaking at a televised address from Caracas on Thursday. “From 20:00, Thursday on February 21 [00:00 GMT on Friday] we are closing in a total and absolute manner the land border with Brazil. It’s better…

No Brussels breakthrough for May after day of defections

Brussels, Feb 21 (NNN/MIA/ dpa/PNN) — Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May has concluded another meeting in Brussels on Thursday with no shortage breakthrough, after three leading pro-EU Conservatives resigned from her party. After May puts with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, the two sides issued a statement saying talks would continue.…

Cuba calls on international community to prevent aggression against Venezuela

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Cuba has called on the international community to come together to prevent any aggression against the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro. In a statement released by the Cuban embassy in Malaysia here today, the Caribbean island nation also called on the governments and the peoples of…

Saudi Crown Prince arrives in China, kingdom’s biggest trading partner

Photo courtesy Twitter/SPA BEIJING, China Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman arrived in China on Thursday on the latest stop of a sweep through Asia that aims to expand the kingdom’s influence on the continent. Prince Mohammad touched down in the morning following earlier visits to…

Japanese spacecraft to attempt landing on distant asteroid

This computer graphic image provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) shows the Japanese unmanned spacecraft Hayabusa2 approaching on the asteroid Ryugu. Hayabusa2 is approaching the surface of an asteroid about 280 million kilometers (170 million miles) from Earth. The JAXA said Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019 that Hayabusa2 began…

Ana Brnabic: Gay partner of Serbian PM gives birth

Ana Brnabić Prime Minister of Serbia.Photo courtesy Twitter BELGRADE, Serbia Feb 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) – Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic’s office announced Wednesday that her partner has given birth to a baby boy. The delivery on Wednesday went well and both the mother, Milica Djurdjic, and the baby are “doing fine,”…

Malaysian Female Scientist Receives IUPAC Honour

Photo courtesy of ScienceAndShe KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 (NNN-BERNAMA) — Dr Magaret Sivapragasam, a Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP or a Malaysian private research university) postdoctoral research scientist at the Centre of Research Ionic Liquids, has been chosen as one of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry’s (IUPAC) ‘Periodic…