Russian President established five new directorates

The nomination for the Sokhranovka gas pumping station has been rejected

Russia is among top five trade partners of Turkmenistan with the turnover about $1.6 bln

This is about the opportunity of transferring five inoperable Super Etendard

Moscow Region signed 216 agreements to the amount of $10.1 bln

Their number dropped to 180 after introduction of certain sanction measures, with about fifteen of them making rebranding

The defined term ‘manufacturer identification’ is specifically to reference the manufacturer of the item that the logo or the emblem is on

MAKKAH: The Hajj season brings people together in a spirit of faith, solidarity and volunteerism, among whom 70-year-old scout leader Abdulwahed bin Abdulmalik Khayyat stands out for his exceptional service and multilingual abilities.

MAKKAH: Families of conjoined twins, who were separated in Saudi Arabia, were welcomed in Makkah after arriving to perform Hajj, state news agency SPA reported. They were hosted as guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program for Hajj, Umrah and Visit under directives issued by Saudi King Salman last month. The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance, which supervises the program, had made extensive preparations and formed various committees to ensure a smooth pilgrimage for the families.

RIYADH: Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi Tuesday bid farewell to the first group of 1,000 Palestinian pilgrims, who are staying in Jordan, who were invited by King Salman to perform Hajj this year. Al-Sudairi saw off the pilgrims, who are the families and relatives of Palestinian martyrs, prisoners and wounded, at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman.

RIYADH: Saudi aid group KSrelief inaugurated three health projects in Port Sudan, Red Sea State that provide necessary medical equipment to hospitals, the Saudi Press Agency said.   The first project aims to support Al-Abyadh Specialist Hospital for Children with an oxygen station to generate and distribute oxygen, benefiting 25,000 individuals. The second project seeks to support government hospitals affiliated with the Sudanese Ministry of Health with dialysis machine, benefiting 3,960 individuals.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Border Guard has foiled an attempt to smuggle 240 kg of qat into the country. Officers in Asir’s Al-Raboah district arrested several suspects, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday. The government has urged the public to report suspected smuggling operations or customs violations on the confidential numbers 1910 and 00 966 114208417, or via email at 1910@zatca.gov.sa. Financial rewards are offered for tips leading to prosecutions.

Leaders of the G7 wealthy nations gather in southern Italy this week against the backdrop of global and political turmoil, with boosting support for Ukraine top of the agenda. US President Joe Biden, France's Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida are among the Group of Seven leaders heading to the luxury resort of Borgo Egnazia in Puglia for the June 13-15 summit. It comes at a sensitive time, with wars raging in Ukraine and Gaza and  with Biden, Macron and Britain's Rishi Sunak all facing elections in the coming weeks and months. With an eye to the global challenges, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the host, has also invited around a dozen non-G7 heads of government, from Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan to India's Narendra Modi. Pope Francis will also fly in on Friday to talk about artificial intelligence. - Support for Ukraine - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will attend a discussion Thursday on Russia's war on his country, now into its third year, where he will again press for more help from Western allies. G7 leaders hope to agree a deal on using the profits from the interest on 300 billion euros ($325 billion) of frozen Russian central bank assets to help Kyiv. The idea is to use the profits as collateral for a loan of up to $50 billion, but there is still debate over who would issue the debt as well as a raft of technical issues -- including what would happen if the assets were unfrozen in the event of peace. John Kirton, director of the University of Toronto's G7 Research Group, said he expected an agreement. «This issue has been the signature test of the summit's performance on Russia's aggression against Ukraine, so the G7 leaders will not do too little here,» he told AFP. The leaders are also expected to discuss their concerns over China's support for Russia's military expansion. While the summit is officially three days, the sessions end on Friday, with Zelensky and some other leaders heading Saturday to a conference on Ukraine in Switzerland. Biden will not attend, instead sending Vice President Kamala Harris. - 'Difficult moment' - The summit of G7 leaders -- including Germany's Olaf Scholz and Canada's Justin Trudeau -- comes at a «particularly difficult moment on the international stage», an Italian government source said. The Hamas-Israel war is now in its ninth month, with the conflict to be addressed at the summit as part of a wider discussion on the Middle East. G7 leaders last week endorsed a proposed peace deal. Tensions in the Indo-Pacific will also feature on the agenda in Puglia, as will economic security, including rising trade tensions with China on green technologies. Non-G7 guests will join an «outreach session» on Friday afternoon. They were set to include Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Erdogan and Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva -- whose country holds the rotating G20 presidency this year -- Argentina's Javier Milei, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and representatives from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank have also been invited. All the guests are invited to a dinner Friday night at the Borgo Egnazia luxury hotel complex built in the style of a traditional village, an evening which will also include a short artistic show. With security to be extremely tight, the venue is far away from protesters and journalists, with the media centre located some 60 kilometres away in Bari. - Migration, Africa - Migration and relations with Africa are two priorities for Meloni for the summit, and she has invited leaders from Kenya, Algeria and the African Union. On climate change, G7 environmental ministers have already committed in April to phase out unabated coal-fired power plants by the mid-2030s -- though they left some wiggle room. The Group of Seven is a political forum of largely like-mind democracies, but their economic weight is not what it once was -- and without China, some question its relevance. It could be the last G7 summit for several participants. Biden is up for re-election in November, while Britain's Sunak faces voters on July 4, when his Conservatives are expected to lose power. Macron is also facing trouble at home: on Sunday he called snap legislative elections after his centrist alliance was routed by the far right in weekend European Parliament elections. Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party, by contrast, came out top in the vote in Italy. © Agence France-Presse

Hamas gave its official response to the latest truce proposal for Gaza on Tuesday, calling for a «complete halt» to Israeli «aggression» as fighting raged in the Palestinian territory. The response came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on his eighth Middle East tour since the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war, pushed the group to accept the deal. «The response prioritises the interests of our Palestinian people and emphasises the necessity of a complete halt to the ongoing aggression on Gaza,» Hamas said in a joint statement with Islamic Jihad. A source with knowledge of the talks said Hamas proposed amendments to the plan, including a ceasefire timeline and the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Talks were expected to continue via Qatari and Egyptian mediators, coordinated with the United States. During his visit, Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had «reaffirmed his commitment» to the proposed six-week ceasefire, which was also backed by a UN Security Council vote. «Everyone has said yes, except for Hamas,» Blinken said. «And if Hamas doesn't say yes, then this is clearly on them.» Blinken then attended a summit in Jordan, alongside leaders from the Arab world and beyond, addressing Gaza's humanitarian crisis. The Israeli siege has left Gaza's 2.4 million people without adequate food, clean water, medicines and fuel, pushing many to the brink of starvation. Only occasional aid shipments provide temporary relief. - 'Carnage and killing' - «The horror must stop,» UN chief Antonio Guterres told the conference, voicing his support for the truce plan first outlined by US President Joe Biden late last month. «The speed and scale of the carnage and killing in Gaza is beyond anything in my years as secretary-general,» he told the gathering on the shores of the Dead Sea. UN humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths labelled the Gaza conflict a «stain on our humanity» and called for $2.5 billion in funding until year-end. Amid diplomatic efforts to address the crisis, Israel conducted further strikes on Gaza, resulting in casualties according to hospital sources. The Israeli army said four soldiers were killed in the southern city of Rafah on Monday in what Hamas called a booby-trap explosion. Israel has faced mounting international criticism over the escalating death toll in the conflict. Health officials in Hamas-ruled Gaza reported 274 people were killed during an Israeli special forces raid on Saturday to rescue four hostages. The UN human rights office expressed deep concern over the civilian casualties in the Nuseirat raid and said it was «deeply distressed» over the ongoing hostage situation in Gaza. And on Monday the UN Security Council endorsed the three-phrase truce proposal Biden set out last month. Netanyahu suffered a setback on Sunday when Benny Gantz, a centrist former army chief, quit his war cabinet, citing the lack of a post-war governance plan for Gaza. Blinken met Gantz and opposition leader Yair Lapid, both of whom have been vocal critics of Netanyahu and his handling of the conflict. Washington has also pushed for a «day-after» plan for Gaza, promoted a governance role for Hamas's rival, the Palestinian Authority, and urged steps toward a two-state solution. Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners reject the idea of Palestinian statehood, arguing it would endanger Israel's security and effectively «reward terrorism». - 'Siege and destruction' - The war broke out after Hamas's October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,194 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. The militants also seized 251 hostages, more than 100 of whom were released during a November truce. After special forces rescued four captives on Saturday, 116 hostages remain in Gaza, though the army says 41 of them are dead. The Israeli army launched a devastating offensive on Gaza that has left at least 37,164 people dead, the majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas-ruled territory's health ministry. The latest Israeli deaths in Rafah took to 298 the military's overall losses in Gaza since its ground offensive began on October 27. In Jabaliya, Soad al-Qanou said her young child Amjad was suffering from malnutrition, as aid shipments failed to adequately address Gaza's needs. «This war has destroyed our lives and turned them upside down,» she said. «There is no food, no drink. There is siege and destruction everywhere.» Violence has also surged in the already restive Israeli-occupied West Bank since the start of the war. On Tuesday, six people were killed during an Israeli army raid in the village of Kfar Dan, the Palestinian health ministry said. Among aid pledges made at the Jordan meeting, the United States promised $404 million for food, water, health supplies and other aid. A joint statement at the end of the summit called for «immediate, safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance and sustained provision and delivery throughout Gaza». It also backed the «indispensable and irreplaceable role of UNRWA», the UN agency for Palestinian refugees which coordinates aid in Gaza but has been the target of severe criticism from Israel. Blinken, hitting back at critics of US support for Israel, noted the UN appeal for the Palestinians was only one-third funded. «Some who have expressed great concern over the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, including countries with the capacity to give a lot, have provided very little or nothing at all,» Blinken said, likely referring to US adversaries China and Russia. «It is time for everyone -- everyone -- to step up.» The United States is the largest donor to the Palestinians. It also provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military aid. © Agence France-Presse  

Law enforcement agencies in Seychelles are building networks and increasing police presence in the communities in renewed efforts to fight the increase in synthetic drugs entering the country. Assistant Commissioner of Police, Ned Wirtz, announced in a press conference held at the Seychelles Police Headquarters on Tuesday. The press conference also updated the public on its progress in the fight against drugs, following the recent arrests of nine Iranians on suspicion of drug trafficking. «We are intensifying our efforts on the borders of both seaports and airports and working with all our partners. Given the size of our EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), we have been working very closely with the Seychelles Coast Guard to reach areas we cannot,» explained Wirtz. Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, has an EEZ of 1.4 million square kilometres making it difficult for surveillance of illegal activities at sea.  Wirtz said, «We are still challenged where sea entry points are concerned.» In addition to intercepting the entry of illicit drugs into the country at the entry points, Wirtz said the authorities were working to establish more reliable networks to receive credible intelligence. «The fight against drugs is not exclusive to the police, we also need the help of citizens who have information on drug trafficking to give us,» he added. According to police figures for the year 2023, a total of 623 kilogrammes of heroin, 10.5 kilogrammes of cocaine, 1.8 kilogrammes of herbal cannabis, 4.9 kilogrammes of resin, and 388.6 kilogrammes of methamphetamine were seized. «Our work with our international partners shows an increase in synthetic drugs entering the western Indian Ocean,» said Wirtz. He added that the local police force has been trained to recognise and deal with such drugs entering the island nation. In February last year, six law enforcement officers from Seychelles, participated in an 'Undercover and Surveillance Techniques' training by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in Mauritius. Wirtz revealed that the officers are working with various agencies to keep an eye on «any information such as bills of lading that may show certain people plan on making methamphetamine here.» He said while the police have made some successes there are still areas where they face challenges. Wirtz said that law enforcement agencies will be conducting more patrols in the community to have more of a presence despite the need for manpower. 

President Lazurus Chakwera has constituted a ministerial committee to run the funeral arrangements for the departed Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima who died in a plane crush along with eight others in Chikangawa, Mzimba. Minister of Information and Digitalization, Moses Kunkuyu announced the names to the media on Tuesday night in Lilongwe. “The committee of […] The post Funera Committee instituted, to announce detailed programme today appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Major opposition political parties in Malawi brushed aside their politicking and locked hands with President Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera as the entire nation is plunged in deep mourning, following the tragic demise of State Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight other people in a plane crash. The military plane carrying Chilima and the others, untraceable since […] The post Opposition parties unite with Chakwera as Malawi mourns Chilima, Parliament weighs in, 21-day mourning period declared appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Shocking video footage has emerged showing the moment a man gets his comeuppance for attempting to steal an ATV.

At least 15 museums in Delhi, including the Railway Museum, received hoax bomb threats on Tuesday. Following these threats, the Delhi Police registered a case and launched an investigation. In a separate incident on Tuesday, a 13-year-old boy was taken into custody for allegedly sending a bomb threat email. The email targeted a flight scheduled from Delhi to Toronto on June 4.

Over 5,000 individuals, primarily from the Kashmiri Pandit community, embarked on their journey for the annual Kheer Bhawani Mela in Kashmir, officials reported on Wednesday. This pilgrimage is being conducted under tight security. The four-day pilgrimage kicked off today. Divisional Commissioner (Jammu) Ramesh Kumar, Relief Commissioner Dr. Arvind Karwani, and notable Kashmiri Pandit leaders inaugurated the event from the Nagrota area.

The stage was set and emotions ran high as Telugu Desam Party chief N Chandrababu Naidu prepared to take oath as the new chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. This grand comeback is nothing short of a masala film script and to witness it were present celebrities like celebrities like Rajinikanth, Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan and more. The TDP played a crucial role in the NDA government formation this time, and to support the party chief on his big day on stage was Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It was a birthday cake which came with an added 'surprise'. A man has claimed that he found a small cockroach in a box containing a whole cake he'd bought from a Four Leaves outlet in HarbourFront Centre, according to a post made on Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Tuesday (June 11). The user, Jeff Soh, said that he had bought a Chocolate Classico cake from the bakery chain on Sunday (June 9) at around 5pm. He placed the cake in the fridge when he reached home, taking it out around 8pm for a birthday celebration. «However, to our horror, we found a dead baby cockroach lying on the cake board and next to the cake,» he wrote. Soh called the bakery's HarbourFront outlet to inform them about the issue and was contacted by the store's manager Daniel about an hour later. «[Daniel] was more interested to know how the cockroach came about and to arrange to retrieve the 'evidence',» Soh wrote. He claimed that the manager sought to settle the matter privately, «without offering any remedial actions».

The new housing estate in Yishun, Chencharu, will see the launch of its first Build-to-Order (BTO) project in June. The project comprises 1,270 units, ranging from two-room flexi to five-room flats. They make up part of the approximately 10,000 homes — of which 80 per cent will be public housing — to be built in Chencharu by 2040, Minister for National Development Desmond Lee announced in March. Flats in the estate will boast sustainable and smart features. For instance, they will be oriented in the north-south direction to improve natural ventilation and minimise direct sunlight entering the homes as well as the subsequent build-up of heat. «Where applicable, studies on wind flow, temperature, solar irradiance and sun-shadow analysis will be carried out to create a green and comfortable living environment,» said the Housing and Development Board (HDB) in a press release on Wednesday (June 12). «Homes will also incorporate provisions to facilitate the adoption of smart home solutions.»

At a Group of Seven summit in Italy, far-right gains in European elections also loom large.

Palma Airport has been brought to a standstill by a massive rain storm that has flooded the island of Majorca. 

TMZ has reported that the singer, 62, listed both irreconcilable differences and 'inappropriate marital conduct' for the reasons behind their split.

Labour was mocked yesterday over a 'dodgy dossier' claiming the Tories' pledges would send annual mortgage payments soaring by £4,800.

The Georgian Society of Jamaica (GSJ), renamed ‘Built Heritage Jamaica (BHJ), recently honoured longstanding volunteer and member Pauline Simmonds for over four decades of service to the organisation. Simmonds was recognised ‘for years of dedicated...

Norbrook Equity Partners has joined forces with Project STAR to effect positive social transformation in underserved communities across Jamaica. The partnership is valued at $3 million. Oshane Thoms, group marketing director at Norbrook Equity...

Threats of inclement weather did not stop well-wishers, stakeholders, friends, patrons and staff of the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), and the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport (MCGES) from gathering at the Kingston Parish Church on...

Defence attorney Linton Gordon yesterday outlined that 14 years ago, seven or eight men from Tivoli Gardens in West Kingston were captured in the proximity of the home of Keith Clarke two days after his death. The men are said to have been...

NESTLED ALONG the fertile farming belt in the breadbasket parish of St Elizabeth, Newell High School is cultivating the next generation of agricultural leaders. Through partnerships and hands-on programmes spanning crops, livestock and aquaculture...

The Italian cabinet said all invited participants confirmed they will attend