Foreign Secretary David Cameron on Thursday indicated that the UK would not follow the United States in warning Israel that it would halt sales of arms that could be used in an assault on the Gaza city of Rafah. US President Joe Biden has said Washington could cut supplies of weapons if Israel goes ahead with an attack on the city, where the UN says some 1.4 million people were sheltering. But Cameron told reporters following a speech in which he urged NATO partners to boost defence spending that there was «a very fundamental difference» between the UK and United States. «The US is a massive state supplier of weapons to Israel,» he said. «We do not have a UK government supply of weapons to Israel, we have a number of licences, and I think our defence exports to Israel are responsible for significantly less than one percent of their total. »That is a big difference.« Cameron added that UK arms sales would remain subject to »a rigorous process« so they are not complicit in any violations of international humanitarian law. He also reiterated that the UK would not support a major Israeli operation in Rafah »unless there was a very clear plan for how to protect people and save lives«. »We have not seen that plan, so in the circumstances we will not support a major operation in Rafah,« he added. Israel has already defied international objections by sending in tanks and conducting »targeted raids« in eastern Rafah, which it says is home to the last remaining battalions of Hamas militants. Cameron's comments came after he made a major address advocating for a more muscular approach to Western foreign policy. The former UK prime minister said countries need to take more assertive action to protect their interests from emerging threats, including from Russia and Iran. »We are in a battle of wills. We all must prove our adversaries wrong: Britain, and our allies and partners around the world,« he added. Cameron used the speech at the National Cyber Security Centre in central London to call for NATO countries to boost defence spending above a two percent of gross domestic product target agreed 10 years ago. He called on countries in the 32-member Western defence alliance to »out-compete, out-cooperate and out-innovate« adversaries. - 'Harder edge' - »The upcoming NATO summit must see all allies on track to deliver their pledge made in Wales in 2014 to spend two percent on defence. «And we then need to move quickly to establish 2.5 per cent as the new benchmark for all NATO allies.» Last month, UK leader Rishi Sunak announced during a visit to Poland that London would gradually boost defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030. Cameron argued that the UK needs to invest in old alliances, including the G7 of the world's richest nations and the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network with the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. But he added that Britain also needs, post-Brexit, to forge new partnerships, like the AUKUS alliance with the US and Australia. «We need to adopt a harder edge for a tougher world. If Putin's illegal invasion teaches us anything, it must be that doing too little, too late, only spurs an aggressor on,» he said. Cameron, who resigned as prime minister in 2016 after Britons voted to leave the European Union, was last November plucked from the political wilderness by Sunak to be foreign secretary. He has spent much of that time touring the globe, giving a higher profile to the UK on the world stage than in recent years, when the country's focus was on Brexit and its chaotic aftermath. © Agence France-Presse

Somalia has asked the United Nations to end its political mission that has been present in the country for more than a decade when its mandate expires in October, according to a letter seen Thursday by AFP. UNSOM was established in 2013 by the UN Security Council to support Somali authorities in the transition to democracy and the rule of law after more than 20 years of conflict between militias, Islamist groups and criminal gangs. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud is still seeking to extricate Somalia from chronic instability. In the letter to the Security Council, Somali Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi requested «the termination of the mandate of the United Nations assistance mission in Somalia (UNSOM), following a thorough consideration of our strategic priorities.» Praising the mission, which «has played a crucial role in promoting peace, stability and development in our country,» he wrote that «it is now appropriate to transition to the next phase of our partnership.» «We are confident that the achievement and lessons learned during the mission's presence will continue to guide our efforts towards sustaining peace and prosperity,» he wrote. When UNSOM's mandate was renewed last October, the Security Council called on the mission to «maintain and strengthen its presence across Somalia» and expressed «serious concern» about the humanitarian situation. UN missions can only be deployed with the agreement of the host country. In Africa in particular, the UN has been facing hostility in recent years. Several countries have forced the departure of UN missions -- in Mali, for example, where MINUSMA pulled out last year. December also saw the Security Council end the political mission to Sudan at the request of authorities there. © Agence France-Presse  

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has received a written message from Sergei Aleinik, his counterpart in Belarus, regarding bilateral relations between the countries and ways to support and enhance them. The message was received by Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al-Khuraiji during a meeting in Riyadh with his opposite number in Belarus Evgeny Shestakov, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The parties discussed ways to strengthen relations, along with regional and international developments.

RIYADH: Christophe Farnaud, the EU ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, marked his first Europe Day celebration in the Kingdom, inviting fellow European nation ambassadors, Saudi foreign affairs officials, and friends of the embassy to celebrate the occasion in his residence in the diplomatic quarter.   “There is a very dynamic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the European Union,” Farnaud told Arab News.

RIYADH: Two Saudi students have used their skills in coding and app creation to put social issues under the spotlight. Afrah bin Jubeir and Jawaher Al-Anzi recently showcased their abilities in Apple’s Swift Student Challenge, where they were named among the top coding winners.

COLOMBO: The King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid has successfully carried out at least 200 eye surgeries in its ongoing anti-blindness campaign in the Sri Lankan town of Kattankudy, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. Dubbed Saudi Noor Volunteer Program to Combat Blindness, the campaign has also examined at least 2,000 individuals so far. The campaign, which is being carried out in cooperation with the International Sight Foundation, started May 4 and will conclude on May 11, SPA said.

ABHA: The Saudi Ministry of Tourism recorded more than 350 violations during its inspection tours of hospitality facilities in the Asir region, closing 40 of them. It addressed about 270 complaints regarding the services provided in facilities such as hotels and serviced apartments, as part of the Our Guests Are A Priority campaign during the first quarter of 2024. The ministry’s supervisory teams conducted about 650 supervisory and inspection tours of hospitality facilities.

S Jaishankar emphasizes the significant India-EU relationship at Europe Day celebrations, highlighting deep ties, economic partnerships, and collaborations across various domains. The partnership aims to boost investments, create jobs, and enhance mutual engagement in global forums like the G7.

Speaking at a council on foreign relations event, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti emphasized the importance of accountability in maintaining the US-India relationship, saying that this incident could potentially be the first significant challenge in their partnership. «I would say the administration is satisfied with the accountability that we've demanded on this, because this is a red line for America, for our citizens,» he said.

A fire broke out at 3 Toa Payoh Industrial Park on May 9 night, with one firefighter taken to the hospital for cramps. The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a Facebook post at 11.47pm the same night that it was alerted to the fire at about 9.40pm and was at the scene fighting the fire. “The fire, measuring about four basketball courts, involved two units. The first unit is a car workshop and the second unit is an industrial workshop,” SCDF said in an update on Facebook at 12.33am on May 10. “The fire was extinguished in about 1½ hours with six water jets and one unmanned firefighting machine.” A total of 15 emergency vehicles and about 60 firefighters were deployed to this incident, SCDF added. A firefighter had cramps in his legs and was conscious and stable when taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital as a precaution. There were no other reported injuries. “SCDF is currently carrying out the damping down operation of the affected area,” it added, referring to the use of water to douse wet burnt surfaces after a fire, to prevent it from rekindling.

SINGAPORE — After 20 years of weekly Cabinet meetings that soldiered on even during the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has led his last meeting. Commemorating the moment in a Facebook post on May 9, PM Lee thanked his colleagues for their steadfast support during the meetings, which had continued through the pandemic via teleconferencing. PM Lee said: «It has been my privilege to lead my Cabinet team for the past 20 years. »In Cabinet, the prime minister is primus inter pares — not the boss with his subordinates, but the first among equals, all deliberating together to find the best solutions for Singapore.« In April, the Prime Minister's Office announced that Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will take over the mantle from PM Lee as Singapore's prime minister on May 15. PM Lee said: »From next week, PM Lawrence Wong will take charge in Cabinet meetings, but I will continue to contribute as senior minister. «Singapore will be in good hands under the 4G team, and I am ready to support the new team in their work for Singapore's success.»

The Ministry of Education and Youth has started the process of replacing 30 per cent of security cameras within schools. Portfolio Minister,  Fayval Williams, made the disclosure during her contribution to the 2024/25 Sectoral Debate in the...

A senior administrator at Excelsior Community College in St Andrew has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations of missing funds. Excelsior says the most senior assistant bursar was asked to...

The two men who were ran over by a trailer truck after the bike they were travelling on collided with a car along on the Cave main road in Westmoreland today have been identified by the police. They are 28-year-old Calvin Palmer of Causeway...

Marius Gustavson was jailed today for a minimum of 22 years for running the vile enterprise, which saw him make £300K from severing penises, testicles and legs.

Shocked viewers said they were 'disturbed' by the programme on Piers Morgan Uncensored, which they branded a 'painful watch'.

The mother of a New Jersey 'deadbeat dad' whose son died of abuse broke down in court as she revealed the furious phone call she received from him at the hospital following the little boy's death.

Keir Johnston (right) pinned Grace Johnston (left) to the floor and brandished a knife at their home on March 6, 2022, in the Inner Hebrides.

The 20-year-old singer took to the stage in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest to sing the emotional Hurricane.

Newly unsealed documents show that Cuellar’s former campaign manager and a San Antonio businessman made plea agreements in March.

On this week's episode, the crew discusses adult film actress Stormy Daniels' testimony about her sexual encounter with the former president, and whether the prosecution went too far in asking for specific details. And senior video journalist Jorge Ribas joins the show from outside the Manhattan courthouse where the trial is taking place, to reveal what it's like covering the trial and what reporters can actually see. Plus, video journalist Blair Guild breaks down former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's regular TikTok live broadcasts – a surprising move from one of the prosecution's key witnesses.

In the lead-up to his ruling against a mistrial, the judge observed that there were “many times when Ms. Necheles could have objected but didn’t.”

The cooperation agreements tackle such fields as investment, energy, trade, finance, customs control, agriculture, tourism, science, culture and media

Hungary urges for an immediate ceasefire and peace talks, the prime minister said

«An escalation is ongoing,» the president said

Hungarian prime minister recalled that Hungary has always adhered to the ‘one China’ principle

Dialogue between Israel and Russia is important, including on those topics where the parties «absolutely disagree,» Simona Halperin said

Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis has suggested that the bloc should “neutralize” Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad Read Full Article at RT.com

When they were with Congress, Sharad Pawar and Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, an eight-time MP from the region, were in a tussle over controlling sugarcane cooperative societies. As Pawar's stature grew within the party, he allegedly played a key role in denying Balasaheb the party ticket to contest the 1991 Lok Sabha polls.