Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Nay Pyi Taw for state visit to Myanmar

azertag Friday, January 17, 2020 3:43:00 PM CET | info [other]

Baku, January 17, AZERTAC Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Nay Pyi Taw on Friday for a state visit to Myanmar, according to chinadaily.com.cn. It is Xi's first overseas trip this year, and the first visit to the Asian neighbor by a Chinese president after an interval of 19 years....

Locust swarm 37 miles long and 25 miles wide threatens crops across swathes of east Africa

itv Friday, January 17, 2020 3:00:00 PM CET | info [other]

A swarm of locusts measured at 37 miles long and 25 miles wide has been tracked in Kenya - and the insects are now threatening to decimate crops across swatches of The most serious outbreak of desert locusts in 25 years is posing an unprecedented threat to food security in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries, authorities say....

Paris’ Louvre museum closed amid strikes over government’s planned pension overhaul January 17 Updated

theglobeandmail Friday, January 17, 2020 3:52:00 PM CET | info [other]

Striking employees demonstrate with a banner reading 'Louvre museum on strike,' outside the Louvre museum, in Paris, France, on Jan. 17, 2020. Francois Mori/The Associated Press. Paris’ Louvre museum was closed Friday as dozens of protesters blocked the entrance to denounce the French government’s plans to overhaul the pension system....

Khamenei calls Trump a clown who’ll betray Iranians, hails missile hits in Iraq

timesofisrael Friday, January 17, 2020 3:48:00 PM CET | info [other]

As Iran’s Revolutionary Guard braced for an American counterattack that never came, it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian jetliner shortly after it took off from Tehran’s international airport, killing all 176 passengers on board, mostly Iranians. Khamenei called the shoot-down of the plane a “bitter.......

US housing construction jumps 16.9% in December

newschannel6now Friday, January 17, 2020 3:57:00 PM CET | info [other]

In this June 19, 2019, file photo a worker carries shingles for a roof of a house under construction in a Brandon, Miss., neighborhood. The Commerce Department reported Friday that builders started construction on 1.61 million homes at a seasonally adjusted annual rate in December, up 16.9% from the November pace of home building....

Stokes, Pope punish South Africa with centuries

yahoo-au Friday, January 17, 2020 3:03:00 PM CET | info [other]

Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope hit centuries as England built a strong position on the second day of the third Test against South Africa and England at St George's Park on Friday. England were 426 for eight at tea. The four-match series is tied at 1-1. World player of the year Stokes hit 120, his ninth.......

Yes Minister actor Derek Fowlds dies at 82

news_com_au Friday, January 17, 2020 3:12:00 PM CET | info [other]

The actor was best known for playing Private Secretary Bernard Woolley in the sitcom and its sequel Yes, Prime Minister, as well as for his role as Oscar Blaketon in the long-running police drama Heartbeat. Before that, he found fame with children as Mr Derek on The Basil Brush Show, alongside the.......

OHCHR's Michelle Bachelet: Syria truce has failed 'yet again'

upi Friday, January 17, 2020 3:57:00 PM CET | info [other]

Jan. 17 (UPI) -- A new cease-fire in Syria has failed to protect citizens in the nation's northwest, where civilians have been killed and displaced by protracted fighting this week that violated the terms of the truce, the United Nations' top human rights official said Friday....

Russia's foreign minister slams 'aggressive' US policies

startribune Friday, January 17, 2020 1:30:00 PM CET | info [other]

Sergey Lavrov, who serves as acting foreign minister in the wake of Wednesday's resignation of the Russian Cabinet, said this week's meeting of top U.S. and Russian diplomats on strategic stability didn't achieve any immediate results, adding that "dialogue is continuing." Russia-U.S....