New York / AFP President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday selected a political ally with close ties to China as ambassador to Beijing, stressed his determination to create US jobs and revealed he consulted with Barack Obama on his cabinet picks. The Republican’s election victory shocked the US establishment and alarmed the world, which is now waiting with bated breath ...

  Brussels / AFP EU negotiators said on Thursday they have resolved an internal row that had delayed visa-free travel to Europe for Ukrainians and Georgians. The European Commission and the bloc’s 28 members will be able to reimpose visa requirements more quickly and more easily under a compromise deal amid fears over immigration and terrorism. The deal struck between the ...

  Moscow / AFP Russian prosecutors on Thursday demanded a five-year jail sentence for a 21-year-old female student accused of trying to join the IS group in Syria. Varvara Karaulova is on trial in the high-profile case after she was detained last year as she tried to cross into war-torn Syria while still a philosophy undergraduate at the renowned Moscow State ...

Brussels / AFP The EU recommended on Thursday that member states resume sending asylum seekers back to Greece from March next year, after transfers were halted for five years because of poor conditions there. Brussels said it was a key step towards restoring the European Union’s migration policies and the passport-free Schengen zone, which nearly collapsed under the pressure of the ...

Athens / AFP A Greek appeals court on Thursday ruled against the extradition of two Turkish coup suspects demanded by Ankara, after electing to protect another three and send back three others. The Athens court accepted a prosecutor’s arguments that the two military officers — out of a total eight seeking asylum in Greece—would be at risk if sent back ...

  Yangon / AFP At least 11 people have died this month in northern Myanmar in escalating clashes between security forces and armed insurgents that have undercut Aung San Suu Kyi’s bid for peace. Thousands have fled their homes in northern Shan state since the fighting erupted in late November, with many crossing the border into China. In response, Beijing ...

  Accra / AFP Ghanaians faced an anxious wait on Thursday for the results of a nail-biting presidential election tainted by sporadic outbreaks of violence, with no clear favourite emerging from the early provisional results. The high-stakes race between incumbent John Mahama and rival Nana Akufo-Addo is seen as a litmus test of stability for one of Africa’s most secure democracies. ...

  Abu Dhabi / Emirates Business Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Center (ADSIC), organized the Abu Dhabi Government Contact Centre Forum at the Rosewood Hotel – Abu Dhabi. The event, aimed at discussing the latest achievements, updates and future plans of the Contact Center that have been designed to achieve customer service distinction and happiness. The Forum kicked off its ...

  Dubai / Emirates Business Premium realty exhibition for non-resident Indians, the Indian Property Show, raised its curtain on Thursday in the presence of Bollywood celebrity Arbaaz Khan, Chief Guest HE Butti Saeed Al Ghandi, Second Vice-Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre, and the Indian real-estate fraternity. The three-day extravaganza is playing host to top developers across India with ...

  Dubai / WAM Opportunities for joint cooperation between Dubai Public Library and the National Library of Kazakhstan were discussed during the recent visit by Arman Issagaliyev, Consul-General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Dubai, to Al Twar Dubai Public Library. The Kazak official was briefed on the library facilities as well as other branches of Dubai Public Library and their ...