Category: News

New Zealand might be Australia’s smaller neighbor but it’s sitting on a massive new continent scientists have named “Zealandia,” according to a  the CNN reports.

Photo: Alamy

A suicide attack in a popular shrine in southern Pakistan has killed at least 72 people, police say, the BBC reports.

The bomber blew himself up among devotees in the shrine of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in the town of Sehwan in Sindh province, police said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the attack, which has been claimed by so-called Islamic State.

It is the deadliest in a string of recent bombings claimed by IS, the Pakistani Taliban and other militants.

The shrine, one of the country’s oldest and most revered, was crowded as Thursday is considered a sacred day for Muslims to pray there.

A delegation of the Armenian National Assembly will visit Stepanakert February 19-21 to observe the Constitutional referendum in the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic.

The delegation will be led by Vice-speaker of the National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov and will comprise MPs Gagik Melikyan, Lyova Khachatryan, Karen Shakhmuradyan, Vahram Mkrtchyan, Alexander Arzumanyan and Head of the Public and Media relations Department Arsen Babayan.

Photo: EPA

Samsung’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong has been placed under arrest in South Korea, accused of bribery and other charges, the BBC reports.

The case is linked to a scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

Samsung is accused of giving donations to non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil, a friend of Ms Park, in exchange for government favours.

Mr Lee and the Samsung Group deny any wrongdoing.

The acting Samsung chief was first questioned by prosecutors in January, but they decided then not to arrest him.

But he was questioned for a second time earlier this week.

On Friday, the court said it “acknowledged that it is necessary to arrest [Lee Jae-Yong] in light of a newly added criminal charge and new evidence.”

The Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office conducted monitoring of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border near the village of Chinari in Tavush province, Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Defense reports.

From the Armenian side the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistants to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic) and Christo Christov (Bulgaria).

Following the monitoring the OSCE representatives were briefed on the situation at the frontline and the statistics of the cases of ceasefire violation by Azerbaijani forces.

The Armenian party called the attention of the OSCE monitors s to the fact that Azerbaijan keeps the Armenian border villages, pastures and fields under fire.

No ceasefire violations and incidents were registered during the monitoring.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France and Richard Hoagland of the United States of America) met yesterday with the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov, separately and then jointly. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, also participated in the meetings.

The Co-Chairs discussed with the Ministers the current situation along the Line of Contact and the Armenia–Azerbaijan border. The Co-Chairs reiterated that there is no alternative to a peaceful solution to the conflict and that war is not an option, and called upon the sides to exercise restraint on the terrain as well as in their public communications and to prepare their population for peace and not for war. The Co-Chairs also urged the Sides to adhere strictly to the 1994/95 ceasefire agreements that constitute the foundation of the cessation of hostilities. The Co-Chairs recalled the May 2011 joint statements of their Presidents in Deauville emphasizing that the use of force would only bring more suffering and devastation and would be condemned by the international community. The Co-Chairs shared their views with the Sides on the steps which should be taken toward implementing decisions from the 2016 Summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg aimed at stabilizing the situation in the conflict zone.

The Co-Chairs stressed to the Ministers the need to demonstrate greater flexibility and to resume comprehensive negotiations on reaching a lasting settlement as soon as possible.

The Co-Chairs recognized that the Armenian authorities’ recent decision to return the body of an Azerbaijani serviceman was a helpful humanitarian gesture. The two Ministers reiterated their commitment to strictly observe their international humanitarian obligations including those of the Astrakhan Declaration of October 2010 issued by the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Russian Federation.

The Co-Chairs are aware that a so-called constitutional referendum is scheduled to take place in Nagorno-Karabakh on February 20, 2017. Although the Co-Chairs note that the de-facto Nagorno-Karabakh authorities view the use of such a procedure as an effort to organize the public life of their population, they underscore again that no countries, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent and sovereign state. Accordingly, the Co-Chairs do not accept the results of the referendum on February 20 as affecting the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Co-Chairs also stress that the results in no way prejudge the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh or the outcome of the ongoing negotiations to bring a lasting and peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The Co-Chairs plan to travel to the region in March.

Elections of the  Vicar of the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul will not take place today as scheduled, as heated debates on the election of a new Patriarch continue. Editor-in-chief of the Istanbul-based Armenian Jamanak daily Ara Gochunya confirmed the news to Public Radio of Armenia.

Thirteen people signed a protocol yesterday, announcing that the election would be held on May 28. The Vicar was to be chosen among the esteemed clerics at a meeting of the Cooperation and Consultation Platform for Foundations on February 17.

“Acting Patriarch, Archbishop Aram Atesyan and Bishop Sahak Maşalyan, who announced his resignation recently, came together yesterday to issue a protocol that would bring peace until the Patriarchal elections,” Ara Gochunyan said.

He added however, that there were arguable provisions in the protocol that led to growth of tension during discussions.

As a result, the  protocol was cancelled and the two are expected to visit the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin to seek a solution to the issue.

On February 16, upon the proposal of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and in their presence a meeting between Edward Nalbandian, the Foreign Minister of Armenia, and Elmar Mammadyarov, the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, took place.

Issues related to future meetings between Foreign Ministers as well as Co-Chairs next visit to the region were discussed.

On February 17, Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, had a meeting in Munich with Masoud Barzani, the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan.

The sides appreciated the high-level political dialogue and exchanged views on organising mutual visits as well as on trade and economic cooperation.

The interlocutors discussed the issues related to the opening of the Consulate General of Armenia in Erbil. In this context, Edward Nalbandian expressed his gratitude to the authorities of the Iraqi Kurdistan for the provided comprehensive support.

Upon the request from the Foreign Minister of Armenia, the head of the Iraqi Kurdistan informed of the latest developments in the fight against terrorist groups in Iraq.

Foreign Minister of Armenia and the President of the Iraqi Kurdistan touched upon urgent regional and international security related issues.

A 64-year-old woman has successfully given birth to healthy twins – a boy and a girl – in Burgos, northern Spain, the BBC reports.

The Recoletas Hospital delivered the twins by Caesarean section, the usual method in such rare cases.

The unnamed woman had undergone fertility treatment in the US, Spanish media report.

In 2012 the woman gave birth to a girl, who was later taken into care by social services, amid welfare concerns.

Social workers said the girl was being brought up isolated, poorly clothed and with bad personal hygiene, the Spanish daily El Pais reported.

No decision has been taken yet about the mother’s twins. They and the mother are reported to be in good health in hospital. The boy weighs 2.4kg  and the girl 2.2kg.