TrumpUS President-elect Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Source: InternetOpen Washington: President Donald Trump knows that it is in America’s interest to have a “healthy relationship” with Russia and wants to get along with Moscow unlike the previous Obama administration which failed in such attempts, the White House has said. “I think there’s a difference…

Washington: US immigration agents detained 680 immigrants last week in the first round of raids during the Donald Trump presidency, the government announced on Monday, adding that the operations targeted individuals who represented “a threat to public safety”. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly announced the number of detainees in a press release and noted that “approximately…

Pakistan court bans Valentine's Day in public spacesThe Islamabad High Court (IHC) of Pakistan on Monday prohibited the celebration of Valentine's Day in public spaces and government offices across the country 'with immediate effect'. A day before Valentine's Day, the Federal Ministry of Information, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) and the Islamabad High…

Washington: President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will participate in a roundtable discussion about women in the workforce on Monday, showing the rising policy influence of the first daughter who has stressed her commitment to issues like child care. A White House official said the two countries would launch a new task force called the United States Canada Council for the…

Donald Trump forgot his earpiece and pretended to understand Donald Trump greeted Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe to the White House on Friday – but it didn’t go exactly to plan. It appears Trump wasn’t wearing his earpiece – which translated Abe’s address for the room. Yet, people noted Trump nodding in agreement to Abe. And, of course people noticed. Give Trump…

The German government says 91 mosques were attacked in the country in 2016. The interior ministry said in a report sent to The Associated Press late Friday that most attacks — 21 of them— took place in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, which is the country’s most populous state with a high number of Muslim immigrants. The report did not detail how badly the different…

North Korea has fired an unidentified type of ballistic missile, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reports. Pyongyang has conducted a number of nuclear tests in the past year. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said in January that the country was close to testing long-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. North Korea's repeated missile and nuclear tests and aggressive statements…

Wellington: Hundreds of volunteers have helped rescue some 100 pilot whales that were stranded on a beach close to Nelson, on New Zealand’s South Island, according to authorities on Saturday. The rescued whales were part of a group of 400 cetaceans that were beached in the area, 300 of whom died after attempts to refloat them failed, Efe news reported. Pilot whales can grow up to 6 metres in…

  4 dead after strong quake shakes southern PhilippinesPhilippines: Rescuers dug through rubble Saturday to find survivors after a powerful earthquake struck the southern Philippines, killing at least four people and sending thousands fleeing for safety. Residents of the southern town of Surigao in Mindanao island spent the night huddled in fear as aftershocks rocked the city following the 6.5-magnitude…

UN chief urges nations to be more generous to refugeesIstanbul: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on nations "to match the generosity" of Turkey in protecting refugees, saying that too many borders are being closed and many nations are "escaping their responsibilities." Guterres, the former chief of the U.N.'s refugee agency, was speaking Friday at a joint…

A strong 6.6 magnitude earthquake hit near the coast of Pakistan’s Balochistan province today, creating panic among the residents. The quake struck at 3:04 am (local time) and it’s epicentre was 20 kilometres southwest of coastal city of Pasni at a depth of 25.9 km, according to US Geological Survey (USGS). Officials said that so far no losses have been reported from the area, but they…

Israeli ministers endorsed a draft bill to legalise export of cannabis for approved medical use, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's office said on Sunday. Adoption by the ministerial committee on legislation, which meets outside the full cabinet, means that the draft will now move forward as a government bill. But no date was set for a first reading. Shaked's office said that a scheduled debate…

Security personals stopped a man who tried to burn himself in front of the holy Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. A video circulated on social media shows the security men arresting a person who was getting ready to pour material that would have lit him. The security officers and a few worshipers and pilgrims came and stood around the man, before he was taken by the officers outside. The media spokesman…