World News Delight

Um Samer, a displaced woman from eastern Ghouta, prepares an iftar meal at their home in Maarrat Misrin some seven kilometres north of Idlib on May 26, 2018. After years of Syrian government siege, Umm Samer can finally prepare an appetising spread to end her family’s daily Ramadan fast. But war has given the holy month a bitter aftertaste. Crouched near a tiny gas stove in the mud hut that is now her home in northwest Syria, the 51-year-old from Eastern Ghouta slices a juicy aubergine into large chunks for the evening meal. “Yes, there’s plenty of food here, but being far away from home is really hard for us,” Umm Samer says of her hometown of Zamalka, in the former rebel enclave. Umm Samer, her husband and five children — two of them disabled — fled Ghouta around two months ago as it came under government control, setting up near the town of Maaret Masrin in Idlib province. Their memories of life in Ghouta are stained with siege: during the government’s five-year encir...

US President Donald Trump arrives outside the White House on the South Lawn before he delivers remarks and participates in the White House Sports and Fitness Day on May 30, 2018 in Washington,DC. Nicholas Kamm / AFP US President, Donald Trump, said Thursday he was expecting to receive a message from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as the two sides scramble to revive a summit previously set for next month between the two leaders. “I look forward to seeing what’s in the letter. They will probably be coming to Washington DC on Friday to deliver the letter so I look forward to that,” Trump said before heading to Texas for the day. He also said that meetings in New York between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and top North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, which resumed early Thursday, were going “very well.” AFP

Women wearing niqab sit in the audience at the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, on May 31, 2018. The Danish parliament on Thursday, May 31,2018, passed a law banning the Islamic full-face veil in public spaces, becoming the latest European country to do so. Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP Denmark on Thursday became the latest European country to ban the Islamic full-face veil in public spaces in a move slammed by human rights campaigners as “a violation of women’s rights”.  “Anyone who wears a garment that hides the face in public will be punished with a fine,” says the law, which was passed by 75 votes to 30 in the Danish parliament. Presented by the centre-right government, the legislation was also backed by the Social Democrats and the far-right Danish People’s Party. The new rule will take effect on August 1. Wearing a burqa, which covers a person’s entire face, or the niqab, which only shows the eyes, in public will lead to a fine of 1,000 krone...

In a picture released on January 20, 2014, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gives an interview to AFP at the presidential palace in Damascus on the weekend. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned US-backed Kurdish forces he would not hesitate to use force to retake the third of the country they control. “The only problem left in Syria is the SDF,” Assad told Russia Today in an interview aired Thursday, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces which has spearheaded battles against Islamic State group (IS) jihadists. “We’re going to deal with it by two options,” he said. “The first one: we started now opening doors for negotiations. Because the majority of them are Syrians, supposedly they like their country, they don’t like to be puppets to any foreigners,” Assad said in English. “We have one option, to live with each other as Syrians. If not, we’re going to resort… to liberating those areas by force.” The Kurds in oil-rich northeastern Syria have long...

Spain’s Rafael Nadal plays a forehand return to Argentina’s Guido Pella during their men’s singles second round match on day five of The Roland Garros 2018 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on May 31, 2018. Eric FEFERBERG / AFP Rafael Nadal stormed into the French Open third round on Thursday as he continued his bid for an 11th title by sweeping aside Argentinian Guido Pella 6-2, 6-1, 6-1. The top seed had struggled past lucky loser Simone Bolelli in the first round, but was back to his best as he raced through the last two sets in just 65 minutes. The 31-year-old will next face home favourite and his old junior rival Richard Gasquet, whom he has beaten 15 times from as many meetings in professional tennis. “I’m very happy, I played more aggressive than in the first round, so I’m very happy with that,” said Nadal. “Richard (Gasquet) is a very good friend. We’ve known each other since we were 11 or 12 years old so it will be very special to play again against him on such...

Marco Silva Everton on Thursday appointed Portugal’s Marco Silva as the new manager, the Premier League club announced on their official website. The 40-year-old, who replaces Sam Allardyce at Goodison Park, has Premier League experience, with Hull City and Watford. Silva enjoyed trophy-winning spells with Sporting Lisbon and Olympiakos having also helped Estoril climb through the ranks in his native Portugal. AFP

Ivan Marcano Spanish veteran defender Ivan Marcano has signed for Serie A giants Roma, the Italian side confirmed on Thursday. Marcano has agreed a three-year contract until June 2021, that includes an option for a fourth year. The 30-year-old arrives on a free transfer from Portuguese champions FC Porto where he has played for the past four seasons, winning the league title last season. “I am very happy to be here, because Roma is a great club that is moving in the right direction, following a clear sporting project,” Marcano said. “I also believe the footballing philosophy of the team will fit well with my strengths and characteristics.” The former Spanish Under-21 international made more than 150 appearances for Porto, having previously played for Villarreal, Rubin Kazan, Racing Santander and Olympiakos, with whom he won the Greek title twice. “The signing of Ivan Marcano is the addition of a player who will bring his quality, his physical strength and his vast experi...