WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump criticized North Korea’s “continued belligerence” and said its actions were destabilizing in a telephone call on Sunday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said.
The leaders agreed on the urgency of the threat posed by the North’s missile and nuclear programs and committed to coordinate their efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, it said in a statement on Monday.
“President Trump criticized North Korea’s continued belligerence and emphasized that Pyongyang’s actions are destabilizing the Korean Peninsula,” the White House said.
Trump cites North Korean “belligerence” in call with Xi -White House
Trump cites North Korean “belligerence” in call with Xi -White House
Everton fires manager Dyche hours before a game in first big call by new American owners
“The process to appoint a new manager is underway and an update will be provided in due course,” Everton said
LONDON: In the first big call by its new American owners, Everton fired manager Sean Dyche on Thursday with the team just two spots above the relegation zone in the Premier League.
Everton announced the move just hours before hosting third-tier Peterborough in the FA Cup third round.
The storied club — a nine-time English champion which have been without a major trophy since 1995 — were bought last month by the Texas-based Friedkin Group in a deal reportedly worth in excess of 400 million pounds ($495 million).
Fronted by Dan Friedkin and his son Ryan, the group also owns Italian team Roma and has made itself unpopular with supporters of the Serie A club for making contentious management changes — including firing Daniele De Rossi, the club’s beloved former captain, early this season.
Removing Dyche might have been necessary, however, with Everton having won just one of their last 11 league games and scoring in just three of them. With 15 goals from their 19 games, Everton are the second-lowest scorer in the division and have plunged to just one point above the bottom three.
“The process to appoint a new manager is underway and an update will be provided in due course,” Everton said in a statement.
Dyche was in charge for nearly two years, during which he maintained Everton’s status as an ever-present in England’s top division since 1954. His style of play was pragmatic and often turgid, relying on not conceding goals more than providing entertainment — and that might be something the Friedkins look to change.
Everton said Leighton Baines, a former player and the club’s under-18s coach, and current club captain Seamus Coleman will take charge of the team on an interim basis.
Everton’s next Premier League game is on Wednesday against Aston Villa.
All Jordanians living in Los Angeles are fine, Foreign Ministry says
- At least 5 people have been killed by wildfires raging in and around the US city; more than 100,000 forced to flee homes
LONDON: The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Thursday that all Jordanian nationals living in Los Angeles, California, are “fine” as deadly wildfires continue to rage through neighborhoods in several areas in and around the US city.
The fires have claimed at least five lives, more than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, and hundreds of buildings have burned down.
The ministry sent its sincere condolences to the victims, the American people and the US government, the Jordan News Agency reported.
Japan grants Sudan about $1 million in food aid
- The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan
- The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded
TOKYO: Japan, in cooperation with the World Food Programme (WFP), decided to grant Sudan 150 million yen (nearly $1 million) as ‘food aid’ to improve the situation in that country, the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo stated.
Suzuki Satoshi, Japan’s Ambassador to International Organizations in Rome, and Ms. Rania Dagash-Kamara, Assistant Executive Director of the Partnerships and Innovation Department, World Food Programme, signed and exchanged notes regarding the grant aid in Rome on January 8th.
The statement underscored the urgency of the situation in Sudan, where armed conflict between the national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023.
The humanitarian situation has significantly worsened as the fighting areas have expanded and become protracted.
According to the WFP, several regions in Sudan are at risk of famine, approximately half of the population is facing acute food insecurity, and hunger-related deaths have been recorded.
At the Eighth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 8) held in August 2022, Japan announced its commitment to “responding to the food crisis and supporting sustainable agricultural production.” This cooperation is a concrete step in realizing this commitment.
The Republic of Sudan has an area of approximately 1.88 million square kilometers (about five times the size of Japan), a population of approximately 50.04 million, and a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $880, according to the 2023 World Bank data.
Pakistan eyes enhanced trade with Indonesia ahead of its president’s visit
- Indonesia’s president is expected to visit Pakistan later in January to discuss trade, bilateral issues
- Planning minister calls for cooperation with Indonesia in education, health, information and tourism
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has directed officials to devise a strategy to boost bilateral trade with Indonesia, state-run media reported on Thursday, as Islamabad gears up to welcome President Prabowo Subianto to the country later this month.
Pakistan and Indonesia have attempted to bolster their economic ties through trade and investment over the years. The two countries signed a Preferential Trade Agreement in 2012 that became operational in September 2013, allowing for concessional market access to 232 goods from Pakistan such as fresh fruits, cotton and fabrics, and 313 from Indonesia, such as edible palm oil products, sugar confectionaries and cocoa products.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that Subianto will be in Pakistan later this month an official visit to the country.
“The minister directed the relevant authorities to formulate concrete proposals to enhance trade relations, emphasizing the need to strategically target the Indonesian market to showcase Pakistani products effectively,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said.
Iqbal was speaking to officials while he chaired a meeting of a committee constituted by Sharif to enhance bilateral cooperation and trade between both countries ahead of Subianto’s visit.
“This landmark visit will open new avenues for trade and cooperation, further strengthening bilateral relations between Pakistan and Indonesia,” APP quoted Iqbal as saying.
“Indonesia has successfully integrated its cultural diversity into a unified identity. We can learn from their model.”
Iqbal stressed collaboration with Indonesia in the education, health, information technology and tourism sectors. He also suggested providing scholarships in IT and health care sectors to students from both countries.
In October last year, Pakistan and Indonesia signed bilateral trade pacts and memorandums of understanding worth $10.7 million during an Indonesian trade expo.
According to the Pakistan Business Council, the trade relationship between Pakistan and Indonesia holds significant potential for growth, with opportunities for increased cooperation in areas like agriculture, textiles, and energy.
Conde Nast reshapes Arab fashion media with Vogue Arabia and GQ Middle East takeover
- Manuel Arnaut and Amine Jreissati will lead Vogue and GQ respectively
LONDON: Vogue Arabia and GQ Middle East have officially joined Conde Nast’s portfolio of owned operations in Dubai, the media conglomerate announced on Thursday.
The move marks a significant reshuffle in the Arab fashion media landscape, as Conde Nast takes over the licenses from previous publishers Nervora, which launched Vogue Arabia in 2016, and ITP Media, which introduced GQ Middle East in 2018.
As part of the transition, Lebanese fashion designer Amine Jreissati has been appointed head of editorial content for GQ Middle East. Portuguese journalist Manuel Arnaut, who faced criticism for his 2017 appointment to Vogue Arabia due to limited regional experience, will continue to lead the title under the new structure.
“We are fortunate that Manuel and Amine, two incredibly gifted and creative editors, will be leading our titles,” said Anna Wintour, Conde Nast’s chief content officer.
“Their taste, judgment and journalistic experience are a huge benefit and the way they have elevated the contributions of artists and designers in the Middle East to the global stage has been tremendous.”
The acquisition brings Vogue Arabia and GQ Middle East into the same portfolio as Architectural Digest Middle East and Conde Nast Traveller Middle East, both of which became fully owned and operated by Conde Nast in 2023.
Thomas Khoury, Conde Nast’s managing director for the Middle East, oversaw the transition of the two titles, further cementing the company’s commitment to the region’s growing influence in global fashion and media.