AFP, London :
US President Donald Trump announced Friday he will no longer attend the opening of the new US embassy in London, a move welcomed by critics in Britain who had planned mass protests.
He wrote on Twitter that he was abandoning the trip-initially scheduled for next month-because he did not like the location and price tag of the new building.
Venezuela govt, oppon in fresh talks on crisis
AFP, Santo Domingo :
Delegates from the Venezuelan government and opposition met Thursday in the Dominican Republic for a third round of talks on resolving the country’s protracted crisis ahead of this year’s presidential election.
The two-day meeting, on the neutral ground of the Dominican Republic, comes after the government of President Nicolas Maduro threatened to ban key opposition parties from the election. The opposition, in turn, threatened to resume street protests which cost the lives of 125 people last year.
S Arabia gets its first women-only car showroom
AFP, Jeddah :
A Saudi private company on Thursday opened the first car showroom for women only just five months before a decision allowing females to drive takes effect.
The showroom was opened in a shopping mall in the western Red Sea port city of Jeddah to allow women the freedom to choose their own cars before they hit the road.
In a historic decision late last year, King Salman gave Saudi women the right to drive, abolishing an almost three-decade ban based on religious reasons.
Ecuador grants citizenship to Assange
Reuters Quito :
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was “naturalized” as an Ecuadorean on Dec. 12, at his request, Ecuador’s foreign minister said on Thursday, adding that she was seeking a “dignified” solution to his situation with Britain. Britain said earlier on Thursday it had refused a request by Ecuador for Assange to be given diplomatic status, a spokesman for Britain’s Foreign Office said.
