Sudan's military and civilian leaders signed a deal on Monday aimed at ending a deep crisis that has gripped the northeast African country. Watch this video to know more.

Sudan's military and political parties sign deal to end crisis

It is the end of an era for Germany, the beginning of another. After being in power for 16 years German chancellor is retiring from politics paving way for a new coalition government.

Germany to have a centre-left government for the first time ever

Germany: Coalition pledges to modernize Europe's largest economy

Following a meeting in Washington with his Israeli and United Arab Emirates counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out a tougher U.S. Stance toward Tehran's new government. Washington has said that it is ready to consider "all options" if Iran is unwilling to return to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Israeli foreign minister warn Iran against nuclear weapons

The popular social media platform, Twitter, stopped working in Pakistan on Sunday out of the blue.&nbsp;However, the users are able to access their account only using the Virtual Private Network (VPN).

Twitter has, till now, not responded to the complaints on this issue.

"Disruption to Twitter and Periscope registered across Pakistan with impact to multiple networks; incident ongoing," said NetBlocks.org, an internet's observatory which tracks disruptions and shutdowns across the world.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/pakistan/two-pakistani-teenage-girls-in-waziristan-village-killed-for-honour-over-leaked-mobile-video-299367">Also read:&nbsp;Two Pakistani teenage girls in Waziristan village killed for 'honour' over leaked mobile video</a>

A user&nbsp;named the Downdetector showed a live outage in Pakistan. Locals are alleging&nbsp;that the nationwide disruption has been caused by the Pakistan government to impede the SAATH Virtual Conference, being held to discuss the issue of enforced disappearances of minorities in Pakistan.

"Can`t connect to Zoom either. Some people are claiming both have been blocked on most ISPs because of the #SAATHVirtualConf2020. Don`t know if this is true, but if so then it seems pretty counterproductive since I only found out about the conference because of this," said Reema Khurshid, another Twitter user from Pakistan.

Some users also alleged that the video-conferencing application, Zoom, is also not working in Pakistan.

(With inputs from ANI)

The popular social media platform, Twitter, stopped working in Pakistan on Sunday out of the blue. However, the users are able to access their account only using the Virtual Private Network (VPN).

The popular social media platform, Twitter, stopped working in Pakistan on Sunday out of the blue. However, the users are able to access their account only using the Virtual Private Network (VPN). Twitter has, till now, not responded to the complaints on this issue. "Disruption to Twitter and Periscope registered across Pakistan with impact to multiple networks; incident ongoing," said NetBlocks.org, an internet's observatory which tracks disruptions and shutdowns across the world. Also read: Two Pakistani teenage girls in Waziristan village killed for 'honour' over leaked mobile video A user named the Downdetector showed a live outage in Pakistan. Locals are alleging that the nationwide disruption has been caused by the Pakistan government to impede the SAATH Virtual Conference, being held to discuss the issue of enforced disappearances of minorities in Pakistan. "Can`t connect to Zoom either. Some people are claiming both have been blocked on most ISPs because of the #SAATHVirtualConf2020. Don`t know if this is true, but if so then it seems pretty counterproductive since I only found out about the conference because of this," said Reema Khurshid, another Twitter user from Pakistan. Some users also alleged that the video-conferencing application, Zoom, is also not working in Pakistan. (With inputs from ANI)

Government is throttling service: Twitterati react after Twitter stops working in Pakistan

Heads of states, CEOs and global health leaders gathered in France on Wednesday in an effort to raise at least $14 billion to finance the global fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over the next three years.

French President hosts Global Fund conference

Mona Lisa takes back its corner of the Louvre after renovation

An Alaska law promoting fossil fuel development infringes on the constitutional rights of young residents to a healthy environment, a lawyer told Alaska Supreme Court justices on Wednesday.

Alaska Supreme Court hears climate change lawsuit

Tens of thousands of people marched to New Zealand's Parliament and through the streets of Auckland on Friday, launching a second wave of worldwide protests demanding swift action on climate change.

Thousands join 2nd wave of climate protests in NZ

Hundreds of Venezuelan government supporters marched through the streets of Caracas on Thursday in a show of support to President Nicolás Maduro.

Hundreds of Venezuelans march in support of Maduro

United States-Taliban agreement to end nearly 18 years of fighting raises questions about whether humanitarian aid will decline as foreign troops withdraw in Afghanistan.

Afghan children malnourished, aid uncertain

Two women, who work with a Detroit non-profit organisation dedicated to helping the city's Hispanic population, are unhappy with the Trump administration's new rules that could deny green cards to immigrants if they use forms of public assistance like food stamps or Medicaid.

Detroit advocates upset with new immigration rules

ASEAN foreign ministers held meetings with key dialogue and strategic partners on Thursday in Bangkok during the annual gathering of the 10-member bloc.

Japan, India, Canada FMs meet ASEAN leaders

A public Democratic debate watch party at The Denver Press Club in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday night drew a mixture of Democrats and independent voters.

No clear candidate yet for Denver debate watchers

Southeast Asian foreign ministers opened their annual meeting in Bangkok Wednesday with a call from host Thailand for deeper cooperation to expand trade and bolster prosperity in the region amid rising global challenges.

Opening of ASEAN foreign ministers meeting

Hundreds of Gilroy residents have come to City Hall to light candles, comfort each other and show strength after Sunday night's shooting that killed three people, including two children, ages 6 and 13.

Vigil in Gilroy for festival shooting victims

Climate change protesters continued their demonstration across London on Friday. The Extinction Rebellion group has set up camps at major points in the UK capital including Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge and Westminster.

Activists keep up climate protests in London

Newly-elected chief minister of western Indian state of Gujarat Vijay Rupani will be meeting governor O P Kohli today to stake claim to form a new government in the state.&nbsp; 
 
State health minister Nitish Patel, who was named as the deputy chief minster, will also join Rupani in meeting the governor at 11 this morning. 
 
The decision comes as a major twist as Patel was the frontrunner for the post after Rupani had bowed out from the race, saying he would like to work for the party. 
 
Yesterday, in a crucial meeting attended by Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and transport minister Nitin Gadkari at the party headquarters in the state, the decision to make Rupani as the next chief minister was announced. 
 
BJP&#39;s central observer Nitin Gadkari said after the meeting that the decision was taken by the party MLAs unanimously and through a democratic process. 
 
The BJP central leadership had already made it clear that a state MLA would be assigned the job. 
 
Anandiben Patel had tendered her resignation to the governor on Wednesday. 
 
Governor O P Kohli has asked her to continue as the care taker chief minster till the alternate arrangement. 
 
Patel had cited age issues in her Facebook post earlier, urging the BJP to relieve her from the coveted post.&nbsp; 
 
(ANI)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Rupani, along with deputy chief minister Nitish Patel, will meet the governor to stake claim to form a new government in the state

Newly-elected chief minister of western Indian state of Gujarat Vijay Rupani will be meeting governor O P Kohli today to stake claim to form a new government in the state. State health minister Nitish Patel, who was named as the deputy chief minster, will also join Rupani in meeting the governor at 11 this morning. The decision comes as a major twist as Patel was the frontrunner for the post after Rupani had bowed out from the race, saying he would like to work for the party. Yesterday, in a crucial meeting attended by Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and transport minister Nitin Gadkari at the party headquarters in the state, the decision to make Rupani as the next chief minister was announced. BJP's central observer Nitin Gadkari said after the meeting that the decision was taken by the party MLAs unanimously and through a democratic process. The BJP central leadership had already made it clear that a state MLA would be assigned the job. Anandiben Patel had tendered her resignation to the governor on Wednesday. Governor O P Kohli has asked her to continue as the care taker chief minster till the alternate arrangement. Patel had cited age issues in her Facebook post earlier, urging the BJP to relieve her from the coveted post. (ANI)

New CM of Indian state Gujarat Vijay Rupani to meet governor OP Kohli

Venezuela&#39;s opposition gathered enough signatures to proceed with efforts to call a referendum on removing President Nicolas Maduro, electoral authorities said Monday, without setting a date for the next step. 
 
The head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena, told a press conference Maduro&#39;s opponents had cleared the threshold of 200,000 valid signatures on a petition demanding the leftist leader face a recall referendum. 
 
The opposition blames Maduro for an economic implosion that has seen food shortages, hyperinflation, violence and looting erupt in the once-booming oil giant. 
 
The council did not set a date for the next stage of the lengthy recall process, in which the opposition must collect four million signatures in just three days. 
 
In a boost to the Maduro camp&#39;s claims of rampant fraud, Lucena said the authorities had detected more than 1,000 apparently falsified signatures. 
 
The opposition submitted 1.8 million signatures in May calling for Maduro to face a recall, 1.3 million of which were accepted by the council. 
 
Signatories then had to show up at electoral offices to validate their identity with fingerprint scans. 
 
The threshold was one per cent of the electorate, or roughly 200,000 signatures which the opposition cleared. 
 
&quot;The certification will be granted by the (CNE) secretariat,&quot; Lucena said. 
 
That enables the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), to formally request a recall vote. 
 
However, Lucena said more than 1,000 fingerprint scans did not correspond with the signatory&#39;s identity, more than 400 were repeats and nearly 200 people tried to register more than once. 
 
&quot;The electoral authority will ask the state prosecutor&#39;s office to investigate the potential usurpation of identity committed by some citizens,&quot; she said. 
 
A recent poll found 64 per cent of Venezuelans would vote to remove Maduro. 
 
But to get there, the opposition first has to collect another four million signatures in three days, at a yet-to-be-decided time. 
 
To win the ensuing recall referendum, Maduro&#39;s opponents would need more votes than he won the presidency with in 2013 around 7.5 million. 
 
Time appears to be on the president&#39;s side. 
 
His allies have an arsenal of possible delaying strategies. They have filed more than 8,000 legal challenges against the recall petition and called on the electoral authorities to ban MUD for alleged fraud. 
 
The opposition is racing to force a referendum by January 10, the cutoff date to trigger new elections four years into the president&#39;s six-year term. 
 
After that date, a successful recall vote would simply transfer power to Maduro&#39;s hand-picked vice-president.US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Venezuela not to stall. 
 
&quot;The Venezuelan constitution guarantees Venezuelans the right to have their voices heard through the referendum process. And we call on Venezuela`s authorities to allow this process to go forward in a timely and a fair manner, and not to play a game of delay,&quot; he said in Washington. 
 
MUD, a motley coalition of opposition parties, accuses the electoral authority of being in bed with Maduro. 
 
They are hoping pressure from Venezuelans desperate over the collapsing economy will force the government&#39;s hand. 
But MUD has struggled to rally mass protests. 
 
Many Venezuelans are too busy standing in line for scarce food and basic goods. 
 
Maduro has declared a state of emergency and given his military sweeping powers over food production and distribution. 
 
Venezuela has sunk into crisis as global prices for its main export, oil, have collapsed. 
 
Its economy is facing its third year of deep recession this year. Its inflation rate is the highest in the world, forecast to top 700 per cent this year. 
 
The economic tailspin is threatening 17 years of socialist rule under Maduro and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez. 
 
The opposition won legislative elections in December, only to find its power stymied by the Supreme Court, which it says is also in Maduro&#39;s pocket. 
 
(AFP)

According to National Electoral Council, Maduro's opponents had cleared 200,000 valid signatures to call referendum

Venezuela's opposition gathered enough signatures to proceed with efforts to call a referendum on removing President Nicolas Maduro, electoral authorities said Monday, without setting a date for the next step. The head of the National Electoral Council (CNE), Tibisay Lucena, told a press conference Maduro's opponents had cleared the threshold of 200,000 valid signatures on a petition demanding the leftist leader face a recall referendum. The opposition blames Maduro for an economic implosion that has seen food shortages, hyperinflation, violence and looting erupt in the once-booming oil giant. The council did not set a date for the next stage of the lengthy recall process, in which the opposition must collect four million signatures in just three days. In a boost to the Maduro camp's claims of rampant fraud, Lucena said the authorities had detected more than 1,000 apparently falsified signatures. The opposition submitted 1.8 million signatures in May calling for Maduro to face a recall, 1.3 million of which were accepted by the council. Signatories then had to show up at electoral offices to validate their identity with fingerprint scans. The threshold was one per cent of the electorate, or roughly 200,000 signatures which the opposition cleared. "The certification will be granted by the (CNE) secretariat," Lucena said. That enables the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD), to formally request a recall vote. However, Lucena said more than 1,000 fingerprint scans did not correspond with the signatory's identity, more than 400 were repeats and nearly 200 people tried to register more than once. "The electoral authority will ask the state prosecutor's office to investigate the potential usurpation of identity committed by some citizens," she said. A recent poll found 64 per cent of Venezuelans would vote to remove Maduro. But to get there, the opposition first has to collect another four million signatures in three days, at a yet-to-be-decided time. To win the ensuing recall referendum, Maduro's opponents would need more votes than he won the presidency with in 2013 around 7.5 million. Time appears to be on the president's side. His allies have an arsenal of possible delaying strategies. They have filed more than 8,000 legal challenges against the recall petition and called on the electoral authorities to ban MUD for alleged fraud. The opposition is racing to force a referendum by January 10, the cutoff date to trigger new elections four years into the president's six-year term. After that date, a successful recall vote would simply transfer power to Maduro's hand-picked vice-president.US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Venezuela not to stall. "The Venezuelan constitution guarantees Venezuelans the right to have their voices heard through the referendum process. And we call on Venezuela`s authorities to allow this process to go forward in a timely and a fair manner, and not to play a game of delay," he said in Washington. MUD, a motley coalition of opposition parties, accuses the electoral authority of being in bed with Maduro. They are hoping pressure from Venezuelans desperate over the collapsing economy will force the government's hand. But MUD has struggled to rally mass protests. Many Venezuelans are too busy standing in line for scarce food and basic goods. Maduro has declared a state of emergency and given his military sweeping powers over food production and distribution. Venezuela has sunk into crisis as global prices for its main export, oil, have collapsed. Its economy is facing its third year of deep recession this year. Its inflation rate is the highest in the world, forecast to top 700 per cent this year. The economic tailspin is threatening 17 years of socialist rule under Maduro and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez. The opposition won legislative elections in December, only to find its power stymied by the Supreme Court, which it says is also in Maduro's pocket. (AFP)

Venezuela recall clears hurdle, but no date for next step

Yemeni government negotiators said they were leaving peace talks in Kuwait on Monday after Houthi militia foes rejected a United Nations proposal aimed to ending their country&#39;s war. 
 
Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi insisted the government was not abandoning the peace process, but suggested it would only return if the Houthis and a powerful local ally lifted their objections to the UN plan. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve agreed to the initiative ... we are now leaving the territory of the brotherly state of Kuwait but we&#39;re not leaving the talks,&quot; Mekhlafi said while announcing the move. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ll return at any moment, even an hour after our departure, if the other side agrees to sign this document which the (U.N.) envoy presented.&quot; 
 
UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed proposed that the government&#39;s foes in the armed Houthi movement quit three main cities they hold, including the capital Sanaa. Under this plan, new talks would then be convened on forming a government that would include the Houthis, delegates said. 
 
The envoy said in a statement the talks would continue. &quot;The departure of the Government of Yemen delegation from Kuwait is not a departure from the Peace Talks,&quot; Ould Cheikh Ahmed said. 
 
&quot;We agreed with the parties to keep the talks ongoing until we agree on next steps in the coming days which shall be dedicated to intensive meetings&quot; with the government&#39;s foes as well as international diplomats, he said. 
 
The Houthis dismissed the UN proposal as a non-starter on Sunday, saying in a statement that any agreement would need to be comprehensive and not postpone a resolution on major issues. 
 
They said they would stay in Kuwait for the talks. 
 
The negotiations started in April have slowed the nationwide fighting that has killed at least 6,400 people and caused one of the world&#39;s worst humanitarian crises. 
 
(Reuters)

The United Nations proposed that government's foes in the armed Houthi movement quit three main cities they hold, including capital Sanaa

Yemeni government negotiators said they were leaving peace talks in Kuwait on Monday after Houthi militia foes rejected a United Nations proposal aimed to ending their country's war. Foreign Minister Abdel-Malek al-Mekhlafi insisted the government was not abandoning the peace process, but suggested it would only return if the Houthis and a powerful local ally lifted their objections to the UN plan. "We've agreed to the initiative ... we are now leaving the territory of the brotherly state of Kuwait but we're not leaving the talks," Mekhlafi said while announcing the move. "We'll return at any moment, even an hour after our departure, if the other side agrees to sign this document which the (U.N.) envoy presented." UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed proposed that the government's foes in the armed Houthi movement quit three main cities they hold, including the capital Sanaa. Under this plan, new talks would then be convened on forming a government that would include the Houthis, delegates said. The envoy said in a statement the talks would continue. "The departure of the Government of Yemen delegation from Kuwait is not a departure from the Peace Talks," Ould Cheikh Ahmed said. "We agreed with the parties to keep the talks ongoing until we agree on next steps in the coming days which shall be dedicated to intensive meetings" with the government's foes as well as international diplomats, he said. The Houthis dismissed the UN proposal as a non-starter on Sunday, saying in a statement that any agreement would need to be comprehensive and not postpone a resolution on major issues. They said they would stay in Kuwait for the talks. The negotiations started in April have slowed the nationwide fighting that has killed at least 6,400 people and caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. (Reuters)

Yemen government leaves Kuwait talks after Houthis reject UN plan