PARIS: A new row over secularism and the wearing of the Islamic hijab in public buildings has erupted in France after a far-right politician asked a woman accompanying her son and other children on a school trip to remove her headscarf. The issue has divided politicians and citizens in a country that often struggles with finding a balance between individual …

LONDON: A painting by the Nigerian artist responsible for the “African Mona Lisa” sold at auction in London on Tuesday for £1.1 million after the family who owned it googled the signature and realised its importance. “Christine”, by 20th century master of African modernism Ben Enwonwu, had been in the sitter´s family home ever since it was painted in Lagos …

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel Wednesday to Ankara to press Turkey to halt its offensive against Syrian Kurdish fighters, President Donald Trump said Tuesday. “They are leaving tomorrow,” Trump told reporters at the White House, a day after Pence announced the trip without giving a timetable. “We are asking for a …

OTTAWA: Canada on Tuesday announced it had temporarily suspended “new export permits” to Turkey, particularly of military equipment, in response to Ankara´s offensive into northern Syria. “Canada firmly condemns Turkey´s military incursion into Syria,” Global Affairs Canada, the foreign ministry, said in statement. “This unilateral action risks undermining the stability of an already-fragile region, exacerbating the humanitarian situation and rolling …

WASHINGTON: Pain perception is essential for survival, but how much something hurts can sometimes be amplified or suppressed: for example, soldiers who sustain an injury in battle often recall not feeling anything at the time. A new study published in Cell Reports on Tuesday honed in on the brain circuitry responsible for upgrading or downgrading these pain signals, likening the …

WASHINGTON: The leader of the impeachment investigation of President Donald Trump said Tuesday that witnesses had provided substantial support for allegations that Trump illegally tried to force Ukraine to investigate his political rival Joe Biden. While the White House and Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani refused to turn over subpoenaed documents on the Ukraine affair to Congress, House Intelligence Committee …

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi vows that he is making India a  superpower, the truth is the BJP-ruled country has slipped further on Global Hunger Index, it emerged Wednesday. According to Concern Worldwide, an aid agency which compiles the report, India is ranked at 102 on a list featuring 117 countries. The country is also the lowest ranked South Asian …

LONDON: Queen Elizabeth attended a service at London’s Westminster Abbey on Tuesday to mark 750 years since King Edward the Confessor’s original church on the site was rebuilt during the reign of Henry III and consecrated in 1269. The 93-year-old monarch was accompanied by her daughter-in-law Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wife of her eldest son Prince Charles. The Anglo-Saxon abbey, …

BRUSSELS: British and European negotiators ploughed on with Brexit talks Wednesday hoping that a deal can be found in time for this week’s European summit. Brexit minister Steve Barclay described the closed-door meeting as “intensive” but confirmed Britain would ask for another Brexit extension if there was no deal by Saturday. And Irish leader Leo Varadkar warned that “many issues …

NEW DELHI: The Indian Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered an end to hearings in a long-running dispute between Hindus and Muslims over a place of worship, laying the ground for a verdict that could lead to further divisions. Hindus believe that the site in the northern town of Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Ram and want a temple built …