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[ad_1] JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's top ministers are squabbling, as deadline looms for contentious legislation that may bring down his government and a corruption indictment could be just around the corner. Against this backdrop, there're signs he may soon call for elections — possibly as early as next week, when parliament reconvenes from its summer break. And though Netanyahu hasn't committed yet, conditions appear ripe for him to schedule the vote, nearly a year ahead of schedule. Polls, for now at least, predict a solid Netanyahu victory, one that would assure his place in history as Israel's longest-serving leader and allow him to solidify his close alliance with US President Donald Trump. But one big obstacle could still trip him up: a mounting corruption investigation that may soon deliver criminal charges. [ad_2]

[ad_1] LONDON: With tails wagging and raucous barking, hundreds of dogs and their owners rallied in London on Sunday to howl for a new people's vote on Brexit , in what organisers dubbed a "wooferendum march". The gathering drew EU-flag waving politicians, actors and activists - all accompanied by their four-legged friends and united in their opposition to Britain's departure from the EU. "In a campaign, use whatever you can that helps," Alastair Campbell , a former Labour government spokesman, told AFP alongside his five-month-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Skye. "Today's showing that this country just isn't uniting around any vision for Brexit and it's one way of fighting," he said. The dog parade - which attracted everything from Corgies and beagles to huskies and a giant Leonberger -- took place two weeks before a larger pro-referendum rally, set to be attended mostly by humans, planned for October 20. British Prime Minister T...

[ad_1] JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, appeared in court on Sunday for the first hearing in the fraud trial against her, in which she is alleged to have misused state funds in ordering catered meals. According to the indictment filed in June, Sara Netanyahu, along with a government employee, fraudulently obtained from the state more than $100,000 for hundreds of meals supplied by restaurants, bypassing regulations that prohibit the practice if a cook is employed at home. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing. She was charged in June with fraud and breach of trust and of aggravated fraudulent receipt of goods. If convicted, Sara Netanyahu could face up to five years in prison. Looking tense as she walked into Sunday's hearing, she made no comment to reporters and sat on a bench behind her lawyers. Israeli media reports said the session would deal with procedural matters. Sara Netanyahu’s lawyers contend the indictment does not hold up because the regulat...

[ad_1] JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon to discuss security coordination over Syria, amid friction with Moscow over Israel's air operations. Netanyahu made the announcement at a cabinet meeting, without citing a specific date for the talks with Putin. Russia said on Tuesday it had upgraded Syria's air defences with the S-300 missile system , after accusing Israel of indirect responsibility for the downing of a Russian spy plane by Syrian forces as they fired on attacking Israeli jets last month. Israeli officials have said the new system could be defeated by Israel's stealth fighters and possibly destroyed on the ground, and they have pledged to press on with efforts to prevent military entrenchment by arch-enemy Iran in Syria. But since the Russian plane was shot down, there have been no reports of Israeli air strikes in Syria. The apparent pause has raised speculation in the Israeli m...

[ad_1] BRUSSELS: Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar arrives in Brussels to meet European Union officials on Thursday as Brexit talks enter a frenzied fortnight designed to produce a divorce deal with Britain and a blueprint for future ties. The Brexit countdown begins with Varadkar meeting EU leaders' chairman Donald Tusk and the bloc's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier later on Thursday. Barnier will on Friday meet politicians from Northern Ireland where the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), on which British Prime Minister Theresa May relies to govern, is key to sealing any agreement to end Britain's four decades in the bloc. "It will be long hours and it may get messy but there will be a deal. The cost of no-deal is just too big," said a senior EU diplomat of the talks, aimed at agreeing a fix to the Irish border in time for an Oct 17-18 EU summit and then the outline of post-Brexit ties by another one on Nov 17-18. Both sides are readying concessions ...

[ad_1] Image copyright AFP Image caption Ms Rosmah is known for her love of shopping and branded goods The wife of ex-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been charged with money laundering and tax evasion, as part of an investigation into a multi-million dollar corruption scandal. Rosmah Mansor, who is known for her love of luxury goods and jewellery, pleaded not guilty to all 17 charges. Her husband, Mr Najib, has been accused of pocketing $700m (£517m) from state development fund 1MDB. Mr Najib currently faces 32 different charges in relation to 1MDB. Ms Rosmah smiled, wave and blew kisses at the media as she arrived in a Kuala Lumpur court on Thursday. The 66 year old had spent a night in detention following her arrest by anti-corruption officials on Wednesday. Bail for Ms Rosmah was set at 2m ringgit ($483,...

[ad_1] BIRMINGHAM: British Prime Minister Theresa May defended her Brexit plans on Wednesday, but cautioned that she would rather leave without a deal than accept the carve up of the United Kingdom. May, who received a standing ovation after dancing onto the stage to Dancing Queen by ABBA, said she was confident that she could clinch a deal with the EU. There would, she said, be no second referendum. "Britain isn't afraid to leave with no deal if we have to," May said. "But we need to be honest about it. Leaving without a deal, introducing tariffs and costly checks at the border, would be a bad outcome for the UK and the EU." [ad_2]

[ad_1] KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia 's anti-graft agency arrested former first lady Rosmah Mansor on Wednesday and she will be charged with money laundering, her lawyer told Reuters . Rosmah, the wife of former prime minister Najib Razak , was detained after being questioned by the anti-graft agency, her lawyer, K.Kumaraendran, said. She will be charged on Thursday, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said. [ad_2]

[ad_1] TOKYO: The son of a US Marine and Japanese mother won an election for governor of Japan's Okinawa island on Sunday on an anti-US military presence platform, defeating a candidate backed by the ruling bloc in a blow to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Denny Tamaki, who was backed by opposition parties, soundly defeated Atsushi Sakima, who ran with the support of Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner, the Komeito, official results showed. Public broadcaster NHK showed a jubilant Tamaki and his supporters cheering and dancing after news of his victory. Sakima's defeat is a blow for Abe, as the Okinawa vote was the first high-profile election after the premier won a Sept 20 LDP leadership vote, putting himself on track to become Japan's longest-serving premier. Senior politicians from the ruling bloc had visited Okinawa over the past few weeks to throw their weight behind Sakima, underlining the significance of the outcome of the election. "...

[ad_1] Image copyright Reuters Macedonia's Prime Minister, Zoran Zaev, has vowed to push ahead with plans to change the country's name to North Macedonia. A vote on the name change was non-binding, with only a third of Macedonians taking part. Ninety percent of those who voted were in favour of the change, aimed at ending a dispute with Greece, which has its own region called Macedonia. To ratify the result, Mr Zaev needs the support of two-thirds of MPs. What happens now? Mr Zaev has threatened to call early elections if MPs did not support the proposal. He and his coalition partners will need at least a dozen opposition MPs to back the move. "More than 90% of the total votes are 'Yes', so now it is parliament's turn to confirm the will of the majority," he told AFP. "I am determined to take Macedonia into the EU and Nato," he said. "It ...