Sofia Bulgarian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a new pro-European government put forward by We Continue the Change (PP) and the centre-right GERB party, ending a two-year-long impasse marked by five elections.

The new technocrat cabinet was elected without difficulty by Bulgarias 240-seat National Assembly, securing a majority of 132 votes.

Former education minister and researcher Nikolay Denkov of the PP-DB coalition will govern as prime minister for nine months, before EU ex-commissioner for innovation Mariya Gabriel will take over as part of a rotation. 

The graft-ridden Balkan nation has been struggling to elect a new government to implement badly needed reforms.

In May, Gabriel tasked by the conservative GERB party to lead negotiations alongside the PP-DB coalition announced a power-sharing government with rotating prime ministers.

Forty-four-year Gabriel, who recently resigned from her post in Brussels, will hold the Foreign Affairs portfolio under the leadership of 60-year-old Denkov, before taking over as prime minister in March 2024.

The European Unions poorest country has been plagued by political instability and led by caretaker governments over the past two years.

A fifth vote in early April failed again to provide a clear majority.

Bulgaria has never before had a rotating premiership but the compromise was the only remaining option for a cabinet.

The new governments priorities include the urgent passing of a budget, reforming the countrys justice system, and making progress on accession to the eurozone and Schengen area. 

Weakened by the turmoil, Bulgaria was forced to abandon its bid to join the eurozone in 2024 and was unable to accede to the Schengen free movement zone.

The cabinet will also usher in a new pro-European stance within the eastern European country amid Russias war in Ukraine.  

Under the leadership of pro-Russian President Rumen Radev, the countrys interim governments have refused to send direct military aid to Kyiv. 

The GERB party of three-time PM Boyko Borisov had governed almost uninterruptedly between 2009 and April 2021. 

But it lost many voters and became badly isolated by other parties after massive anti-corruption protests against it in 2020.

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Johannesburg South Africas economy grew slightly in the first three months of the year, confounding fears of a recession for Africas most industrialised country, official data showed Tuesday.

Gross domestic product (GDP) increased 0.4 percent between January and March after shrinking 1.1 percent in the final three months of last year, the national statistics agency Stats SA said.

The growth came despite crippling power cuts that continue to crimp economic activity, and surpassed the expectations of many economists. 

The manufacturing and finance industries were the major drivers of growth on the supply side of the economy, Stats SA said in a statement.

The demand side was lifted by exports, with smaller positive contributions for household, government, and investment spending, it added.

Economists at the bank FNB had said they expected a mild recession, while others predicted growth to stagnate at around zero percent. 

South Africa has been battered by a record run of electricity blackouts over the past year, due to mounting problems at the beleaguered power utility Eskom. 

The outages are costing more than $50 million in lost output each day, according to estimates by the energy minister

GDP has been increasingly volatile as a result.

South Africas economy contracted 0.8 percent in the second quarter of 2022, followed by a 1.8 percent expansion in the following quarter before diving back in the last three months of the year, according to revised data.

High inflation and a weakening currency have compounded the countrys economic woes.

Inflation stood at 6.8 percent in April, the lowest level in almost a year and a decline from the 7.1 percent recorded in March.

But last month the central bank still raised its benchmark interest rate by 0.5 percentage points to 8.25 percent, a 14-year high.

It also forecasts that GDP will grow by just 0.3 percent this year, saying that power cuts alone would cost the economy two percentage points of growth. 

The state-owned freight logistics group Transnet has also experienced maintenance troubles and other issues that have hampered exports.

But eight out of 10 industries still recorded growth in the first three months of this year, with only the agriculture and the electricity, gas and water sectors slumping, according to Stats SA. 

Mining activity turned positive after a disappointing end to 2022, and retailing and other commercial sectors also registered growth, the agency said. 

But analysts at Nedbank said the modest bounce was likely be short-lived after power cuts intensified in the second quarter, weighing on confidence, disrupting operations, driving up production costs and eroding profits and income.

These pressures, combined with...

Bonn The UNs top climate official hailed the unique insight of a UAE oil executive whose naming as president of the key COP28 climate summit has outraged advocates and experts.

Speaking to AFP at climate negotiations in Germany, UN Climate Executive Secretary Simon Stiell said Sultan al-Jaber, who heads the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, also has experience in developing renewable energy and is deeply familiar with the long-running UN talks. 

The process under which nearly 200 nations are grappling with how to stop global warming and cope with its impacts is an inclusive one, Stiell said six months ahead of the crucial COP28 summit in Dubai.

One person, one entity, one country doesnt have all of the answers, it requires the input and knowledge of all, he added. 

Having Dr. Sultans experience, his knowledge of the industry, what he has done both in terms of the oil and gas sector but also renewables, gives him a unique insight.

Reaction to host United Arab Emirates appointment of al-Jaber in January as president of the COP28 summit in December has caused a furor among green groups and climate experts, as well as calls for him to step aside.

In May, more than 100 lawmakers from the United States and in the European Union signed an open letter to US president Joe Biden and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen asking them to pressure the UAE to replace al-Jaber.

Burning fossil fuels is by far the single largest driver of global warming, and his position as an oil executive in one of the worlds largest oil and gas companies is seen by many as conflicting with the core mission of the UN talks. 

Way off track

At the same time, Al-Jaber has gotten ringing endorsements from climate stalwarts such as US climate envoy John Kerry, and former New York Mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg.

Stiell himself knows al-Jaber from the climate circuit, where as the environment minister from Grenada for five years he pushed aggressively for rapid decarbonisation and spoke on behalf of the worlds most climate vulnerable nations. 

The UN chief said the controversy surrounding al-Jaber could be an opportunity to confront head-on the question of how to deal with fossil fuels, which are not even mentioned in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The science is clear: we need to phase down and phase out all fossil fuels, Stiell said. We also need to ramp up renewable energy deployment. There are two sides of the equation.

Whether parties take advantage of that opportunity to explore and to come up with decisions that are aligned with the science, that remains to be seen, he added.

COP28 will see the first-ever Global Stocktake of progress made towards the goals l...

London Britains scandal-hit business lobby group, the CBI, faces a vote crucial to its survival Tuesday, with members urged to back reform under new leadership after allegations of sexual harassment by staff.

The Confederation of British Industry risks folding after claims that more than a dozen women were sexually harassed at the organisation and two others had been raped. 

Police have launched an investigation following the allegations reported this year by The Guardian newspaper, triggering a shake-up at the organisation and an extraordinary vote on its future.

The allegations, described as absolutely devastating by new CBI director general Rain Newton-Smith, caused an exodus of member companies and the launch Monday of a rival body by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

Newton-Smith, who has described the situation as a really deep and painful crisis for the CBI, told an extraordinary general meeting Tuesday that she was confident and determined this will be a turning point for us, the start of a new chapter, for a renewed CBI.

She added: Were ready to deliver a better CBI. We just need one thing now - your vote.

The resolution being voted on Tuesday calls on remaining member companies to put their confidence in CBI proposals to reform its governance, culture, and purpose.

The organisation has proposed the creation of a People & Culture Committee plus an external expert-led Culture Advisory Committee.

And it has created the role of chief people officer. 

At the same time it is cutting jobs as the reduction in members slashes revenue. 

Different representation

The scandal comes as UK businesses look for leadership during a cost-of-living crisis, with the countrys elevated inflation cooling more slowly than expected.

In a move seen as taking advantage of the crisis, the BCC has launched the rival Business Council.

We have been talking to the nations largest corporates and it has become clear to us that they are looking for a different kind of representation, said BCC director general Shevaun Haviland.

Founding partners include British energy group BP and Heathrow airport. 

But Newton-Smith said Tuesday that a revamped CBI could still be a powerful driving force, with its depth of expertise and practical business insights over decades.

Even our competitor groups have admitted they cant match all that.

About one dozen firms, including engineering giant Siemens, Microsoft and oil firm Esso, have signed a joint letter published in The Times newspaper backing the CBI reforms.

The signatories said that while the CBI has recognised its failings, they will hold it to account on putting its plan into action.

Nabi Saleh Hundreds of Palestinians gathered Tuesday for the funeral of a three-year-old boy who died after being shot by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank last week.

Mohammed al-Tamimi died in an Israeli hospital Monday, after Israeli soldiers shot him and his father on Thursday night in the village of Nabi Saleh, near the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Tamimis mother, Marwa, wept as she embraced her son for the final time, his body wrapped in the traditional black and white Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.

Israeli soldiers stood within sight of the funeral reception, blocking a main entrance into the village of Nabi Saleh near where last weeks shooting took place.

Marwa al-Tamimi, 32, told AFP that soldiers had fired on her husband Haitham, who was also wounded, while he was in the car with their three-year-old son.

She said he had gone out to move his car because he feared it would be damaged by nearby Israeli soldiers.

My husband started the car and my son was next to him, and the shots were fired at him when he turned on the cars lights.

They (Israeli soldiers) fired at them for a while, and they could not get out of the car so I hid inside (the house), she added.

Her son was transferred to the Sheba hospital in Israel, where he died despite extensive efforts of the medical team, a statement released by the hospital on Monday said.

The Israeli army said on Monday that soldiers had responded with live fire following a shooting attack on the nearby settlement of Neveh Tzuf. 

The army said that two Palestinians were wounded adding that it regrets harm to civilians and said an investigation was under way.

Marwa al-Tamimi said she had no faith in the Israeli armys investigation.

I want an international trial. Enough is enough. Every time we hear of a child who is martyred, a whole family is martyred, she said.

Senior Palestinian official Hussein al-Sheikh on Monday night expressed his anger in a tweet.

He (Tamimi) died by the bullets of Israeli occupation soldiers !!! What will the occupation authorities say about him? Are they going to call him a terrorist?? Is he endangering the lives of their soldiers?.

Al-Tamimi is the youngest person killed in the conflict this year.

Since the start of the year, at least 156 Palestinians, 21 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to an AFP tally compiled from official sources.

The figures include combatants as well as civilians and, on the Israeli side, three members of the Arab minority.

The post Palestinian toddler killed by Israeli force...

Paris Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz can set up a blockbuster French Open semi-final Tuesday as Ukraines Elina Svitolina tackles Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in a politically-charged tussle where the only guarantee will be the absence of a handshake at the matchs conclusion.

Djokovic is in familiar territory after making the last eight in Paris for a record 17th time his 14th consecutive quarter-final appearance here. 

The 36-year-old Serb, chasing a third French Open crown and record 23rd mens Grand Slam singles title, looks to be rounding into form at the right time after an underwhelming clay season.

His lone loss in nine matches against Tuesdays opponent Karen Khachanov came in the 2018 Paris Masters final, with Djokovic dispatching the Russian in three sets in their only Roland Garros clash three years ago. 

The 27-year-old Khachanov is in his third straight Grand Slam quarter-final after semi-final runs at last years US Open and the Australian Open in January.

Djokovic, however, is a conundrum he has struggled to solve. You need to play really good chess to beat him, said Khachanov.

World number one Alcaraz has so far lived up to his billing as the tournament favourite but his quarter-final rival Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2021 runner-up, represents his stiffest challenge yet.

The Spaniard has won all four past meetings two of which have been on clay, most recently triumphing in the Barcelona Open final in April.

We have played great matches. I won every match that we have played. But it doesnt mean that Im going to win every match that we play, said Alcaraz.

Tsitsipas also reached this years Australian Open final, losing to Djokovic, and has been steady rather than spectacular in 2023. 

He is yet to win a title this season but has made serene progress through the draw in Paris, dropping just the one set in his opening round.

Right now hes one of the biggest obstacles and challenges for any player to compete against, Tsitsipas said of Alcaraz. Rivalries like this, they are the toughest thing you can get in our sport.

Belarus v Ukraine

The war in Ukraine will come into sharp focus again Tuesday as Sabalenka takes on Svitolina, the former world number three who is playing her first Grand Slam since becoming a mother. 

Sabalenkas first round opponent, Ukraines Marta Kostyuk, was booed for not shaking hands in protest over the war in which Belarus is a close ally of Russia.

Svitolina, who defeated Russias Daria Kasatkina in the last 16, has already said she will maintain the position of all Ukraine players in refusing to shake hands with Russian and Belarusian opponents.

Sabalenka refused to carry out media commitments after her past two matches, claiming s...

Madrid Karim Benzema said leaving Real Madrid hurts at a goodbye ceremony Tuesday ahead of his move to Saudi Arabias Al-Ittihad.

The 35-year-old forward has signed for the Jeddah-based side on a three-year deal starting next season, a source at the Saudi club told AFP on Tuesday.

Its a bit of a sad day, because I am leaving this club, it hurts me, because I had a dream in my head to sign for Madrid, and finish at Madrid, but sometimes life gives you other opportunities, said Benzema in a speech during his farewell at Madrids training ground.

I will always watch Madrids games, and thanks to the fans too, who pushed me on to play good games.

The French forward signed for Madrid in 2009 from Ligue 1 side Lyon.

Benzema made 648 appearances for Madrid and is second on Reals all-time goalscoring list with 354 only Ronaldo has more.

He won five Champions Leagues, four La Liga titles and three Copas del Rey and is the current Ballon dOr holder.

Benzema said he was grateful to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez for signing him. 

When I saw you, I said this is the man who brought Zizou (Zinedine Zidane) and Ronaldo, now he wants me in his team, said Benzema.

I will never forget Real Madrid, its the best club in the world, in history, but now is the moment to leave and to see another story.

Perez thanked Benzema for his efforts over the past 14 years.

Today its not just another player going, today were saying goodbye to one of the most incredible players in our history, said the president.

Thank you for all you have given us, you arrived here as a boy and today, you leave as one of our legends.

The striker did not mention where he would play next season but a source at Al-Ittihad told AFP earlier Tuesday that Benzema had signed a contract for his transfer for a three-year period.

If the move is confirmed, Benzema will join his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the Gulf kingdom after the five-time world player of the year moved to Al Nassr from Manchester United following last years World Cup.

Lionel Messi, who is leaving Paris Saint-Germain after two seasons, has also been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. 

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Paris Paris is on time and on budget for the 2025 Olympics, the citys mayor said on Tuesday, dismissing concern expressed recently by a senior Olympics official.

Look at all the previous Olympics and Paralympics around the world, one year before the Games, generally its stressful and people are saying well never manage this. Well, were ready, mayor Anne Hidalgo told the France Inter radio station on Tuesday.

Were on budget and were on time.

During a visit to Paris on Monday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) official Pierre-Olivier Beckers, who is responsable for monitoring the Paris Games, voiced concern about the work needed to balance the budget.

French authorities chipped in another 111 million euros ($119 million) last December to take into account inflation, taking the overall budget to 4.48 billion euros.

Delays in signing major sponsorship deals, including with French luxury goods giant LVMH, has also left a major question mark about the finances of the event.

There is still plenty of work to do, Beckers told reporters.

A provisional report from the French national auditor, revealed by Le Monde newspaper on Monday, said that substantial uncertainties remain, notably for domestic partnerships. 

The Games have also become embroiled in a row over ticket pricing, with the high cost of attending many events leading to criticism of organisers amid a cost-of-living crisis in France. 

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Paris Music streaming app Deezer said Tuesday it was launching a tool to detect and tag songs with AI-generated vocal clones in a bid to protect the revenues of the real artists.

Artificial Intelligence tools have recently allowed people to recreate the sound of famous artist vocals, from The Beatles to Oasis.

Heart on a Sleeve, a track featuring AI-generated copycats of Drake and The Weeknd, racked up millions of hits on TikTok and other platforms. 

Music companies fear this could eat into future earnings since there is currently no way to copyright the sound of someones voice.

But Deezer said it plans to identify AI-generated music, focusing initially on those which recreate the voices of existing artists.

The French company said it aimed to create a system to tag these tunes in the app, which can alert artists, labels and users to this fraudulent activity.  

Our goal is to weed out illegal and fraudulent content, increase transparency, and develop a new remuneration system where professional artists are rewarded for creating valuable content, said Deezer CEO Jeronimo Folgueira in a statement.

He said more than 100,000 new tracks are uploaded to Deezers site daily, making it increasingly important to distinguish between human- and machine-generated music.

AI can be used to create new incredible content and I believe there are massive benefits of using generative AI, he added. But we need to ensure its done in a responsible way.

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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, received on Monday the Pakistani Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

The meeting addressed the distinguished bilateral relations binding Baghdad and Islamabad, ways to strengthen these relations, and the importance of bilateral cooperation, especially in the military, economic and commercial fields, to serve the interests of the people of the two countries, the statement mentioned.

Both sides discussed the adoption of simplified procedures regarding entry visas for Pakistanis travelling to Iraq for religious purposes, the statement illustrated.

Hussain confirmed that Iraq does everything possible to serve visitors of all nationalities, including those coming from Pakistan, the statement elaborated.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding between Iraq and Pakistan to exempt diplomats from obtaining an entry visa.

Zardari also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Iraqi Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Ahmed Al-Badrani to promote cultural cooperation.

The Pakistani Foreign Minister clarified that his visit to Baghdad aims to strengthen bilateral relations, indicating that Iraq and Pakistan contributed to supporting peace in the region.

Zardari also indicated Pakistans aspiration to establish a center for visitors in the holy city of Karbala, noting that Iraq is a true friend of Pakistan.

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Stockholm Swedish music streaming giant Spotify said Monday it will cut some 200 positions, equalling two percent of its workforce, as it slims down its internal podcast operations. 

The Sweden-based company said it had recently embarked on the next phase of our podcast strategy, and was moving to a tailored approach optimized for each show and creator.

Doing so requires adapting; over the past few months, our senior leadership team has worked closely with HR to determine the optimal organization for this next chapter, Spotify said in a statement.

As a result, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to make a strategic realignment of our group and reduce our global podcast vertical and other functions by approximately 200 people, it added, noting it represented about two percent of Spotifys global workforce.

The streaming giant, which is listed on the New York stock exchange, announced in April it had passed 500 million monthly active users with 210 million paying subscribers.

The company also posted a first quarter operating loss of 156 million euros ($167 million), compared to an operating loss of six million euros a year earlier.

The widened loss was, according to the company, attributed to a higher headcount compared to a year earlier and changes in social charges.

In January, following similar moves by other tech industry giants, the streaming giant announced it was cutting around 600 jobs.

The platform has only occasionally posted a quarterly profit since its launch and has regularly posted annual losses, despite strong subscriber growth and having had a head start on its rivals such as Apple Music and Amazon Music.

Spotify has also invested more than one billion euros into podcasting in recent years, but analysts say the company has yet to prove the investment is bearing fruit.

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Santorini Off the spectacular Greek tourist island of Santorini, divers drag deadly ghost nets from the depths of the Aegean Sea which have claimed the lives of thousands of fish.

These abandoned nets are like fish traps, said diver Mika Panagiotopoulou, one of a group of volunteers who have been descending up to 45 metres to fish out discarded nets, tyres and plastic bags from the crystalline blue waters.

For half a century the build-up of these abandoned nets has swept up thousands of fish and caused incalculable damage to the flora and fauna of our seas, said Santorinis mayor Antonis Sigalas, as the rubbish was gathered up at the little port of Vlychada before being recycled.

For World Environment Day we want to highlight the dangers of abandoned fishing nets for our seas, said George Sarelakos, co-founder of Aegean Rebreath, the Greek NGO behind the clean-up.

Discarded fishing nets account for about a tenth of the worlds marine pollution and its a real challenge because up to now it has been invisible because most people have no idea of what in hidden in the depths, he added.

Over the last five years, Aegean Rebreaths 300 volunteer divers have removed more than 28 tonnes of nets and hundreds of thousands of plastic bags one of the greatest scourges of the aquatic world from Greek waters. 

Despite a tax being levied on plastic bags in Greece since 2018, shops still hand them out with abandon. 

However, Sarelakos said there has been some progress. There has been a change of mentality among fisherman and now they are handing (nets) over to be recycled.

Veteran fisherman Kyriakos Prekas, 71, said there was a growing awareness that the riches of the sea were being exhausted.

It is hard for a fisherman to survive so they put down more and more nets, which leads to fewer fish. Its a vicious circle, he said.

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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul-Ghani, announced that Iraq decided to extend the oil production cut of 211,000 barrels per day until December 2024 as a necessary protective measure, in coordination with member states in the OPEC+ agreement.

Abdul-Ghani indicated that countries taking part in the OPEC+ agreement announced last April that they were intending to reduce oil production, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Oil.

Member countries in OPEC+ agreed on a voluntary oil production cut during their 35th ministerial meeting held on Sunday in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

Russias Minister of Energy revealed his countrys intention to extend its voluntary oil production cut of 500,000 barrels per day until December 2024.

The OPEC+ alliance approved reducing the level of oil production to 40.46 million barrels per day, starting in 2024.

Saudi Arabia will make a deep cut to its output in July on top of a broader OPEC+ deal to limit supply into 2024 as the group seeks to boost flagging oil prices, according to Reuters.

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Paris France is ploughing 2.9 billion euros ($3.1 billion) of public money into a factory to make microchips, officials said on Monday, heating up a global race for the lucrative market.

Europe and the United States have both passed so-called Chips Acts to boost investment in the sector as fears grow that China could gain a stranglehold on global supply.

Chips, also known as semiconductors, are vital for every electronic device, from smartphones to electric cars, and control of supply chains has become a major priority for the worlds biggest trading blocs.

Frances economy ministry said the state aid was the biggest subsidy it had offered since 2017.

The funding would go towards a 7.5-billion-euro project announced last year to be run by European multinational STMicroelectronics and US company GlobalFoundries.

The European Chips Act has loosened the rules on state aid that usually forbid such generous outlays, as it aims to unlock 43 billion euros of investment and for the bloc to produce 20 percent of the worlds chips by 2030.

Europe currently accounts for less than 10 percent of the global total, with most of the worlds chips being made in Taiwan.

The French ministry said the project, in the Alpine town of Crolles near Grenoble in southeastern France, would boost European production capacity by almost six percent by 2028.

The battle to secure supplies of semiconductors was supercharged during the pandemic when lockdowns and other measures caused a supply crunch and brought industries across the world to a grinding halt.

The US Chips Act is one of several laws aimed at funnelling hundreds of billions of dollars to US firms at the expense of foreign competitors.

Beijing has denied it is seeking to seize global supply lines and has slammed the US Chips Act as 100-percent protectionism. 

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New Delhi The United States and India agreed a roadmap for military industrial cooperation Monday, as New Delhi seeks to reduce its reliance on key arms supplier Russia in the face of tensions with China.

We established an ambitious new roadmap for defence industrial cooperation, which will fast track high priority co-development and co-production projects, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said as he wrapped up an overnight visit to New Delhi.

But analysts warned that such pledges needed to be backed up by concrete action. 

Moscow and New Delhi have been allies for decades, with Russia by far Indias biggest arms supplier.

Now India which has not condemned Russia for its invasion of Ukraine is looking to diversify, both by broadening its sources of imports and ramping up domestic production.

Western countries, including the United States and France, are negotiating multi-billion-dollar contracts, and diplomats say India is placing a high priority on technology transfer as part of any deal. 

The agreement will fast-track technology cooperation and co-production in areas including air combat and land mobility systems, the undersea domain, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the US Defense Department said.

The initiative aims to change the paradigm for cooperation between US and Indian defence sectors, it said, and could provide India access to cutting-edge technologies and support Indias defence modernisation plans.

India has displaced China as the worlds most populous country this year, and relations between the Asian giants have been strained since a deadly high-altitude border clash in June 2020.

At the same time, Washington and Beijing are engaged in fierce competition on diplomatic, military, technological and economic fronts.

Bullying and coercion

But India is walking a diplomatic tightrope: uniquely, it is a member of both the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which includes Russia and China, and the Quad, set up with the United States, Japan, and Australia to counter Beijings growing assertiveness.

As well as arms, India also imports oil from Russia, increasing its purchases since the Ukraine war began.

Analysts said they would wait to see whether the US-India roadmap was anything more than rhetoric.

Expectations that Austin would talk about transferring engine technology to India and an armed Predator drone deal had gone unfulfilled, said Indian defence analyst Rahul Bedi.

Weve heard this many times before from respective defence secretaries, as well as the Indian side, he told AFP.

But unless something concrete emerges I remain sceptical. The right path (of India-US relations) has to be backed with firm contracts and firm assurances.

Montmel Max Verstappen demonstrated that he and Red Bull have enough performance advantage in hand to deliver an unprecedented invincible year, by winning every race. 

His masterful triumph in Sundays Spanish Grand Prix was the teams seventh out of seven this year and lifted him 53 points clear of team-mate and nearest rival Sergio Perez in the drivers championship. 

Lewis Hamilton came home a distant second in his heavily upgraded Mercedes to boost their recovery hopes, but admitted it was unrealistic for them to catch the Bulls before 2024. 

AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Sundays race at the Circuit de Catalunya:

Verstappen supremacy signals Red Bull can win every race 

Team chief Christian Horner was at pains to distance himself and Red Bull from any talk of winning every race after this victory, but in praising Mercedes upgrade he highlighted the feeble form of their rivals. 

None of Aston Martin, Ferrari or Mercedes have produced consistent pace and performance to be a concern to Red Bull whose greatest anxiety is in keeping Sergio Perez focused on his role in the team and not the drivers title race. 

Its far too soon to talk about anything like that, said Horner about speculation regarding an unbeaten season. Mercedes showed they have made a good step a big upgrade, but weve got some more bits coming later in the season too. They are a quality team and will put us under pressure, but today it was still 24 seconds.

After his third consecutive win, third in Spain and fifth of the season, taking him to a career total of 40, Verstappen was his customary unflustered self a man in command of his destiny, heading towards a third title. 

Asked about Mercedes revival and threat, he said: These are questions I cant really answer. It can be track-dependent so I cant answer that question because I dont know. But, for sure, it would be great for the sport in general to have more teams at the front and fighting.

On his team winning every race, he suggested it was unlikely to happen after initially conceding that how it looks at the moment, I think we can. 

The length of the season 22 races following the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix makes it a daunting challenge, but with high levels of reliability, a clear performance superiority and two top-level race-winning drivers, it is possible. 

The nearest any team has been to a perfect season was in 1988 when Ron Denniss Ayrton Senna-Alain Prost led McLaren-Hondas won 15 of 16 contests, only missing out at Monza where Senna collided with an errant back-marker as he lapped him with two laps remaining. 

Hamilton rejuvenated by Mercedes improvement 

Lewis Hamilton drove with precision and purpose, rejuvenated by a car that was responsive and fast, as he raced to second place, a result that boosted Mercedes revival hopes f...

Riyadh Luka Modric and Hugo Lloris feature on a list of more than 10 top-level Saudi Arabian football transfer targets headed by Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema, a source close to the negotiations has told AFP.

Sergio Ramos, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, NGolo Kante, Angel Di Maria and Roberto Firmino are also among the seasoned World Cup and Champions League winners being lined up for the Saudi Pro League, the source said.

The latest information comes after Saudi officials flew to Paris and Madrid to try to seal deals with Messi and Benzema respectively, according to sources and reports, that would allow them to join Cristiano Ronaldo in the oil-rich kingdom.

Saudi authorities are in contact with more than 10 players, many of them won the World Cup or the Champions League, to join the Saudi league next season, the source close to the negotiations said.

In addition to Messi, the list includes Benzema, Ramos, Di Maria, Modric, Hugo Lloris, Kante, Firmino, Alba and Busquets.

Beside receiving quite lucrative offers they will play in a very competitive league, the source said, adding that the Saudis aimed to seal most of the deals before the new season starts on August 11.

The worlds biggest oil exporter has already thrown hundreds of millions at sports deals including Ronaldos signing, Formula One and the divisive LIV Golf tour, drawing frequent claims it is sportswashing its human rights record.

Saudi Arabia, whose neighbour Qatar hosted the World Cup last year, has explored bidding for the competition including a possible tri-continental hosting with Egypt and Greece.

Elevate the Saudi clubs

Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, one of the worlds biggest sovereign wealth funds, is behind the transfer dealings rather than individual clubs, the sources said.

If the players sign, they will be divided between five Saudi clubs: Al Hilal, Al Nassr, Al Shabab, Al Ittihad and Al Ahly, the sources added.

Separately, a Saudi government official told AFP that the authorities are holding negotiations with world-class players.

The objective is to establish a very strong and competitive league and elevate the Saudi clubs levels, the official said.

All the players listed are major stars at the tail-end of their careers. Firmino is the youngest at 31. Apart from France goalkeeper Lloris, who has a year left at Spurs, all are out of contract this month.

According to the sources, Modric, Ramos, Kante, Alba and Busquets appear the closest to signing.

Modric, Real Madrids influential midfielder, and Ramos, who is leaving Paris Saint-Germain, would join Ronaldo at Al Nassr, while Kante would play at Saudi champions Al Ittihad, the sources said.

Saudi Arabia, und...

Riyadh Iran is set to reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday following a seven year closure, a diplomatic source told AFP, sealing a Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal announced in March.

Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016, after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked during protests over Riyadhs execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

Irans diplomatic mission, which was expelled by Saudi authorities, will return under the leadership of Alireza Enayati, who previously served as Irans ambassador to Kuwait.

The opening of the Iranian embassy will take place Tuesday at 6:00 pm local time (1500 GMT) with the presence of the newly appointed Iranian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a diplomatic source in Riyadh told AFP on Monday.

Saudi Arabia has yet to confirm when it will reopen its embassy in Tehran or its pick for ambassador.

Iranian media had named Enayati as the Islamic republics Saudi envoy last month.

He had previously served as assistant to the foreign minister and director general of Gulf affairs at the foreign ministry, according to Iranian media reports. 

After years of discord, the two Middle East heavyweights signed a surprise reconciliation agreement in China on March 10.

Since then, Saudi Arabia has restored ties with Tehran ally Syria and ramped up a push for peace in Yemen, where it has for years led a military coalition against the Iran-backed Huthi rebels.

Iran and Saudi Arabia had backed opposing sides in conflict zones across the Middle East for years before mending fences.

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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, sponsored on Sunday a partnership between the Iraq Football Association (IFA) and the Spanish League (La Liga), according to a statement issued by the Prime Ministers press office.

The statement indicated that the step aims to hold the Iraqi Premier Football League for 20232024.

The partnership agreement was signed by the President of the IFA, Adnan Darjal, and the President of the Spanish League (La Liga), Javier Tebas.

Al-Sudani commended the step that aims to promote and develop football activities in Iraq, pointing out that the Iraqi government is keen to develop all sports institutions in Iraq.

Tebas valued the cooperation with the IFA and emphasized that efforts will be exerted for the success of the step, which he described as greater than just football, to broaden cooperation towards revitalizing sports in Iraq, the statement illustrated.

Darjal clarified that the partnership with La Liga will contribute to developing talented Iraqi football players and sponsoring the Iraqi Premier Football League.

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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Saudi Ambassador to Iraq, Abdulaziz Al-Shammari, announced on Sunday that Saudi Arabia signed a contract with Iraq to build a mega project near Baghdad International Airport. The huge project is worth approximately $1 billion.

The project is called Baghdad Avenue and is expected to be the largest shopping mall in Iraq.

Baghdad Avenue will include coffee shops, restaurants and commercial business offices, in addition to 4,000 apartments and 2,500 villas.

Al-Shammari explained that the visit of King Salman Medical Centers team to Baghdad to exchange experiences between Iraqi and Saudi doctors reflects the strength of relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The Saudi Ambassador elaborated that there will be economic and cultural meetings between both countries in the coming period.

We promise our Iraqi brothers that the next stage will witness great momentum in terms of the activities taking place between the two countries, said Al-Shammari.

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