declares

ISTANBUL: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday declared victory in a tightly-contested presidential election, extending his 15-year grip on power in the face of a revitalised opposition. Turkish voters had for the first time cast ballots for both president and parliament in the snap polls, with Erdogan looking for a first round knockout and an overall majority for his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). The stakes in this election are particularly high as the new president is the first to enjoy…

KUALA LUMPUR: Reformist Anwar Ibrahim declared a "new dawn for Malaysia" Wednesday after his release from prison transformed him into a potential prime minister following his alliance's stunning election victory. In scenes that captivated Malaysians, the charismatic 70-year-old returned to the national spotlight after the country's king quashed a widely criticised sodomy conviction that had put Anwar behind bars for three years. To ecstatic cries of "Reformasi!" (Reform) -- Anwar's rallying cry -- he took selfies with…

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency for ten days to combat the spread of violence after Buddhists and Muslims clashed in Kandy. The emergency has been declared to rein in the spread of communal violence, a government spokesman said on Tuesday, a day after Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the Indian Ocean island’s central district of Kandy. Tension has been growing between the two communities in Sri Lanka over the past year, with some hardline Buddhist groups accusing Muslims of forcing people to…

LOS ANGELES: Oprah Winfrey on Sunday declared a "new day" for women and girls facing down abusive men as her powerful speech to the Golden Globe Awards stirred talk that she has a political future. Within moments of the daytime television trailblazer's remarks at the Hollywood gala, effusive fans called for her to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020, although she has given no indication she is interested. The 63-year-old Winfrey, whose former talk show ushered in an era of confessional television and helped make…

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared victory Monday (Dec 18) in two state elections, including a closely-fought race in his stronghold of Gujarat where the charismatic leader fronted the campaign. Modi thanked voters in Gujarat, his home state in India's west, and the northern Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh, for backing the ruling Hindu national party in the local polls. Read More: Modi alleges Pakistan meddling in Gujarat elections, Foreign Office rebuffs claim "I bow to the people of Gujarat…

BEIRUT: Syria’s army declared victory over Islamic State on Thursday, saying its capture of the militants’ last town in the country marked the collapse of their project in the region. The army and its allies are still fighting Islamic State in desert areas near Albu Kamal, the last town the militant group had held in Syria, near the border with Iraq, the army said. But the capture of the town ends Islamic State’s era of territorial rule over the so-called caliphate that it proclaimed in 2014 across Iraq and Syria and…

ANKARA: Turkey's prime minister declared victory for the 'Yes' camp in Sunday's referendum on expanding the powers of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying the country had opened a "new page" in its democracy. "The presidential system, according to unofficial results, has been confirmed with a 'Yes' vote," Binali Yildirim told flag-waving supporters from the balcony of the headquarters of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara. "This is a decision made by the people. In our democracy's history, a new page…

BEIRUT/GENEVA: Air strikes destroyed a hospital and killed dozens of people in rebel-held areas of Syria's Aleppo including children and doctors, and the United Nations called on Moscow and Washington to salvage a "barely-alive" cease-fire.