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VARNA, Bulgaria: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday insisted Turkey still wanted to become a member of the European Union ahead of a potentially stormy summit with EU chiefs seeking to repair an increasingly fractured relationship. European Union President Donald Tusk and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker will talk with Erdogan at the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Varna with a litany of problems clouding their discussions. Topic expected to be high on the agenda include the crackdown in Turkey after…

HARARE: Rashid Khan insisted that "anything can happen" and that Afghanistan are still holding hopes of qualifying for next year's World Cup in England and Wales, after beating the United Arab Emirates by five wickets on Tuesday. Rashid took five for 41 as the UAE were bowled out for 177 and team-mates Najibullah Zadran and Gulbadin Naib both hit unbeaten fifties to see Afghanistan home with more than 15 overs to spare in Harare. Afghanistan didn't carry any points into the Super Six round, but two successive victories…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Waqas Sheikh on Tuesday said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) should accept the success of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) in Lodhran by-poll as the victory of disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif, ARY News reported. "If Jahangir Tareen's last victory in the by-election was a PTI and its narrative's victory then they should follow their own practice and accept this victory as the victory of Nawaz Sharif," he said while talking to ARY News program 'Off The…

CAIRO: Egypt is standing by the list of demands it and three Gulf Arab countries made of Qatar and will keep sanctions against Doha in place, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told his Kuwaiti counterpart on Monday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar on June 5, cutting diplomatic and transport ties with the tiny Gulf monarchy, after accusing it of financing militant groups and allying with their regional arch-foe Iran. Doha denies the accusations. Kuwait has been leading…

MADRID: Zinedine Zidane insisted his Real Madrid stars don't feel like champions yet, as his side close in on a potential double. A victory against Celta Vigo on Wednesday at Balaidos would put Madrid three points clear of Barcelona at the top of the table before the season finale on Sunday. They have also secured a place in the Champions League final against Juventus on June 3 in Cardiff. However, Zidane was cautious and says nobody at the club believes they have won anything yet. Asked about the club's chances of…

UNITED NATIONS: The two-state solution remains "the only way" to meet the aspirations of the Palestinians and Israelis, the UN envoy for the Middle East peace process told the Security Council on Thursday. The council met to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a day after President Donald Trump stepped back from the US commitment to a two-state solution as part of a final peace deal. "The two-state solution remains the only way to achieve the legitimate national aspirations of both peoples," Nickolay Mladenov told…