BEIJING, APR 26, (DNA) – The first aircraft carrier designed and built in China was launched Wednesday amid streamers and champagne. The as-yet unnamed vessel is China’s second aircraft carrier. Early on Wednesday morning it was towed from Dalian Shipyard, Liaoning, to a nearby wharf, China’s Ministry of National Defense said.

PARIS, APR 24, (DNA) – Centrist Emmanuel Macron took a big step towards the French presidency on Sunday by winning the first round of voting and qualifying for a May 7 runoff alongside far-right leader Marine Le Pen.Though Macron, 39, is a comparative political novice who has never held elected office, new opinion polls on Sunday had him easily winning the final clash against the 48-year-old Le Pen.

WASHINGTON, APR 22, (DNA) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Friday that it will revise up further China’s economic growth forecast for 2017 due to a strong start of the year. China’s “growth in the first quarter has surprised almost across the whole range of indicators,” Markus Rodlauer, deputy director of the IMF’s Asia Pacific Department.

PARIS, APR 21, (DNA) – Even before French President Francois Hollande said he was convinced the Paris attack was “terrorist related” it had impacted on the effort to find his replacement.Several candidates announced they were ending their campaigns early as a mark of respect, with the centre right’s Francois Fillon calling on others to do the same.

JEDDAH, APR 18, (DNA) – King Salman on Monday made a phone call to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, congratulating him and the people of Turkey on the successful conduct of a referendum on amendments to the Turkish constitution. The king expressed hope that the new amendment would bring Turkey more stability and boost its development. He reiterated the Kingdom’s keenness for more cooperation with Turkey. Earlier, in Riyadh, the Cabinet also congratulated Erdogan.

ISLAMABAD, APR 17, (DNA) – Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Omar Zakhilwal yesterday hinted that a joint operation against TTP leader Mullah Fazlullah could be possible in near future, as he expressed hope for improvement in Pak Afghan relations this year. the ambassador said Afghanistan could never allow India to use its soil against Pakistan, terming such an impression to be an insult to the whole Afghan nation.

DNA, APR 16, (DNA) – A pilot has been praised for turning a plane around moments before take-off so an elderly couple could visit their dying grandson in hospital. The pair found out their grandchild was in intensive care while on board an Abu Dhabi-bound plane taxiing towards a runway at Manchester airport.

PYONGYANG, APR 11, (DNA) – North Korea has warned the country is ready for war after the U.S. deployed an armada of warships to waters off the Korean Peninsula. A spokesman for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) foreign ministry condemned the U.S. Navy’s order. ‘This goes to prove that the U.S. reckless moves for invading the DPRK have reached a serious phase,’ he said.

PALM BEACH, APR 08, (DNA) – United States – Peng Liyuan, wife of Chinese President Xi Jinping, on Friday visited an art school in this southeastern US coastal town accompanied by US First Lady Melania Trump. At the Bak Middle School of the Arts, Peng visited different classrooms, watched performances by students and talked with them.

HARARE, APR 07, (DNA) – Thousands of people have joined rallies in South Africa demanding the resignation of President Zuma after his sacking of a popular minister stoked simmering anger over government corruption and a struggling economy. Some protesters carried signs reading ‘Fire Zuma’ while others said they felt the ruling class were more concerned about enriching themselves than dealing with high unemployment, a slowing economy and stubborn racial inequality.