News in Brief-(2022-05-18)

Erdogan objects to Nato bids of Sweden, Finland
STOCKHOLM, May 17: Turkey´s president on Monday complicated Sweden and Finland´s historic bid to join NATO, saying he cannot allow them to become members of the alliance because of their perceived inaction against exiled Kurdish militants. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan doubled down on comments last week indicating that the two Nordic countries´ path to NATO would be anything but smooth. All 30 current NATO countries must agree to open the door to new members. Erdogan spoke to reporters just hours after Sweden joined Finland in announcing it would seek NATO membership in the wake of Russian's invasion of Ukraine, ending more than 200 years of military nonalignment. He accused the two countries of refusing to extradite "terrorists" wanted by his country. "Neither country has an open, clear stance against terrorist organizations," Erdogan said, in an apparent reference to Kurdish militant groups such as the banned Kurdistan Workers´ Party, or PKK. — AP
Tripoli rocked by gunfights of rival groups
TRIPOLI, May 17: Libya's capital was rocked early Tuesday by gunfights between backers of two rival administrations, threatening another escalation in the war-torn North African country. Supporters of a government endorsed by Libya's parliament and by an eastern-based military strongman had tried to move into the western city of Tripoli by force. That sparked pre-dawn clashes with armed groups supporting interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah. Hours later they pulled out, citing the "security and safety of citizens", as the United Nations, European Union and United States appealed for calm. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the fighting, but AFP correspondents saw burned-out cars and military convoys on a major thoroughfare later Tuesday morning. Dbeibah was appointed under a troubled UN-led peace process early last year to lead a transition to elections set for December, but the vote was indefinitely postponed. — AP
N Korea reports another surge in Covid cases
SEOUL, May 17: North Korea on Tuesday reported another large jump in illnesses believed to be COVID-19 and encouraged good health habits as a mass outbreak spreads through its unvaccinated population and military officers were deployed to distribute medicine. State media said the North's anti-virus headquarters reported another 269,510 people were found with fevers and six people died. That raises North Korea's deaths to 56 after more than 1.48 million people became ill with fever since late April. North Korea lacks testing supplies to confirm coronavirus infections in large numbers, and the report didn't say how many of the fever cases were COVID-19. — AP
Lebanon independents win at least 13 seats
BEIRUT, May 17: Independent candidates won at least 13 seats in Lebanon's new parliament, making unprecedented gains, according to results announced by the interior ministry Tuesday. The reformists, who campaigned on the legacy of a 2019 anti-establishment protest movement, could yet obtain the support of several other independent and non-aligned lawmakers in the 128-member assembly. Twelve of the thirteen reformist candidates are newcomers. They campaigned against Lebanon's ruling elite, composed of sectarian parties that have ruled the country since the end of the civil war in 1990. Many Lebanese blame the entrenched political elite for the country's economic collapse since 2019 and for failing to take measures to stop it. Reformists and traditional parties opposed to the powerful Iran-backed Hezbollah have made gains in Sunday's polls, at the expense of the Shiite group's Christian allies. — AFP
New French PM urges girls to pursue their dreams
PARIS, May 17: France's new Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, is the first woman to hold the job in more than 30 years and says she hopes to inspire young girls. "I want to dedicate my nomination to all little girls and tell them to go all the way pursuing your dreams," she said in her inauguration speech. The engineer, 61, has been described as a "left-wing technocrat". She served most recently as labour minister under President Emmanuel Macron. France has a general election in June. But the uncertainties of the 12-19 June parliamentary election raise a question mark over the length of Ms Borne's tenure, and under the French system the president's powers considerably outweigh the prime minister's. — BBC