News in Brief -(21-2-2019)

Putin promises Russians better
living conditions 'within this yr'
MOSCOW, Feb 20: President Vladimir Putin promised Russians rapid improvements in their living conditions as he kicked off his annual state of the nation address on Wednesday. "We cannot wait, the situation must change for the better now," Putin said. "Within this year (Russians) should feel changes for the better.". — AFP
Catholic teen sues Washington Post
NEW YORK, Feb 20: A US high school student from Kentucky has sued the Washington Post for defamation, claiming the newspaper falsely accused him of racist acts and instigating a confrontation with a Native American activist at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. Lawyers for 16-year-old Nicholas Sandmann, the Covington Catholic high school junior who faced off with Omaha Nation elder Nathan Phillips on the steps of the memorial last month, have filed a $250m lawsuit against the newspaper. — Al Jazeera
Vaccine may cure cervical cancer
PARIS, Feb 20: The rapid scale-up of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine could virtually eliminate cervical cancer in a handful of rich countries within three decades, and in most other nations by century's end, researchers said on Wednesday. Without screening and HPV vaccination, more than 44 million women will likely be diagnosed with the disease over the next 50 years, they reported in The Lancet Oncology, a medical journal. — AFP
French police kill suspect after
knife attack in Marseille
PARIS, Feb 20: Officials in the French city of Marseille say a knife-wielding man has been shot dead after he allegedly attacked several people on a major street. French media report at least two pedestrians were injured in the knife attack that took place late Tuesday afternoon, but none of their lives were considered to be in danger. An official with the regional administration said there was no reason yet to think the attack was terror-related but information was sketchy. — AP
Central, South Asia, US military
officials to meet in Uzbekistan
TASHKENT, Feb 20: Military chiefs of Central and South Asian countries as well the United States will gather here Thursday to discuss security issues and the situation in Afghanistan, the Uzbek Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. "Chiefs of staff of the armed forces of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, the first deputy chief of the general staff of the Kyrgyzstan, as well as the commander of US Central Command will attend the event," the ministry said in a statement. — Xinhua
Trump may rush nuclear transfer
to S Arabia, warn Democrats
WASHINGTON, Feb 20: US lawmakers said on Tuesday they were probing whether President Donald Trump is rushing to sell sensitive nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia to please corporate supporters who stand to profit handsomely. The House of Representatives committee in charge of investigations, led by the rival Democratic Party since last month, said that "multiple whistleblowers" warned of conflicts of interest "that could implicate federal criminal statutes." — AFP
Taliban key commander killed
PUL-E-KHUMRI, Feb 20: A Taliban commander named Mullah Mohammad and his bodyguard were killed as government forces stormed their hideout in Baghlan-e-Markazi district of the northern Baghlan province on Tuesday, an army spokesman Mohammad Hanif Rezai said on Wednesday. 2A weapon cache of the militant group was also destroyed during the attack, the official added. Taliban militants who operate in parts of Baghlan province haven't commented yet.— Xinhua