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Two MQM legislators, Rauf Siddiqui and Dr Sagheer Ahmed, were sworn in as provincial ministers, with Siddiqui taking charge as minister for industries and commerce, and Ahmed as minister for health at a ceremony at the Governor House Tuesday evening.

According to sources privy to a meeting, the pressure group has objections over two major portfolios given to PTI’s coalition partners in the government.

The insider added a meeting was held among four pressure group lawmakers on Monday in the chambers of the assembly’s deputy speaker in which the MPAs expressed reservations on the allocation of portfolios.

Hamas and Fatah were preparing to implement a historic reconciliation deal on Wednesday, nearly seven years after a schism between the rival Palestinian factions.

"There has been great progress, and we are near ready to sign a deal, at 11 A.M.," Mounib Al-Masri, a member of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' delegation in the Gaza Strip said. Sami Abu Zahawiri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, issued a similar statement in an interview with Nazareth's Radio al-Shams.

According to reports on Tuesday, the Bahraini court sentenced others to 15 years in prison with a fine of 1000 Bahraini dinars.

The Bahraini court convicted the men of taking part in an unauthorized demonstration in the country.

The incident marks the latest in a series of harsh sentences handed down to protesters in the Persian Gulf nation.

Sur convocation du président de l’Assemblée nationale, les dix huit membres (les neuf juges titulaires et les neuf suppléants) de la Haute Cour de justice se sont réunis pour la toute première fois hier, mardi 22 avril dans la salle Haoua Kéita de l’Hémicycle. Un seul point à l’ordre du jour c’est  l’élection du bureau de l’institution. A l’unanimité c’est l’honorable Abderhamane Niang du RPM qui a été élu président.

An independent Syrian lawmaker registered Wednesday as the first challenger in a June presidential election widely expected to return incumbent Bashar al-Assad to power despite a raging civil war.

Assad's government hit back at a torrent of international criticism of its decision to call the election despite the violence that has killed more than 150,000 people in three year, insisting it was its sovereign right to do so.

Assad has yet to declare his own candidacy but he is widely expected to stand and win a new seven-year term.

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): The Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) on Wednesday said recount process of the April 5 election votes in northern Balkh province completed while the votes of three ballot boxes invalidated.

Provincial IECC chief Mohammad Anabi told Pajhwok Afghan News the recounting process of votes in 27 polling centres was started last week which had been completed.

He said 16 of the polling centres were quarantined in the wake of complaints while 11 others were ordered by the IECC main office to be quarantined for review.

Egipto mostró hoy su apoyo al acuerdo de reconciliación palestina al que han llegado el movimiento islamista Hamás, que gobierna la franja de Gaza, y el partido nacionalista Al Fatah, informó el Ministerio egipcio de Asuntos Exteriores.

En un comunicado, el ministro egipcio de Exteriores, Nabil Fahmi, dio la bienvenida al nuevo pacto logrado anoche, que incluye la convocatoria de elecciones en enero y la formación de un gobierno de unidad antes de julio.