Washington, Feb 22 (PTI) US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will meet one-on-one and spend substantial amount of time together next week when the two leaders meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, the White House said Thursday.

Trump and Kim are meeting for their second summit on February 27 and 28. The first one was on June 12 in Singapore, which was part of the president's effort to improve his country's relationship with North Korea and ultimately have a denuclearised state.

CARACAS, February 22. /TASS/. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido published a decree on Thursday to allow humanitarian assistance into the Bolivarian Republic.

"As a commander-in-chief of the Bolivarian Armed Forces, I again confirm the permission for humanitarian assistance’s entry into Venezuela and order certain units of the Armed Forces to act in line with this permission," the document says.

JERUSALEM, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main challengers announced on Thursday that an alliance has been formed for the upcoming elections, the first plausible alternative to Netanyahu's long-time rule.

Benny Gantz, 59, Israel's former Chief of the General Staff, and Yair Lapid, chair of centrist party Yesh Atid, announced they would present a joint list for the April 9 elections.

In a joint statement, the two said their list "will constitute the new Israeli ruling party, in a move "motivated by national responsibility."

Tehran, Feb 21; AP/GANASHAKTI: Iran's navy says it will hold an annual drill in the strategic Strait of Hormuz as pressure mounts on the country months after the United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran, targeting its vital oil sector.

The strait is located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and is crucial to global energy supplies, with about a third of all oil traded at sea passing through it.

Iranian Adm. Hossein Khanzadi told state TV on Thursday the 3-day maneuvers will start on Friday and extend as far as the Sea of Oman and the fringes of the Indian Ocean.

BUCHAREST, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevedo on Thursday called for strengthening international economic system to confront significant challenges.

The current tensions among trade partners are a huge test for the WTO, Azevedo said here at an ongoing two-day meeting of trade ministers of the European Union (EU) member states.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday and Friday under Romania's presidency of the EU Council.

ANKARA, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump discussed the U.S. withdrawal from Syria over phone late on Thursday, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

Erdogan and Trump discussed the latest developments in Syria and emphasized the importance of supporting a political resolution to the conflict, Anadolu said.

During the call, the two presidents also reiterated joint commitment to fighting terrorism and raising bilateral trade to 75 billion U.S. dollars.

21 Feb 2019; DW: In its latest critique of the British Museum, the government in Athens has billed the entity's emphatic refusal to hand over Greece's greatest looted treasures, the so-called Elgin Marbles, as "utterly unacceptable."

Yet in an angry about-face, Athens has also moved to break decades of diplomatic niceties, taking a personal jab at the British Museum's director for lauding as "creative," Britain's continued hold of the marble masterpieces that once donned the Parthenon.

Islamabad, Feb 21; PTI/GANASHAKTI:  Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday authorised the military to "respond decisively and comprehensively to any aggression or misadventure" by India, amidst heightened tensions between the two sides following the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF soldiers.

Days after the terror strike by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror group in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said security forces have been given free hand to avenge the dastardly act.

22 Feb 2019; DW: India's infrastructure minister, Nitin Gadkari, announced on Twitter on Thursday that his country had "decided to stop our share of water which used to flow to Pakistan."

The announcement came as tensions between India and neighboring Pakistan continued to soar in the wake of a deadly terror attack in the disputed Kashmir region last Thursday.

India blames Pakistan for the attack, which killed 40 paramilitary soldiers, whereas Pakistan denies any involvement.

Kolkata, Feb 22 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that efforts are on to introduce an "inhuman" religion in the country on the basis of divisive politics.

In an apparent attack on the BJP on Thursday, Banerjee accused the saffron party of trying to impose its choice of food, clothing and religion on the people and then deciding who would stay in the country and who would be thrown out.

22 Feb 2019; AFP: The father of an Alabama woman who joined the Islamic State group in Syria sued Thursday to bring her home after the Trump administration took the extraordinary step of declaring that she was not a US citizen.

Hoda Muthana, 24, says that she regrets joining the extremists and is willing to face prosecution in the United States over her incendiary propaganda on behalf of the ruthless but dwindling group.

New Delhi, February 21 : The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy, in yet another outrageous statement, has endorsed a call for boycott of Kashmir and Kashmiris in the wake of the Pulwama tragedy.  This comes at a time when Kashmiris, particularly students, in various parts of the country are being attacked, tormented and forced to leave.