UAE’s Mars orbiter launch from Japan delayed due to weather

Tokyo: The liftoff of the United Arab Emirates’ Mars orbiter was postponed until Friday due to bad weather at the Japanese launch site. The orbiter named Amal, or Hope, is the Arab world’s first interplanetary mission. The launch was scheduled for Wednesday from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan, but the UAE mission team announced the rescheduled date on Twitter. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ H-IIA rocket will carry UAE’s craft into space. AP

Turkey rejects EU condemnation over Hagia Sophia

Ankara: Turkey’s foreign minister on Tuesday chided the European Union (EU) over its condemnation of a Turkish decision to convert Istanbul’s iconic Hagia Sophia from a museum to a mosque, saying the matter is an issue of national sovereignty. Last week, Turkey canceled the sixth-century former cathedral-turned-mosque’s 86-year status as a museum and said it would open for Muslim worship as of July 24. AP