Moderate Pezeshkian wins Iran presidential election, urges people to stick with him
Relative moderate Masoud Pezeshkian urged people on Saturday to stick with him on “the difficult road ahead” after beating a hardline rival to win Iran’s presidential election. Friday’s run-off vote was between Pezeshkian, the sole moderate in the original field of four candidates, and hardline former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili. Pezeshkian, a 69-year-old cardiac surgeon, […]
White House says Biden not pulling out of race
WASHINGTON: Joe Biden is “absolutely not” pulling out of the White House race, his spokeswoman said on Wednesday, as pressure mounted on the veteran Democrat following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump. The 81-year-old Biden has told a key ally he must convince the public quickly that he can do the job, the New […]
Despite ‘policy differences’, Afghan Taliban seek global help
KARACHI: The Taliban government has urged the world to lift the sanctions imposed on Afghanistan, even though the Kabul government fails to address global concerns over the grim situation of human rights and girls’ education in the country. In his inaugural remarks at the Doha talks, Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, who is leading the […]
US warns Israel over Lebanon as UN sounds alarm on Gaza
WASHINGTON: The United States warned Israel on Tuesday that a conflict with Hezbollah could spark a regional war, as UN agencies said 10 children a day are losing one or both legs and half a million Palestinians suffer “catastrophic” hunger in Gaza. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin met his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon, […]
Unregistered pilgrims suffer the most during Haj
RIYADH: After years of failing to secure a visa, Yasser finally concluded he had no choice but to perform Haj illegally, a move he now regrets. While he survived the rites in extreme heat, he has not seen his wife since Sunday and fears she is among the more than 1,000 reported fatalities — the […]
G7 agrees $50bn deal to support Ukraine
Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies agreed on an outline deal on Thursday to provide $50 billion of loans for Ukraine using interest from Russian sovereign assets frozen after Moscow launched its invasion of its neighbour in 2022. The political agreement was the centrepiece of the opening day in southern Italy of […]
Rights body urges Biden to halt arms supply to Israel
WASHINGTON: A civil rights organisation urged President Joe Biden on Thursday to “indefinitely” halt all weapons deliveries to Israel and pressure the US ally to end its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, sending a reminder that his support for Israel could hurt him among Black voters in November’s election. The call by the National Association […]
26 extra days of extreme heat in a year due to climate change: report
PARIS: The world experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change, a report said on Tuesday. Heat is the leading cause of climate-related death and the report further points to the role of global warming in increasing the frequency […]
Driver dies after ramming car into White House gate
WASHINGTON: A driver died after crashing a car into the exterior gate of the White House late on Saturday, the US Secret Service said. “Shortly before 10:30pm a vehicle traveling at a high speed collided with an outer perimeter gate on the White House complex,” the service said in a statement on social media platform […]
Qatar ‘strikes back’ at Gaza mediation critics
DOHA / JERUSALEM: As a delegation from Gaza truce mediator Egypt arrived in Israel on Friday, criticism of Qatar over its role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas prompted a rare pushback by the Gulf state against its detractors. Qatar, which has hosted Hamas’s political leadership since 2012 with the blessing of the US, […]
