Netanyahu branded ‘traitor’ in fourth night of Israel protests
Former premier Barak said if Netanyahu launches a ground offensive on Rafah, the "hostages will return in coffins. The one...Geostrategy
Israeli PM vows to ban Al Jazeera broadcasts
Netanyahu was quick to single out Qatar-based channel Al Jazeera, with which his government has a long-running feud that predates...Geostrategy
US denies Iranian claims of forcing its submarine to surface
TEHRAN, IRAN- Iran said on Thursday it had "forced" a US submarine to surface as it was crossing the strategic Strait...The submarine was "approaching and passing in complete silence" when it partly entered Iranian waters, said an Irani official
An Iranian submarine then forced it to "surface and cross the strait", he said, adding that Tehran would raise the matter with "international authorities"
Baghdad security chief fired after Iraqi cleric flees jail
Baghdad, Iraq -- Iraq's premier sacked Thursday a security chief in Baghdad, his office said in a statement, after a...Saad Qambash, once head of Iraq's Sunni Waqf, the state body overseeing religious and civilian properties for Sunni Muslims, was jailed for four years earlier this month for fraud.
Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani also ordered the closure of the detention facility in the capital's Green Zone from which the senior cleric fled on Tuesday night.
US denounces ‘troubling escalation’ of opposition arrests in Tunisia
Condemning the arrests of political opponents in Tunisia, the US government on Wednesday said that respect for freedom of expression...More than 20 political critics and personalities have been arrested in the North African country since early February
The country whose many citizens have been attempting to run to Europe is heavily indebted and facing high inflation and unemployment
UN chief to host meeting on Afghanistan in Doha to seek ‘way forward’
Seeking a "durable way forward" for the war-scarred Afghanistan, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is convening an international meeting in...In the wake of a ban on Afghan women working for the world body, the UN mission in Afghanistan has begun an assessment of its operations
The Doha meeting announcement follows the UN estimate that the number of Afghans in poverty has nearly doubled to 34 million since the Taliban takeover
Yemen stampede kills 85 at a charity distribution event
In one of the deadliest stampedes in a decade, more than 80 people died and hundreds were injured at a...The incident occured inside a school where aid was being distributed among hundreds of people gathered to receive handouts
According to the UN, more than two-thirds of the population lives below the poverty line, including employees who have not been paid in years
Syrian Kurds ready for talks with Damascus, sharing resources
"We affirm our readiness to meet and talk with the Syrian government and with all Syrian parties to hold discussions...President Bashar al-Assad rejects the Kurdish administration in parts of Syria and accuses it of "separatism".
Several rounds of talks since 2018 between Damascus and the Kurds have failed to achieve any results.
15 Tunisian migrants missing after Europe bound boat capsizes
Tunis, Tunisia - Fifteen Tunisian migrants are missing after their boat sank in the Mediterranean during an attempt to reach Europe,...The boat carrying 19 Tunisians sank Monday night, said a statement by Tunisia's National Guard, which oversees the coastguard.
Four migrants were rescued by a fisherman after the boat sank, while the search for the remaining 15 continued Wednesday morning.
Dozens of Iraqi policemen arrested after convict escapes custody
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - A former Iraqi religious official convicted of corruption has escaped police custody, prompting the arrest of more than...Saad Qambash was once head of Iraq's Sunni Waqf, and had been jailed for four years earlier this month for fraud.
Investigating authorities had uncovered "documents" as evidence leading to the arrest of those involved.
Millions of Indonesians travel home in annual Eid exodus
Jakarta, Indonesia -- On motorcycles, cars, buses, planes or by boat, millions of Indonesians are travelling to their hometowns in the...This year marks the first "mudik", as the annual exodus is known, since Covid-19 restrictions were removed at the end of 2022 in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
Indonesia's transport ministry has predicted up to 123 million people will travel for Eid this year, up from 85 million estimated to have made the trip last year.
India set to overtake China as world’s most populous country: UN
India's population will be 1.4286 billion compared to China's 1.4257 billion at mid-year, the United Nations Population Fund's State of...India has no recent official data on how many people it has because the census, due in 2021, was delayed due to coronavirus.
Critics say the government is deliberately delaying the census to hide data on contentious issues such as unemployment ahead of national elections next year.