01-07-2024 BAGHDAD: Five large bombs were discovered hidden in the walls of the historic al-Nuri Mosque in the city of Mosul in northern Iraq, a remnant of the armed group ISIL’s (ISIS’s) rule over the region. The mosque famous for its 12th-century leaning minaret was destroyed by ISIL in 2017 …

01-07-2024 TEHRAN: Iran is set to hold a run-off presidential election on July 5 after none of the candidates managed to secure more than 50% of the votes amid historic low turnout on Friday. “None of the candidates could garner the absolute majority of the votes, therefore, the first and …

01-07-2024 NEW JERSEY: US President Joe Biden has assured Democrat donors that he can still win the presidential election against Donald Trump, after a poor debate performance fueled concern about his candidacy. The president, 81, attended a series of fundraising events in New York and New Jersey on Saturday, and …

01-07-2024 PARIS: France is voting on Sunday in a parliamentary election that could make history, with the far right closer to power than it has ever been in modern times. The National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella are well ahead in the polls, three weeks to …

India becomes new champion of T20 World Cup 2024 30-06-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies BARBADOS/ NEW DELHI: The two best sides of the tournament, both undefeated, engaged in a cracker of a final at the T20 World Cup Final at Bridgetown, Barbados. Fortunes fluctuated. With five overs to go, South …

30-06-2024 WASHINGTON/ CANBERRA: Adding partners to the AUKUS defense project would be “complicated,” a senior Australian diplomat said on Friday, saying he did not believe the US Congress is open to expanding the pact involving Australia, the US and Britain. AUKUS was formed in 2021 to counterbalance China’s growing power. …

30-06-2024 NAIROBI: After their stunning success in forcing the government to shelve $2.7 billion in tax hikes, young Kenyan activists are setting their sights higher, taking aim at ingrained corruption and mis-governance. Protesters say the finance bill that President William Ruto abandoned on Wednesday was only a symptom of the …

30-06-2024 NOUAKCHOTT: Mauritanians voted on Saturday in a presidential election that incumbent Mohamed Ould Ghazouani is widely expected to win with a pledge to boost investment in the West African country as it prepares to start producing natural gas. Ghazouani, 67, a former top soldier, has promised investor-friendly policies to …

30-06-2024 WASHINGTON/ JERUSALEM: The Biden administration has sent to Israel large numbers of munitions, including more than 10,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles, since the start of the war in Gaza, said two US officials briefed on an updated list of weapons shipments. Between the war’s …

30-06-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: India’s opposition Congress urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Saturday to question Foxconn about its hiring practices after Reuters reported that the Apple supplier rejects married women from iPhone assembly jobs in the country. The government has sought a detailed report from …