07-07-2024 PARIS: France is voting in one of its most significant elections in years, with the far right hoping for a historic victory, but with political stalemate the more likely result. This is the first time the anti-immigration National Rally (RN) of Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella has had …
Read More »Labour Party wins UK election in a landslide
06-07-2024 LONDON: The UK’s opposition Labour Party won a huge parliamentary majority in the country’s general election, unseating the incumbent Conservatives after 14 years. Early on Friday morning, Labour passed the threshold needed to govern alone as outgoing PM Rishi Sunak conceded defeat. Sunak later exited Downing Street and resigned …
Read More »Key allies of Modi demand $6bln for their states
06-07-2024 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: Two key allies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have asked for about $6 billion in funds for their home states, pressuring the federal government to raise spending when it presents its budget later this month, according to a document reviewed by Reuters …
Read More »Hezbollah fires 200 rockets and drones into Israel
06-07-2024 BEIRUT/ JERUSALEM: The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has launched more than 200 rockets and attack drones into northern Israel, in response to the killing of one of its senior commanders. Israel’s military said one of its officers was killed in the barrage, which started a number of fires. The …
Read More »Nearly 30,000 evacuated from California wildfires
06-07-2024 LOS ANGELES: Tens of thousands of people in northern California have been told to leave their homes as wildfires grow across the state during a heatwave. About 28,000 people were under evacuation warnings or orders on Thursday after the Thompson fire broke out two days earlier, according to California …
Read More »Fifty violent attacks shock France ahead of crunch vote
06-07-2024 PARIS: More than 50 candidates and activists in France have come under physical attack in the run-up to Sunday’s tense final round of parliamentary elections, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has said. He revealed the figure after government spokeswoman Prisca Thevenot, her deputy Virginie Lanlo and a party activist were …
Read More »Nearly 90 people dead as boat capsizes off Mauritania
06-07-2024 MAURITANIA: Nearly 90 migrants bound for Europe died and dozens more are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania earlier this week, the state news agency and a local official said on Thursday, “The Mauritanian coast guard recovered the bodies of 89 people aboard a large …
Read More »Hardliner faces reformist in Iran presidential run-off
06-07-2024 TEHRAN: Voting is under way to elect a new Iranian president as a hardline conservative goes head-to-head with a reformist. The run-off comes after no candidate secured a majority in the first round of the election on 28 June, which saw a historically low voter turnout of 40%. One …
Read More »Biden faces donor pressure as he digs in on re-election bid
06-07-2024 WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden is facing pressure from some major Democratic donors as he faces a critical few days in his campaign for re-election. A number of donors are publicly warning they will withhold funds unless Biden is replaced as the party’s candidate following his disastrous debate performance last …
Read More »Saudi Arabia relaxes visa requirements for Pakistanis
05-07-2024 RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has eased tourist visa requirements for Pakistani travellers with “immediate effect” wherein applicants can now submit a bank statement showing a minimum monthly credit amount of $750 or its equivalent, the Saudi Tourism Authority said on Wednesday. Pakistani tourist arrivals to Saudi grew 43% in 2023 …
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