11-01-2025 BEIRUT: Lebanon’s army Chief Joseph Aoun has been elected as the country’s president, ending a power vacuum that lasted for more than two years. Aoun secured 99 votes from the 128-seat parliament to win the presidency in a second round of voting on Thursday afternoon, a move that came …
Read More »Swiss citizen dies in Iran prison after spying arrest
11-01-2025 TEHRAN: A Swiss national arrested in Iran and accused of spying has died in prison, according to Iranian state media. The man was being held with another inmate at a prison in the eastern city of Semnan when he “committed suicide” on Thursday, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency said. …
Read More »Fire evacuation order lifted for LA’s Hollywood Hills West
10-01-2025 LOS ANGELES: An evacuation order for Los Angeles’ Hollywood Hills West neighborhood has been lifted after authorities said a wildfire there had been brought under control. The LA Fire Department (LAFD) urged people in a statement “to be careful while returning to your homes”. Some 15,000 local residents had …
Read More »Modi looks to new economic playbook as risks mount
10-01-2025 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: After world-beating economic growth last year, India’s policymakers are scrambling to head off a sharp slowdown as worsening global conditions and domestic confidence wipe out a recent stock market rally. On Tuesday, Asia’s third-largest economy forecast annual growth of 6.4% in the fiscal year ending …
Read More »Israel kills 50 Palestinians, recovers body from Rafah
10-01-2025 JERUSALEM/ GAZA STRIP: Israeli forces have killed at least 50 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip in the past day, medics said, as authorities warned that more hospitals in the enclave could close over dire fuel shortages. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expresses optimism about the prospects of a …
Read More »Huge problems with axing fact-checkers: Meta
10-01-2025 NEW YORK: The co-chair of the independent body that reviews Facebook and Instagram content has said she is “very concerned” about how parent company Meta’s decision to ditch fact-checkers will affect minority groups. Helle Thorning-Schmidt, from Meta’s oversight board, told media she welcomed aspects of the shake-up, which will …
Read More »Baby born on migrant boat crossing from Africa
10-01-2025 MADRID: A baby was born on a crowded migrant dinghy which travelled from Africa to the Canary Islands this week, Spanish coast guards say. They have published a picture of the baby boy who was rescued on alongside his mother and scores of other migrants. The crowded inflatable raft …
Read More »Germany & France warn Trump over threat to take over Greenland
10-01-2025 BERLIN/ PARIS: Germany and France have warned Donald Trump against threatening Greenland, after the US president-elect refused to rule out using military force to seize Denmark’s autonomous territory. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said “the principle of the inviolability of borders applies to every country… no matter whether it’s a …
Read More »Italian journalist returns home, freed from Iranian jail
10-01-2025 TEHRAN/ ROME: An Italian journalist has returned to Rome after spending weeks in an Iranian jail. Cecilia Sala, 29, was arrested on 19 December, three days after an Iranian engineer was detained by Italian authorities in Milan on suspicion of supplying drone technology that led to the deaths of …
Read More »Los Angeles fighting largest blaze in its history
10-01-2025 LOS ANGELES: As five wildfires blaze in Los Angeles County which is home to an estimated 75,312 people experiencing homelessness, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority has issued the following statement from its CEO, Va Lecia Adams Kellum: Since Friday, LAHSA outreach teams have been providing proactive fire education …
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