Hezbollah’s position on negotiations tied to the war in Lebanon has exposed a growing contradiction - the group fiercely opposes direct talks between the Lebanese state and Israel, yet supports Iranian-American negotiations that Tehran says include Lebanon. The discrepancy has fueled political deba»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has declared May 26-28 public holidays for Eid Al-Adha, the Cabinet Division said on Wednesday, as authorities stepped up preparations for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. The notification came days after Pakistan’s central moon-sighting committee announced that the »»»

Seoul: A South Korean oil tanker is currently passing through the Strait of Hormuz, the country's Foreign Minister said on Wednesday, marking the first transit by a South Korean vessel through the waterway since the regional tension began. "At this very moment, our oil tanker is passing through the»»»

The security guard slain at the Islamic Center of San Diego was hailed on Tuesday as a fallen hero who sacrificed his life to keep 140 school children inside the mosque safe by engaging two gunmen in a shootout that deterred the teenage suspects and helped thwart their attack. Authorities also disc»»»

On May 20, 1995, President Bill Clinton permanently closed Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House after more than 200 years of mostly unimpeded traffic. 1 of 5 | Military personnel practice marching on Pennsylvania Avenue for the inauguration ceremony in front of the White House in Washing»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar will face the UAE, Bahrain and Yemen in Group B of the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup, as the draw ceremony held in Jeddah yesterday revealed. Hosts Saudi Arabia headline Group A alongside Iraq, Oman and Kuwait in the regional tournament, which will be staged in Jeddah from September 23 t»»»

China on Wednesday said it will buy 200 Boeing jets and seek an extension of a trade truce struck with the US that is set to expire this November. The statement marked Beijing's first confirmation of the Boeing order, though it did not elaborate on the types of planes China would buy. If finalized,»»»

Iraq’s massive tax embezzlement scandal - widely known as the “Heist of the Century” - has resurfaced with a dramatically higher estimated value of 8 trillion Iraqi dinars (about $5 billion), nearly double the amount originally announced when the scandal first erupted in October 2022. The new figur»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim once again proved his class on the international stage after winning the men’s high jump title at the inaugural Asian Jumps Championships in Chongqing, China, yesterday. The Asian record holder cleared 2.23m to secure the gold medal, marking his highest clearance »»»

Strasbourg, France: EU lawmakers and member states reached a deal in the early hours of Wednesday to implement the bloc’s nearly year-old trade pact with the United States, with President Donald Trump threatening new tariffs unless it is done by July 4. The 27-nation bloc struck an accord with Wash»»»

Two people were killed and 19 injured in Russia attacks on Ukraine overnight, local officials said on Wednesday, while Ukraine sent drones to strike industrial areas in central Russia.In Ukraine, two people were dead and six injured after Russia hit the southeastern city of Dnipro with missiles, dr»»»

SINGAPORE: Oil prices eased on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump ​again asserted the war with Iran will end “very quickly,” though investors remain wary about the outcome of peace talks ‌amid continued disruptions to Middle East supply from the conflict. Brent crude oil futures fell 88 cent»»»

Hezbollah threatened on Tuesday to attack any armed force that coordinates with Israel if such a force were ever created. The warning came ahead of a planned security meeting between Lebanese and Israeli military representatives in Washington on May 29, even though Lebanese officials insist that no»»»

The Trump administration announced Tuesday that it was withdrawing some 5,000 troops from Europe. File Photo by Sgt. Stephen P. Perez/U.S. Army/UPI | License Photo May 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. military announced it is withdrawing thousands of troops from Europe and delaying the deployment of thousands »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatari shooters excelled at the Lusail International Shooting Range, bagging three gold and four silver medals as the hosts added nine more medals at the GCC Games Doha 2026 yesterday. The hosts’ medals tally rose to 119, including 43 gold, 44 silver and 32 bronze medals. Saudi Arabia »»»

The mental well-being of three elephants in a zoo in South Africa is the subject of an unusual court case, with animal welfare groups saying they are depressed and should be moved to a larger conservation park where they can be happy. The case this week will ask a South African court to decide if t»»»

Doha, Qatar: Ambassador of People’s Republic of China to Qatar, H E Cao Xiaolin has said that Qatar-China relations are at their best in history, with enormous potentials and broad prospects for mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries. On regional tension, he said that the regiona»»»

British consumer price inflation slowed to 2.8% in April from 3.3% in March, according to official figures published on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had mostly expected inflation to soften to 3.0%, in large part due to the big increases in utility and other regulated prices in April last»»»

DUBAI: In the early stages of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, officials explored a plan to reinstall former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, according to US sources qouted by the New York Times. The proposal, developed by the Israeli’s, included a high-risk strike intended to free Ahmadine»»»

Starbucks Korea's chief executive has been sacked over a campaign perceived as referring to a bloody historical incident, according to BBC. The promotion, which used the English words “Tank Day,” was for Starbucks Korea’s Tank Series drink tumblers touted to have “spacious volume” for a large amoun»»»

Torrential rain and floods hit parts of China this week, killing at least 12 people and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate, state media reported. State broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday five deaths and 11 people missing in Shimen County of Hunan province in central China after rai»»»

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched one of its largest Hajj medical operations in Saudi Arabia, deploying hundreds of health care workers and expanding medical infrastructure to support pilgrims facing extreme summer heat and rising infection risks during this year’s pilgrimage. The operation comes as»»»

A planned strike at South Korean chip giant Samsung Electronics will go ahead from Thursday, its union said, after talks on bonus payouts collapsed, raising concerns over a disruption to the country's key semiconductor industry. The walkout, set to begin Thursday, is expected to dwarf a 2024 strike»»»

The deadly hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks show that while the response to declared public health crises has improved, awareness of pandemic risks still lags, a leading pandemic expert warned Tuesday. Over six years after the World Health Organization declared the Covid-19 pandemic, global efforts t»»»

Three crude oil supertankers bound for East Asia are reportedly attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, signaling a possible easing of one of the world’s most dangerous energy chokepoints. Bloomberg reported that a South Korean-flagged VLCC appears to be making a crossing through t»»»

BRUSSELS: NATO is not drawing up any plans for a potential mission in the Strait of Hormuz and would need a political decision to do so, its top commander said on Tuesday, amid suggestions by some members that the alliance could play a role there. Any decision to launch a mission would require the »»»

A group of people watched three albino rats leap from small baskets into a big cage on Sunday as other rodents hid in makeshift tunnels or searched for applesauce offered by their keeper through the bars at an indoor hall in the Argentine capital. It's Ratapalooza, an annual Buenos Aires event that»»»

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) denied on Tuesday reports about the release of RSF Brigadier General al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, known as Abu Lulu, who was arrested late last year following global outrage over videos of him executing unarmed people in al-Fashir. In a statement, the RSF»»»

The United Nations is considering how to respond to Israel's announcement that it will build a military complex on the former headquarters of the UN relief agency for Palestinians in east Jerusalem, an official said Tuesday. Israel at the weekend announced the government's approval for a defense mi»»»

ANDONG, South Korea: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung agreed Tuesday to deepen energy cooperation by ensuring supplies of crude oil, petroleum products and liquefied natural gas for both countries as heightened Middle East tensions raise the need for c»»»