Hajj rituals began in Makkah Mukarramah today with the arrival of tens of thousands of pilgrims at Mina. The intending pilgrims have started arriving in Mina since last night, and they will remain at Mina until Fajr next morning, the 9th Dhul Hijjah. Then, the Hujjaj will proceed to the valley of Arafat to perform … Read more
HANOI, Vietnam: Vietnam’s communist government has scrapped its long-standing policy of limiting families to two children, state media said Wednesday, as the country battles to reverse a declining birth rate. The country banned couples from having more than two children in 1988, but a family’s size is now a decision for each individual couple, Vietnam … Read more
Alright, settle in for a moment. I’ve been mulling something over, something that’s been nagging at me as we edge closer to June, and with it, the G7 summit up in Ottawa. You know how these things usually go – a flurry of diplomatic activity, guest lists being discreetly firmed up, the usual hum of … Read more
ISTANBUL: The United States has begun reducing its military presence in Syria with a view to eventually closing all but one of its bases there, the US envoy for the country has said in an interview. Six months after the ouster of longtime Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, the United States is steadily drawing down its … Read more
BAKU, Azerbaijan: With growing influence after its recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenian separatists in 2023, Azerbaijan is using its close ties with Israel and Turkey to defuse tensions between the regional foes in Syria. Azerbaijan’s top foreign policy adviser Hikmet Hajiyev confirmed Baku has hosted more than three rounds of talks between Turkey and Israel, … Read more
Matthew Miller, a senior official in former US president Joe Biden’s administration has told Sky News that he has no doubt that Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza. Speaking to the Trump 100 podcast, Matthew Miller, who, as a state department spokesman, was the voice and face of the US government’s foreign policy under … Read more
TEHRAN: Iran pressed the United States on Monday for guarantees that it will drop sanctions as a condition for a nuclear deal, after the White House reportedly sent a proposal it deemed “acceptable”. With Iran and the United States engaged in talks over Tehran’s nuclear programme since April, Washington’s proposal for a deal came after … Read more
NEW DELHI: Tesla does not want to produce cars in India, a federal minister said on Monday as the government finalised its electric vehicle policy, with the EV giant’s plans currently focused on importing cars into the country. India will significantly cut import taxes for foreign automakers that pledge to invest in domestic EV production … Read more
ISTANBUL: Ukraine is ready to take “big steps” to make progress towards peace at a second round of talks with Russian officials in Istanbul on Monday, a source in Kyiv’s delegation told AFP. The two sides are expected to exchange plans on how they want to end the three-year Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s largest … Read more
KABUL: Russia has officially accepted the Taliban’s nomination of an ambassador to Moscow, the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement, as economic and political ties grow between the two sanctions-hit nations. Russia in April suspended its ban on the Taliban in a move that paved the way for Moscow to normalise ties with the … Read more