Thousands of religious scholars and ethnic leaders from across Afghanistan will gather this week to discuss key issues for the first time since the Taliban took power last year, as the group faced calls to ensure the meeting included women. “Very soon …
Turkey supports Finland and Sweden NATO bid
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday lifted his opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO following crunch talks with the leaders of the two Nordic countries in Madrid. Erdogan had refused to greenlight the applications from the Nordic…
Cuban troops report clashes with speedboats from US
Cuban authorities say they have intercepted more than a dozen speedboats arriving from the United States this year — clashing with at least two of them and making some arrests. They say US authorities have handed over a suspect in the shooting of a Cub…
Lebanon to host Arab League meeting at weekend: government
A delegation from Arab League countries will travel to Lebanon for a two-day gathering that includes meetings with the crisis-ridden country’s top officials, Beirut’s caretaker government said on Tuesday. Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said leader…
Three killed in attack on polio vaccination team in Pakistan
Unidentified militants opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Pakistan on Tuesday, killing one of those handing out doses and two policemen, while a child was injured, officials said, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The attack i…
UAE drops death sentence for Palestinian woman in drug case
The United Arab Emirates has cancelled a death sentence issued earlier this year to an Israeli woman who was convicted of cocaine possession, her lawyer said Tuesday. Fida Kiwan, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was arrested in Dubai in March 2021 afte…
Iran court confirms Frenchman’s 8-year sentence: lawyer
An Iranian appeals court has upheld an eight-year prison sentence against a Frenchman convicted on spying charges, his Paris-based lawyer said Tuesday. Benjamin Briere was arrested in May 2020 after taking pictures in a national park with a recreationa…
UN urges independent probe of Spain-Morocco migrant deaths
The United Nations on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into the deaths of at least 23 people after about 2,000 migrants tried to cross from Morocco into Spain last week. The UN rights office voiced alarm at the deaths and dozens of injur…
Algeria upholds 20-year jail sentence for ex-energy minister
An Algerian appeals court on Tuesday upheld a 20-year prison sentence for corruption against Chakib Khelil, energy minister for a decade under longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, the APS news agency reported. The court also fined him two million d…
Hamas releases video of Israeli soldier in captivity
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas published a short video on Tuesday showing an Israeli soldier in its captivity in dire health condition. The man, who has been held captive in Hamas-ruled Gaza since 2015, is seen lying in bed with an oxygen mask. There…