Australian PM vows to fix care economy

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a press conference alongside US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (not pictured) during the AUKUS summit on March 13, 2023, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California. (PHOTO / AFP) CANBERRA – Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has launched his plan to […]

Sri Lanka drafting new law to promote religious harmony

Buddhist devotees gather around an illuminated Kelaniya Buddhist Temple during 'Vesak festival', which commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha, in Kelaniya on May 7, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) COLOMBO – Sri Lanka's Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs is drafting a new law to promote religious harmony, state media reported on Sunday, […]

Türkiye votes in runoff presidential election

A man casts her ballot at a polling station in a government school during Türkiye's presidental elections in Adana on May 28, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) ANKARA – Voting started in the runoff presidential election in Türkiye on Sunday in which incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main contender Kemal Kilicdaroglu race for the […]

Indian fishing boats to get transponders to improve security

A fisherman shifts a fishing boat at Kasimedu fishing harbour during a 61-day trawling ban in Chennai on April 25, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) NEW DELHI – India's fishing boats are being equipped with two-way communication transponders free of charge with the aim of improving overall maritime security, local media reported on Saturday. The transponders […]

UN: Landmines, unexploded ordnance cause 121 casualties in Yemen

A demining specialist from pro-government forces clears landmines reportedly planted by Houthi rebel forces, from an area on the outskirts of Bayhan town in Yemen's northern Shabwa governorate, on January 19, 2022. (PHOTO / AFP) SANAA – Landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) caused 121 civilian casualties in Yemen during the first quarter of 2023, according […]

Yemen: Landmines, unexploded ordnance cause 121 casualties

A demining specialist from pro-government forces clears landmines reportedly planted by Houthi rebel forces, from an area on the outskirts of Bayhan town in Yemen's northern Shabwa governorate, on January 19, 2022. (PHOTO / AFP) SANAA – Landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) caused 121 civilian casualties in Yemen during the first quarter of 2023, according […]

10 killed, 10 injured as avalanche hits northern Pakistan

This aerial picture taken on June 10, 2022, shows Passu glacier near Passu village in Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan region. (PHOTO / AFP) ISLAMABAD – Ten people were killed and ten others injured when an avalanche hit a convoy of nomads in Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region on Saturday, an official confirmed. Scores of people were feared […]

Flights diverted as heavy rains lash Indian capital

Motorists make their way amid a rainfall in New Delhi on May 1, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) NEW DELHI – At least six flights were diverted from India's Delhi to other airports as heavy rains lashed the capital along with thunderstorms on Saturday morning, according to the local weather agency. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) […]

Kabul wants positive relations with world community

This screenshot made from a video shows Afghanistan's acting Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir speaking at a program. KABUL – Afghanistan's acting Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir has stressed having positive relations based on mutual respect with the world community, a local television channel Tolonews reported. "The Islamic Emirate wants positive relations and mutual respect […]

Tehran: Belgium releases Iranian diplomat after 5 years

Iranian Diplomat Asadollah Assadi, who was imprisoned in Belgium, reacts during a media event after being freed, at Imam Khomeini International Airport, in Tehran, Iran on May 26, 2023. (PHOTO / WANA VIA REUTERS) TEHRAN – An Iranian diplomat imprisoned in Belgium for almost five years will return to his country in a few hours, […]

President Marcos pushes for Philippines-EU FTA

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers his speech during the visit of Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila on March 1, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) MANILA – Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos on Thursday pushed for the resumption of negotiations for a Philippine-European Union (EU) free trade agreement (FTA), […]

Iran: Good progress made toward concluding nuclear talks

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein (not in this picture) during his visit to Baghdad, Iraq, Feb 22, 2023. (PHOTO / AP) TEHRAN – Iran’s foreign minister on Thursday expressed optimism regarding the ongoing negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal and remove Western sanctions. […]

DPRK denounces US-led trilateral info sharing mechanism

Pedestrians walk past the portraits of late DPRK leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang on May 18, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) SEOUL – The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday denounced the establishment of a trilateral information-sharing mechanism among the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea on the margins […]

Supertyphoon Mawar hits Guam

This video capture from James Reynolds' Twitter page @EarthUncutTV shows damage caused by high winds and precipitation a day after Typhoon Mawar passed over Tumon Bay, Guam, May 25, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) LOS ANGELES – Supertyphoon Mawar hit Guam with strong winds with a speed of over 140 miles per hour (about 225 kilometers […]

Man shot dead by police after wielding knife in Sydney

This photo shows the policemen are seen outside Admirality House in Sydney on May 24, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) SYDNEY – Police in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday commenced a critical incident investigation after a knife-wielding man was shot dead in Sydney. NSW Police Force said in a statement that […]

Syrians’ Hajj pilgrimage to resume in 2024

A general view of the Kabba at the Grand Mosque is seen during the Hajj pilgrimage in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on July 6, 2022. (PHOTO / AP) DAMASCUS – Syrians' Hajj pilgrimage to the Islamic holy cities of Madinah and Mecca in Saudi Arabia will be resumed in 2024 after […]

Syrian army bombards former al-Qaeda affiliate in N. Syria

Fighters affiliated with Syria's "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" (HTS) rebel-group, take part in a military excercise on attacking tactics with live ammunition on the outskirts of the northwestern province of Idlib on Nov 8, 2022. The Syrian army carried out several rounds of shelling against positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in northern Syria over the […]

Pakistan’s key militant head calls for peace, development

Police officers inspect the site of a bomb blast, in Quetta, Balochistan province, Pakistan, April 10, 2023. (PHOTO / AP) ISLAMABAD – One of the key militant commanders in Pakistan and founder-chief of the banned Baloch National Army (BNA) Gulzar Imam Shambay has announced to quit militancy for peace and development in the country's southwest Balochistan […]

Canada and Saudi Arabia restore diplomatic ties

This photo combination shows Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (left) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (PHOTOS / AP & AFP) RIYADH – Canada and Saudi Arabia have decided to restore diplomatic relations and appoint new ambassadors. The Saudi foreign ministry and Global Affairs Canada, which manages the country's […]

Israel parliament passes state budget despite protests

Israelis protest against their government proposal of national budget on May 23, 2023 in Jerusalem. (PHOTO / AFP) JERUSALEM – Israel's lawmakers passed the 2023-2024 state budget on Wednesday despite protests over increased allocations to ultra-religious and pro-settler parties in the ruling coalition. Thousands rallied in Jerusalem throughout Tuesday to protest against the budget plan, […]

Crisis-hit Lebanon will benefit from thaw with Bahrain

Children ride a horse along a pavement by a public beach in Lebanon's southern city of Sidon on May 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) Crisis-hit Lebanon’s recent reconciliation with Bahrain amid a flurry of regional relations reset could open more channels for dialogue, as the country charts its way out of an economic and political […]