JERUSALEM (AA) –An Israeli government committee has approved in principle a fresh plan to construct settlement units in the southern part of occupied East Jerusalem, an Israeli NGO said on Tuesday. The plan includes the construction of 1,446 settlement homes in the Lower Aqueduct settlement in the Palestinian town of Sur Baher, and between the...
TAIZ, Yemen (AA) – Hundreds of Yemenis on Tuesday participated in a rally in Taiz to condemn continued violence in the city. Speaking at the rally which was organized by rights activists, human rights activist Faisal Al-Assali denounced the Houthi militia for “violations against civilians.” He said the agreement that the Houthis claim to...
KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan’s mangrove cover has seen rapid expansion along the Arabian Sea over the past two decades due to coordinated efforts by government agencies and environmental organizations. Speaking on the eve of the International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem, which is celebrated on July 26 ev...
ISLAMABAD (AA) – Pakistan has condemned the Indian defense minister’s statement on Pakistan-administered (Azad) Kashmir, calling it “provocative” and “completely unacceptable.” In a statement late Sunday, the Foreign Ministry rejected Rajnath Singh’s “unwarranted and totally unacceptable comments...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Malaysia represents a zone of peace, freedom and neutrality, said Anwar Ibrahim, the country’s top reformer and politician, strongly suggesting against taking any side in global bloc politics. However, he added, his country cannot ignore China. Ibrahim, an academic-turned politician, was discussing the return of the so-called “...
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Mohammad Yunus Gazi, once a farmer in a remote area of Bangladesh’s southwestern coastal district of Satkhira, now collects honey from Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest, in the Bay of Bengal. Gazi became a beekeeper more than a decade ago as climate change-induced salinity has destroyed the region&#...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Iran has welcomed a statement by Jordanian King Abdullah II on seeking to enhance relations with Tehran. In a statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said his country awaits “practical steps” in this regard. Kanani said that without Iran’s effort to fight terrorism in Syria and Ir...
IDLIB, Syria (AA) – Forcibly displaced civilians in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province are struggling to survive in makeshift tents in scorching temperatures. The sweltering heat wave, which has turned into a global phenomenon across the world in recent days, adversely affects the lives of millions of civilians who have taken shel...
KARACHI, PAKISTAN – (AA): Heavy rains along with flash floods and windstorms have claimed 298 lives across Pakistan since June 1. Torrential downpours struck almost the entire country, including Pakistan administered (Azad) Kashmir, triggering landslides and flashfloods, and washing away bridges, houses, and animals. Almost 9,000 homes h...
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – A Saudi businessman was kidnapped in Baalbek region in eastern Lebanon, local media said on Monday. Unidentified individuals lured Hussein al-Shammari on Sunday to one of the hills of Baalbek for an offer to sell him a land, before they kidnapped him and asked for a ransom, media reports said. The […]
