ISTANBUL (AA) – The 18th round of the international meeting on Syria in Astana format was held on June 15-16 in Nur-Sultan, the capital city of Kazakhstan. According to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, during the Astana peace talks, the situation on the ground and counter-terrorism, latest developments in the political process, and humanita...
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said Wednesday he is in contact with counterparts from three countries that do not have official relations with Israel. Lapid, however, did not name these countries. Lapid, however, told reporters that Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are on Israel’s list of targeted countries to establish ties wi...
In India this week, thousands of youth carrying stick and petrol bombs escalated protests against the central government’s short-term military recruitment policy. Violent protests against the new rule are raging across several Indian states. Protesters burnt trains, ransacked railway stations, government and ruling party offices, and blocked t...
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AA) – Somalia has accused Kenya of violating its sovereignty after its southwestern neighbor invited a representative of the breakaway Somaliland region for a diplomatic briefing in the capital Nairobi. Somalia’s ambassador to Kenya, Mohamoud Ahmed Nur, protested the presence of the Somaliland flag and represent...
The U.S. administration has asked Israel to avoid escalation or taking unilateral steps against Palestinians ahead of a planned visit by President Joe Biden. Biden will be visiting the region next month, Israeli media reported Thursday. Haaretz reported U.S. Assistant Secretary to State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf urged Israeli offic...
The global halal ingredients market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 4.9% from its current value of over $327 billion. It is projected to be valued at more than $436.2 billion by 2032. Though Muslims are a minority in North America and Europe, they make up a growing proportion of […]
The U.K. government on Friday formally approved the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to the United States to face espionage charges, a decision that human rights groups condemned as a dire threat to journalism worldwide. Assange, who has been detained in a high-security London prison since 2019, is expected to appeal the move by...
Thursday’s public hearing of the House January 6 committee focused largely on former President Donald Trump’s futile attempt to convince Mike Pence, his vice president, to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. “In today’s hearing, we learned details about how Trump pressured Vice President Mike Pence t...
Progressive advocacy groups on Thursday intensified calls for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign or face impeachment after new reporting revealed that his wife, right-wing activist Ginni Thomas, corresponded with former President Donald Trump’s attorney in the weeks between the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 atta...
Citing the “enormous potential” of Cuban Covid-19 vaccines to tackle enduring global inequities, a group of 26 House Democrats on Thursday urged President Joe Biden to review U.S. policy toward the long-embargoed nation to ensure that sanctions do not impede its international vaccination campaign. “Cuba’s goal of vaccin...
