Politics
Turnout for Iran’s parliamentary election, seen as a test of the clerical establishment’s legitimacy, appears to have hit a historic low of around 40 percent, according to unofficial reports in Iranian media on Saturday. Heavyweight moderates and conservatives stayed away from Friday’s election and reformists called it
Politics
President Vladimir Putin told Western countries on Thursday they risked provoking a nuclear war if they sent troops to fight in Ukraine, warning that Moscow had the weapons to strike targets in the West. The war in Ukraine has triggered the worst crisis in Moscow’s relations with the West
Politics
Iran is holding parliamentary elections this Friday, yet the real question may not be who gets elected but how many people actually turn out to vote. Widespread discontent over the cratering economy, years of mass protests rocking the country, and tensions with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program and
Politics
US President Joe Biden said Israel has agreed to halt military activities in Gaza for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, as Hamas studied a draft proposal for a truce which includes a pause in fighting and a prisoner-hostage exchange. The draft proposal, which a senior source close to truce
Politics
In the Iranian shrine city of Qom, huge street banners remind voters to head to the polls in Friday’s parliamentary elections, held as the Gaza war stokes Middle East tensions. Voters in the Islamic republic will pick a new parliament for another four years, as well as members of
Politics
A Republican National Committee member has submitted resolutions that would prohibit the party from paying presidential candidate Donald Trump’s legal bills, according to a draft, but the measures must get more backers soon to move forward. Mississippi RNC committeeman Henry Barbor drafted the resolution on Trump’s legal expenses
Politics
With Somalia partnering with Turkiye to help build its sea and naval capabilities, questions have now arisen about the potential regional impact of the tie-up, and why Ankara is expanding its military footprint overseas, including seeking a greater presence in the Red Sea. Somalia’s cabinet approved on Wednesday the
Politics
Armenia has frozen its participation in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) because the pact had failed the country, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview broadcast on Thursday. Pashinyan also said Azerbaijan, with which Armenia has fought two wars over the past three decades, was not adhering
Politics
President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the US Congress to approve additional aid for Kyiv, saying in an interview broadcast Thursday that a failure to do so will cost Ukrainian lives. Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives have stalled the approval of $60 billion in new aid for Ukraine, and
Politics
Iran unveiled two new air defense systems on Saturday, state media reported, with tensions high in the Middle East amid the war in Gaza. “The Arman anti-ballistic missile system and the Azarakhsh low-altitude air defense system, built by the Ministry of Defense, were unveiled this morning,” the official IRNA news
Politics
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that a deal on the release of hostages held by Hamas remains possible but “very hard” issues remain to be resolved. Talks involving intelligence chiefs from the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar on a deal that would see a pause in
Politics
Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, has accused Donald Trump of undermining the basis of the transatlantic alliance as he announced that 18 Nato members were expected to beat the target of spending more than 2% of GDP on defence. It was the second rebuke by the Nato chief to
Politics
Negotiations to pause the Israel-Hamas war and free the remaining hostages headed into a second day in Cairo on Wednesday, as displaced Gazans braced for an expected Israeli assault on their last refuge of Rafah. A Hamas source told AFP that a delegation was headed to the Egyptian capital to
Politics
A runoff was required after none of the original nine candidates got a majority of the votes in the first round on Jan. 28. In tradition with consensus-driven Finnish politics and no below-the-belt attacks during the campaign, Stubb visited Haavisto’s election party event late Sunday after the result was
Politics
Repeated US strikes against Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq are pushing the Baghdad government to end the mission of the US-led coalition in the country, the prime minister’s military spokesperson said on Thursday. The US military said a strike on Wednesday killed a commander from Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed
Politics
North Korea’s recent escalation of threats and more tests of weapons aimed at South Korea haven’t done much to upset the calm in the nation’s capital. “We learned to be numb,” said Renee Na, a 33-year-old office worker in Seoul who was one of a dozen South