Global News

By Ahmed Rasheed Reuters | Posted by TOE US forces are set to pull out from their last bases in Iraq by Wednesday, a departure celebrated as a victory by Iran and its allies who now have deep influence in the country where 4,500 Americans died during more than two decades of war. Iraqi security experts say the withdrawal — agreed in 2024 under President Joe Biden and carried ‌out by Donald Trump’s administration even as it wages war against Iran — could give Tehran and its powerful allies free rein, while also allowing other US enemies to stage a comeback, including Islamic State. “Iran stands ‌to benefit strategically from the coalition’s departure because it removes a military presence that for years acted as a counterweight to Tehran’s influence in Iraq,” said Jasim al-Bahadli, an Iraqi security analyst specialising in studying armed Shi’ite groups aligned with Iran. He predicted that the pro-Iranian militia groups would ​not only ...

By Javier TOVAR AFP | Posted by TOE Hurricane Polo made landfall on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula on Tuesday, cutting power and causing flooding as the sea breached coastal defenses. The Category 3 storm is the latest in a busy storm season turbo-charged by the El Nino weather phenomenon which has caused unprecedented warming in the equatorial Pacific. Polo hit just south of Las Barrancas, a small fishing village in Baja California Sur state on Mexico’s west side, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, warning of life-threatening winds and flash flooding. As Polo approached, strong winds churned the sea and waves off Puerto San Carlos, a fishing port of nearly 6,000 people in Baja California Sur. AFP reporters noted that the sea had already breached several sections of a sand barrier, causing water to pour into the street. The town’s power supply was cut, palm trees swayed violently in the wind and Mexican authorities ordered residen...

By GERALD IMRAY, Associated Press | Posted by TOE Eight gunmen with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire at patrons at a bar in the first of two separate mass shootings in South African townships in the space of a few hours that left at least 27 people dead, police said Sunday. The first massacre occurred late Saturday night near Johannesburg. The second happened in the early hours of Sunday near Cape Town. No arrests had been made in the two shootings, which came just five days after another mass shooting in a township near the city of Durban killed at least 11 people. The South African Police Service said 17 people were killed Saturday night when eight suspects armed with AK-47 rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, southwest of South Africa’s biggest city of Johannesburg, around 9.30 p.m. The suspects shot at patrons outside the bar, then moved inside to continue the killing. The victims included 13 men and four women. At least 15 others sustain...

By CARA ANNA, FARNOUSH AMIRI and AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press | Posted by TOE Iran has offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi detailed the proposal to reporters outside the U.N. Security Council on Friday, saying it would also restart stalled talks with the U.S. on Iran’s nuclear program. “The seven-day timeline will start as soon as the United States accepts this plan,” he said. Araghchi said initial steps would take about four to five days to complete, and the strait would be open on the sixth day. “And on day seven, the talks with the U.S. will be started for the final deal on mutually agreed subjects,” he said, referring to the nuclear program. Iran’s disruption of the strait — through which a fifth of the world’s...

By DPA | Posted by TOE Israel’s military said on Friday it had again killed members of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including a commander it said had taken part in the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel and had subsequently held abducted Israeli hostages. The military reported a total of four targeted killings of members of Hamas’ military wing. One of those killed is said to have been involved in transferring funds to the terrorist organization. The Hamas members had also been preparing attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians and working to rebuild Hamas’ strength, the military said, adding that this constituted a violation of the ceasefire agreement. “The terrorists were eliminated to remove the threat they posed,” the Israeli military said. The Palestinian news agency WAFA had reported several fatalities in Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including in the north of the territory. Israeli military destroys tunnel in G...

By Isabel KUA AFP | Posted by TOE Residents in China’s capital hope President Xi Jinping’s high-stakes meeting with US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington will stabilise ties between the two countries, telling AFP on Thursday a trade war “hurts everyone”. Xi was greeted in Washington on Wednesday evening local time by Trump, kicking off a pomp-filled state visit where the two leaders are expected to discuss everything from AI and trade to Iran. In Beijing, a 59-year-old resident surnamed Huang called it a “very important” visit which would be critical in shaping the relationship between the two global superpowers. “As an ordinary citizen, I naturally hope that China-US relations can achieve long-term, stable, and mutually beneficial development,” Huang told AFP in central Beijing on an overcast Thursday morning. “I also hope that through President Xi’s visit to the US and friendly, harmonious, and goodwi...