US president had faced widespread criticism of his decision to install a controversial ally, Bill PulteDonald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, former head of the top US markets watchdog, to be the country’s leading intelligence official.The US president faced widespread criticism of his decision to install a controversial ally, Bill Pulte, as acting director of national intelligence while searching for a permanent candidate. Continue reading...
US president had faced widespread criticism of his decision to install a controversial ally, Bill Pulte
Donald Trump has nominated Jay Clayton, former head of the top US markets watchdog, to be the country’s leading intelligence official.
The US president faced widespread criticism of his decision to install a controversial ally, Bill Pulte, as acting director of national intelligence while searching for a permanent candidate.
11-time All-Star released on $100 bondPolice spotted handgun in player’s MercedesCleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden was released from a Houston jail after he was arrested early on Saturday morning on a misdemeanor gun violation.Harden was driving through downtown Houston with four others when he was stopped by police just before 4am. When Harden drove up behind another vehicle, an officer spotted a handgun in the cup holder of his Mercedes, according to court records. Continue reading...
Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden was released from a Houston jail after he was arrested early on Saturday morning on a misdemeanor gun violation.
Harden was driving through downtown Houston with four others when he was stopped by police just before 4am. When Harden drove up behind another vehicle, an officer spotted a handgun in the cup holder of his Mercedes, according to court records.
Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in US-mediated talks, as Israel kept up strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it would not be withdrawing from the south.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire but said it would require a “complete cessation” of fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a joint statement after US-led talks in Washington on Wednesday.
The two sides, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, also...
Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire plan agreed by the Lebanese and Israeli governments in US-mediated talks, as Israel kept up strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it would not be withdrawing from the south.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire but said it would require a “complete cessation” of fire by Iran-backed Hezbollah, according to a joint statement after US-led talks in Washington on Wednesday.
The two sides, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, also...
People told not to enter damaged buildings for fear of aftershocks from magnitude-7.8 quakeAt least 37 people have died and hundreds have been injured after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook part of the southern Philippines early on Monday, collapsing buildings and triggering tsunami alerts.The quake hit early in the morning about 20km (12.4 miles) off the coast of Sarangani province, with tremors felt strongly across Mindanao and 420km away in the city of Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulaw
People told not to enter damaged buildings for fear of aftershocks from magnitude-7.8 quake
At least 37 people have died and hundreds have been injured after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake shook part of the southern Philippines early on Monday, collapsing buildings and triggering tsunami alerts.
The quake hit early in the morning about 20km (12.4 miles) off the coast of Sarangani province, with tremors felt strongly across Mindanao and 420km away in the city of Manado on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
‘Mastermind’ Dawie Groenewald given fine of 2m rand or four-year jail term almost 16 years after arrestTwo traffickers of rhino horns have been sentenced by a South African court in what police said was the world’s largest such case, partly bringing to an end an almost two-decade legal saga.Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus had faced more than 1,700 charges ranging from illegally hunting and dehorning rhinos to racketeering and money laundering. Continue reading...
‘Mastermind’ Dawie Groenewald given fine of 2m rand or four-year jail term almost 16 years after arrest
Two traffickers of rhino horns have been sentenced by a South African court in what police said was the world’s largest such case, partly bringing to an end an almost two-decade legal saga.
Dawie Groenewald and Tielman Erasmus had faced more than 1,700 charges ranging from illegally hunting and dehorning rhinos to racketeering and money laundering.
Police dispersed demonstrators in Nanyuki, 120 miles from Nairobi, amid rising anger at US plansKenyan police have shot dead a man during a protest against a proposed Ebola quarantine facility for US citizens.Patrick Wahome, who has organised protests in Nanyuki against the centre, told Reuters on Tuesday the man died from a gunshot wound to the head. Reporters from the agency saw his body lying motionless in a police van with a large head wound. Continue reading...
Police dispersed demonstrators in Nanyuki, 120 miles from Nairobi, amid rising anger at US plans
Kenyan police have shot dead a man during a protest against a proposed Ebola quarantine facility for US citizens.
Patrick Wahome, who has organised protests in Nanyuki against the centre, told Reuters on Tuesday the man died from a gunshot wound to the head. Reporters from the agency saw his body lying motionless in a police van with a large head wound.
Hungary’s parliament approved a constitutional amendment on Monday that allows prime ministers to serve for a maximum of eight years, effectively barring former premier Viktor Orban from holding the role again.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar ousted Orban in an election in April after 16 years, gaining a two-thirds majority in parliament that allows his party to roll back or change legislation passed by Orban’s Fidesz, including the constitution.
The amendment was a key campaign promise of...
Hungary’s parliament approved a constitutional amendment on Monday that allows prime ministers to serve for a maximum of eight years, effectively barring former premier Viktor Orban from holding the role again.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar ousted Orban in an election in April after 16 years, gaining a two-thirds majority in parliament that allows his party to roll back or change legislation passed by Orban’s Fidesz, including the constitution.
The amendment was a key campaign promise of...
MALE: Pakistan ended a 74-year wait for a football tournament title on Wednesday, defeating Afghanistan 2–0 in the final of the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in at the National Stadium to claim a historic first stand-alone international crown.
Shayek Dost produced a spectacular overhead kick to open the scoring in the first half before substitute Harun Hamid added a second in stoppage time to seal victory, as Pakistan lifted a tournament trophy for the first time since 1952
MALE: Pakistan ended a 74-year wait for a football tournament title on Wednesday, defeating Afghanistan 2–0 in the final of the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in at the National Stadium to claim a historic first stand-alone international crown.
Shayek Dost produced a spectacular overhead kick to open the scoring in the first half before substitute Harun Hamid added a second in stoppage time to seal victory, as Pakistan lifted a tournament trophy for the first time since 1952 — when they shared the Asian Quadrangular title on a league basis.
The triumph also marks the first time in Pakistan’s history that the men’s national team has won a tournament final outright.
Afghanistan started brightly and tested Pakistan early, but the Shaheens gradually settled into rhythm. Otis Khan was influential down the left flank and it was from one of his moves that Pakistan struck in the 24th minute.
A loose clearance and a misdirected cross fell kindly for Shayek, who adjusted brilliantly to execute an acrobatic finish into the net, sending the Pakistan supporters into celebration.
Afghanistan responded before half-time, hitting the crossbar in injury time, but Pakistan held on to take a 1–0 lead into the break.
The second half saw Pakistan continue to press, with Adil Nabi striking the bar soon after the restart, while Afghanistan pushed forward in search of an equaliser.
As the match wore on, Pakistan defended resolutely with goalkeeper Saqib Hanif marshaling the back line effectively. Harun then put the result beyond doubt in stoppage time, beating his marker with a sharp turn before finishing past the post.
Pakistan had earlier gone unbeaten en route to the final, including a 2–0 win over Afghanistan in the round-robin stage, and sealed the title with a third consecutive victory in the tournament.
Pakistan head coach Norberto Solano praised his side’s resilience and growth, saying the win reflected their progress ahead of next year’s Asian Cup and World Cup qualifying campaigns.
“We proved that we are a strong group of boys coming back after the Bangladesh draw. They are happy, I am so glad for them, for the Pakistani nation,” Solano said. “This brings back belief in football. They have amazing talent. We have to continue this as we have more challenges in September, October and November. We have to prepare well before Asian competitions start next year.”
Pakistan captain Abdullah Iqbal dedicated the trophy win to the country’s football supporters.
“Very happy with the team first and foremost,” he said after the match. “This one is for the fans. We have worked so hard for the fans. We had to give back to the fans. They had supported us through very tough times. That’s the most important thing for us.”
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) president Syed Mohsen Gilani, in a brief statement, said the victory marked a key milestone in his tenure and signalled a “new beginning” for Pakistan football.
NEW YORK: A former Afghan Taliban commander charged by the United States with abducting a journalist and supporting fighters who killed American troops in 2008 was sentenced on Tuesday to 42 years in prison.
Haji Najibullah, 50, was accused by US prosecutors of kidnapping an American journalist, identified as New York Times journalist David Rohde, and two Afghan civilians.
He was also charged with the deaths of three US soldiers and an Afghan interpreter in an attack by forces under his command
NEW YORK: A former Afghan Taliban commander charged by the United States with abducting a journalist and supporting fighters who killed American troops in 2008 was sentenced on Tuesday to 42 years in prison.
Haji Najibullah, 50, was accused by US prosecutors of kidnapping an American journalist, identified as New York Times journalist David Rohde, and two Afghan civilians.
He was also charged with the deaths of three US soldiers and an Afghan interpreter in an attack by forces under his command in June 2008. Arrested in Ukraine, he was extradited to the United States in 2020.
He pleaded guilty last year to hostage taking and providing material support for acts of terrorism resulting in death, according to a Justice Department statement. “Those who harm Americans and engage in acts of terrorism will be hunted down and brought to justice, no matter how long it takes,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the statement.
Rohde was kidnapped in Afghanistan in November 2008, along with a translator and a driver. According to the Times, which managed to keep the news of his kidnapping secret so as not to endanger him, Rohde managed to escape from his captors in June 2009.
Najibullah acted as a prominent Taliban commander and unofficial spokesperson in Afghanistan’s Wardak province, managing over 1,000 fighters near Kabul.
He confessed to orchestrating ambush-style attacks against US military convoys. His forces were directly responsible for a June 2008 attack that killed three US soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, as well as the downing of a military helicopter in October 2008.
• Tel Aviv working alongside US and right-wing groups to declare compound ‘multi-faith centre’• Israeli settlers torch two mosques in occupied West Bank
HARDLINE Israeli officials and radical right-wing politicians are working with the United States to alter the longstanding ‘Status Quo’ at the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, pushing a highly inflammatory campaign to usurp the exclusively Muslim site, BBC News reported.
Recent media reports indicate the Israeli government intends to formally des
• Tel Aviv working alongside US and right-wing groups to declare compound ‘multi-faith centre’ • Israeli settlers torch two mosques in occupied West Bank
HARDLINE Israeli officials and radical right-wing politicians are working with the United States to alter the longstanding ‘Status Quo’ at the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, pushing a highly inflammatory campaign to usurp the exclusively Muslim site, BBC News reported.
Recent media reports indicate the Israeli government intends to formally designate the compound as a “multi-faith centre”.
This brazen move flies in the face of centuries of tradition, under which even some Jewish groups forbid their followers from praying within the mosque’s premises.
According to BBC, Israel might impose large-scale Jewish prayer practices at this historically Muslim site, an audacious move towards full control of its administration.
The move is spearheaded by extreme right-wing Israeli politicians like Moshe Feiglin, who recently descended from the compound after unlawfully praying and singing religious songs alongside radical religious zealots.
“The whole land of Israel was promised to the children of God … and this is where we are going to build a new Temple for the entire humanity to come and pray together,” Feiglin said, openly flouting diplomatic conventions in complete contravention of international agreements.
Under the binding Status Quo agreement, the Jordanian-administered Islamic Waqf retains sole custody of Al-Aqsa. Non-Muslims are legally permitted to visit, but explicitly barred from carrying out religious rites.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir frequently storms the al-Aqsa compound to aggressively incite sectarian tensions. A recently circulated video prominently captures the controversial minister leading nationalist mobs in absolute defiance of existing peace mandates.
“The Temple Mount is ours. It’s in our hands!” Ben-Gvir chanted as he unfurled an Israeli flag to systematically dismantle the Status Quo.
While the Israeli prime minister’s office denies changes, regional governments have strongly protested the destructive takeover.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress he had “no knowledge” of joint US-Israeli coordination, though US envoy Mike Huckabee remains aggressively outspoken in advocating for exclusive Israeli dominance over the illegally occupied sites.
Dr Mustafa Abu Sway, deputy head of the Islamic Waqf Council, opposed the illegal Israeli encroachment.
“Peace without leaving al-Aqsa Mosque alone, is simply opening a Pandora’s box,” Abu Sway told the BBC. “It is jeopardising the peace in the region.”
Mosques torched
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers set fire to mosques in two West Bank villages on Wednesday as Israeli government approved the expansion of a Jewish school for settlers living in the centre of the Palestinian city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank.
Osama Abdullah, head of the village council in Jiljiliya, north of Ramallah, told AFP that “settlers set fire to the ablution room, caused damage to the village’s main mosque, and scrawled hostile slogans on the outer walls”.
AFP journalists who visited one mosque on Wednesday saw that the ceiling, walls and floors were blackened by smoke and flames.
Graffiti had also been daubed on the walls in Hebrew. Some read “vengeance” and: “Hi, from the Hilltop Youth”.
The Hilltop Youth are a group of Israelis in the West Bank who are regularly accused of violence towards Palestinians they seek to evict from areas they want to take over.
“The forces searched the area for suspects and located two burned mosques, as well as graffiti on the walls. The suspects had fled prior to the arrival of the forces,” Israel’s military said in a statement.
The wife of a Lebanese army captain, who was killed by Israeli bombardment, salutes as mourners carry her husband’s coffin at his home village in southern Lebanon.—AFP
• Woman, child among 12 killed in attacks on Zifta, Tyre• Beirut counts 3,491 Israeli strikes since April 17; fresh bombardment damages Unesco heritage site• Hezbollah denies contact with Trump
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed 12 people on Monday as Lebanese Defence Minister Michel Menas
The wife of a Lebanese army captain, who was killed by Israeli bombardment, salutes as mourners carry her husband’s coffin at his home village in southern Lebanon.—AFP
• Woman, child among 12 killed in attacks on Zifta, Tyre • Beirut counts 3,491 Israeli strikes since April 17; fresh bombardment damages Unesco heritage site • Hezbollah denies contact with Trump
BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed 12 people on Monday as Lebanese Defence Minister Michel Menassa revealed Israel has carried out nearly 3,500 air strikes since a US-brokered ceasefire took effect in April.
The Lebanese health ministry said the dawn raid on the town of Zifta in the Nabatieh district resulted in seven deaths, including a Syrian child and a woman, and wounded eight others.
Meanwhile, an Israeli strike on Tyre in southern Lebanon on Monday killed five people and wounded eight, the health ministry said, as Israel said it would continue strikes despite Iranian threats.
“An Israeli enemy raid on the city of Tyre, near the Red Cross centre, resulted in five martyrs and eight wounded, four of whom were Red Cross paramedics,” the ministry said in a statement.
The continuing violence underscores the fragility of the ceasefire that came into effect on April 17.
Nearly 3,500 Israeli attacks
During a cabinet meeting on Monday, Menassa said that between April 17 and June 7, Israel conducted 3,491 air strikes, 407 controlled demolitions and six razing operations, flattening entire villages in southernmost Lebanon.
PM Nawaf Salam said the escalation has caused additional waves of displacement. More than 1 million people have been displaced and over 3,600 killed since Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the conflict on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader.
The heavy bombardment in Tyre also damaged a Unesco World Heritage site. Ali Badawi, the culture ministry’s regional director of archaeological sites for south Lebanon, said Sunday’s bombardment had “the worst impact” on Tyre’s ancient areas since the war began. “The amount of debris and damage at the site is high,” Badawi said. “Some archaeological artefacts were damaged when rubble fell on them, as debris fell over a large area, impacting a large number of elements at the site — columns, capitals, column bases, mosaics.”
Tyre’s ruins include Roman baths, a second-century triumphal arch and a hippodrome. Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame appealed to protect the sites, charging that Israel “does not respect” the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property.
‘No contact with Trump’
Amid the ongoing conflict, a senior Hezbollah official denied statements from US President Donald Trump suggesting the two sides had communicated.
Senior Hezbollah official Mahmud Qomati said in written remarks that “there has been no direct contact between President Trump and Hezbollah officials”.
Trump told reporters last Wednesday that “we actually spoke with Hezbollah for the first time, ever,” and later claimed he had a “very good call” with the group through highly placed representatives.
US president blames Tehran for loss of Apache gunship, whose crew were rescued by a drone near strait of HormuzMiddle East crisis – live updatesThe US has launched strikes against Iran after Donald Trump blamed Tehran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, imperilling a shaky ceasefire that was announced by the two countries in April.The attacks triggered a wave of retaliatory strikes from Iran on Wednesday morning, with Tehran saying it had targeted Kuwait, Bahrain and Jor
The US has launched strikes against Iran after Donald Trump blamed Tehran for downing a US army helicopter near the strait of Hormuz, imperilling a shaky ceasefire that was announced by the two countries in April.
The attacks triggered a wave of retaliatory strikes from Iran on Wednesday morning, with Tehran saying it had targeted Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
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