TEHRAN: Thousands of Iranians packed the mausoleum of the Islamic republic’s founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on Friday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the revolution that overthrew a centuries-old dynasty. Ceremonies for the 1979 revolution were launched at 9:33 am (0603 GMT), the exact time that Khomeini returned
KABUL: US President Donald Trump is serious about getting out of Afghanistan, the Taliban told AFP Friday, outlining the “Islamic system” comprising “all Afghans” that the group says it hopes to establish under any peace deal. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid spoke to AFP via WhatsApp a day after the US
RIO DE JANEIRO: A week after a dam storing mining waste collapsed in southeast Brazil, the human cost is clear, with 110 killed and 238 missing, presumed dead, but the environmental impact is still being evaluated. Authorities fear the mineral-laced slurry released by the collapse could eventually pollute the Sao
ACCRA: Washington has imposed visa restrictions on Ghana following a row over the deportation of Ghanaians staying illegally in the United States. The move, which goes into effect on February 4, will also affect government employees and politicians. US officials have accused the West African country of refusing to accept
KABUL: It is naive to think the Taliban have changed their stance on women’s rights, says Kabul restaurateur Laila Haidari, who like many educated Afghan women fears any peace deal between the extremists and the US could erode hard-won freedoms. Draconian rules that once forced half the population behind closed
THE HAGUE: Ivory Coast’s former president Laurent Gbagbo on Friday appealed against his continued detention at the International Criminal Court following his acquittal on charges of crimes against humanity. The 73-year-old ex-strongman remains behind bars despite the fact that judges in The Hague cleared him and his right-hand man Charles
DUBAI: Pope Francis’s three-day trip to the United Arab Emirates Sunday marks the first time a pontiff has ever visited the conservative Muslim Arabian Peninsula, where over 2.6 million Catholics reside. While the overwhelming majority of Catholics in the region are expatriates, according to the Apostolic Vicariates of southern and
LONDON: Could it possibly be game over for the bright minds behind “Grand Theft Auto” and other global gaming hits? UK developers have been quietly churning out video games like the urban crime smash series for decades to great critical acclaim — and commercial gain. Britons created the “Lara Croft:
ABU DHABI: Qatar stunned Japan 3-1 to win their first Asian Cup on Friday sparked by a moment of magic from record-breaker Almoez Ali and after nail-biting late drama. Sudan-born striker Ali scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick after just 12 minutes before Abdelaziz Hatim curled in a superb second
Japanese brewer Asahi has agreed to buy the beer business of London Pride-maker Fuller’s for £250 million (US$327 million), the pair announced Friday. As well as purchasing the production and distribution operations of Fuller’s beer, cider and soft drinks, Asahi’s European arm will take over also the wine wholesaling business