Middle East

HONG KONG — Chinese leader Xi Jinping reiterated his pledge to achieve “reunification” with Taiwan on the eve of Communist China’s 75th birthday, as Beijing flexed its military might in the run-up to the national holiday. At a state banquet celebrating the founding of the People’s Republic on Monday, Xi …

LONDON — The UK government has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon to assist British nationals trying to flee the fighting, the foreign secretary has announced. The situation was “volatile” and had the potential to “deteriorate quickly”, David Lammy said, just hours before Israel announced the start of a …

A seminar entitled ‘Qatar World Cup: The Exceptional Experience’ was held on Monday, as part of the activities of the Riyadh International Book Fair within the cultural events accompanying the exhibition, which continues until October 5, 2024.CEO of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Nasser Al Khater spoke during the …

A number of Palestinians were martyred and others were injured on Tuesday morning, when the Israeli occupation forces bombed a school housing displaced people east of Gaza City.The Civil Defense in Gaza said in a statement that its crews recovered seven martyrs and a number of injured people after the …

The first meeting of the Qatar-Saudi Coordination Council’s Committee of Culture, Tourism and Entertainment convened Monday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.HE Minister of Culture Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Hamad Al-Thani, Chair of the Qatar-Saudi Coordination Council’s Committee of Culture, Tourism and Entertainment on the Qatari side, and HH Minister of Culture in …

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced Tuesday that it has received a report of an incident 64NM northwest of Al Hudayah, Yemen.Authorities are investigating, UKMTO said, adding that vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO.Houthis have been carrying out repeated attacks with …

BRUSSELS — As Mark Rutte takes the reins at NATO, the defense pact is confronting challenges new and old – but is the former Dutch Prime Minister well-placed to meet them? The 57-year-old, one of Europe’s longest-serving democratic leaders, will have to face up to a belligerent Russia, fractious EU …

LONDON — The Duke of Sussex has made a rare public appearance in the UK to celebrate the achievements of young people and their families dealing with serious health conditions. Prince Harry is a patron of the charity, WellChild, and attended their annual awards ceremony at a hotel in central …

BEIRUT — Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early Tuesday, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah militants and opening a new front in a yearlong war against its Iranian-backed adversaries. In a brief announcement, it said it was striking Hezbollah targets in areas close to the …

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina — His town of Weaverville, North Carolina, had no electricity and no power. Only one grocery store was operational, utility poles had gone down, the town’s water plant had flooded and people had been without safe drinking water for four days, he told the BBC. In the …