World

Editorial- Iranian Presidency: Telling Indicators
Editorial- Iranian Presidency: Telling Indicators

  An election with little strategic significance, but undeniable symbolic importance... The presidential election held in Iran on Friday to choose a successor to Ebrahim Raisi, who died on May 19 in a helicopter crash while returning from Azerbaijan, has led to a runoff between the moderate reformist candidate, Massoud Pezeshkian, and the ...

Egypt Swelters as Blackouts Worsen and Deaths Mount
Egypt Swelters as Blackouts Worsen and Deaths Mount

Blackouts are becoming longer and more frequent in Egypt, as a growing energy and economic crisis pushes the Egyptian government to intensify "load shedding." At least once a day, the hum of every fan, air conditioner and fridge across Egypt goes quiet. The lights go out and an expletive is muttered or hurled into the quickly-heating air. Lifts ...

Thales Offices in 3 Countries Searched in Corruption Probe
Thales Offices in 3 Countries Searched in Corruption Probe

Police in three countries searched the offices of French defense company Thales this week over suspected corruption involving arms sales abroad, notably to Brazil, a judicial source said Saturday. Officers in France, the Netherlands and Spain carried out the searches between Wednesday and Friday, the source told AFP, confirming a report from ...

EU Chief in Egypt for Joint Investment Conference
EU Chief in Egypt for Joint Investment Conference

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen was in Cairo on Saturday to kick off a two-day investment conference, where deals potentially worth over $42 billion are expected to be signed. "At this conference, European companies are signing over 20 new deals... which are worth over 40 billion euros," von der Leyen said at the meeting in the ...

Saeed Jalili: Iran's Ultraconservative Anti-West Candidate
Saeed Jalili: Iran's Ultraconservative Anti-West Candidate

Ultraconservative former Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, who will face a reformist in a runoff for president, is widely recognised for his steadfast anti-Western stance. Jalili, 58, will aim to unify Iran's fragmented conservative factions in the bid for the presidency when he faces Masoud Pezeshkian next Friday. A relatively reserved ...

Iranian Reformist and Ultraconservative Qualify For Second Round
Iranian Reformist and Ultraconservative Qualify For Second Round

Iran's sole reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian and ultraconservative Saeed Jalili have qualified for a runoff presidential election after leading in the first round, an official said on Saturday. Pezeshkian got more than 10,400,000 votes and Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator, has more than 9,400,000, said Mohsen Eslami, spokesman of Iran's ...

Reformists Hope for Breakthrough as Iran Vote Extended
Reformists Hope for Breakthrough as Iran Vote Extended

Voting in Iran's presidential election on Friday was extended a third time as Iranians cast their ballots in a contest marked by a lone reformist's bid to break through against a divided conservative field. Around 61 million Iranians are eligible to vote in the election called after the death of ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi in a ...

US Presidential Election: Is Joe Biden's Withdrawal Feasible?
US Presidential Election: Is Joe Biden's Withdrawal Feasible?

Following the first face-off of the presidential campaign, where US President Joe Biden squared off against his predecessor Donald Trump, concerns have arisen about the Democratic president's performance in the White House and his ability to continue governing the country. These concerns have echoed in both American and international media, ...

Putin Suggests Russia Should Produce Previously Banned Missiles
Putin Suggests Russia Should Produce Previously Banned Missiles

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia should start producing short- and intermediate-range missiles that were previously banned under a now-defunct arms treaty with the United States. Putin was referring to missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (300–3,400 miles) that were banned under the Cold War-era ...

US-Israel: Agree in Lebanon and Diverge in Gaza?
US-Israel: Agree in Lebanon and Diverge in Gaza?

For decades, the US-Israeli relations were described by analysts as strong and unshakable, based on their mutual regional and international interests. The US was the primary supporter of the Hebrew state since its foundation, and throughout the five regional wars starting with the 1948 Nakba, and the establishment of the state of Israel. This was ...

China Plans \
China Plans "Major" Reforms in Key Political Gathering

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Friday the Communist Party was planning on implementing "major" reforms, ahead of a closely watched political conclave that is expected to put economic recovery high on the agenda. Chinese policymakers have struggled to reignite growth since the Covid-19 pandemic. The world's second-largest economy is beset by a ...

Masoud Pezeshkian; Iran's Lone Reformist Hopeful
Masoud Pezeshkian; Iran's Lone Reformist Hopeful

Iranians cast their ballots Friday in a presidential election marked by a lone reformist's bid to break through against a divided conservative field. Masoud Pezeshkian, the sole reformist candidate, hopes to break through in a divided contest characterized by its numerous ultraconservative contenders. Born in 1954, in West Azerbaijan, he trained ...