Author: ALJAZEERA

Pakistani voters head to the polls on Thursday amid a deep-seated economic crisis. Inflation is hovering at 30 percent, close to 40 percent of people live below the poverty line, and the debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio has climbed to 72 percent. Pakistan’s new government will have to contend with these and an ageing public infrastructure. “We have power outages every day for two hours,” says Muhammad Waqas, a janitor from Islamabad. “In the summer, when it’s hot, you sit idly and suffer.” As with other state-owned firms, the inability of successive governments to invest in Pakistan’s National Transmission and…

Bin Mubarak replaces Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed amid rising tensions as Houthi rebels attack Red Sea shipping, triggering US and British reprisal strikes.Yemen’s internationally recognised government has named Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak as the new prime minister in a surprise appointment. Bin Mubarak replaces Maeen Abdulmalik Saeed at a time of rising tensions in the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country after a spate of Red Sea attacks by Houthi rebels on ships that have prompted retaliatory strikes by the United States and the UK. A decree issued on Monday by Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council and carried by the official Saba…

Technology minister says technology has potential to ‘transform our public services and the economy for the better’.The United Kingdom has unveiled plans to spend over 100 million pounds ($125m) on research and training related to artificial intelligence (AI). Under the plans announced on Tuesday, the government will launch nine new AI research hubs across the UK, support research projects examining the responsible use of AI in education, policing and creative industries, and train regulators on managing the risks and benefits of the technology. Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology Michelle Donelan said AI had the potential to “transform…

The United Nations is looking to reassure donors with more than a dozen countries having suspended their funding to UNRWA as a result of allegations that 12 out of the 13,000 or so UN employees in Gaza may have taken part in the attacks on Israel on October 7. At a time when more aid, not less aid, is needed in Gaza, the UN announcing the formation of this independent review committee to look at whether UNRWA is doing everything in its power to ensure neutrality amongst its employees, whether or not there have been breaches, and how those are…

NewsFeedIt’s been a year since Syria’s ‘miracle baby’, Afraa was born under the rubble of her home after an earthquake. Now, one year, after losing her parents and siblings, she turns one.Published On 5 Feb 20245 Feb 2024 Source link

Who: Jordan vs South KoreaWhat: AFC Asian Cup 2023 semifinalWhen: Tuesday, February 5, 2024, 6pm (15:00 GMT)Where: Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar After playing out a thrilling 2-2 draw against each other in the group stage, South Korea and Jordan are set to meet again in the Asian Cup semifinal in Qatar. Both teams are ready to go the distance, if required, with extra time and penalties, their coaches said on Monday. Although Hussein Ammouta’s Jordan reached the semifinals with wins over Iraq and debutants Tajikistan in normal time, South Korea have had a bruising journey to the…

Whitney Wright, 32, visited Tehran last week and posted a picture of herself at the site of the former US embassy.Tehran, Iran – An adult performer from the United States has stirred controversy after visiting Iran and going to the former US embassy in Tehran. Whitney Wright, 32, from Oklahoma arrived in Iran last week, and confirmed on her social media on Monday that she has left the country. She posted several pictures of her visit, including one that went viral that showed her – in a headscarf and unrevealing clothing required in Iran – standing next to a lowered…

On Friday, the United States conducted a series of strikes on sites in Syria and Iraq that it said belonged to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated militias. The air raids came in retaliation for the January 28 attack by the armed group Islamic Resistance of Iraq (IRI) on a military base in Jordan that killed three US soldiers and injured more than 40 others. In a statement issued the same day, US President Joe Biden said the response would not stop at IRGC targets. On Saturday, American and British forces bombarded Houthi bases in Yemen in an…

Idlib, Syria – Hundreds of cats and dogs are running around, chasing each other and playing in Ernesto’s Paradise For Animals Under War on the outskirts of the city of Idlib. They are well-fed and obviously under the care of a vet – and Muhammad Wattar, who runs the shelter, is proud of providing that. When two massive earthquakes struck northwestern Syria and southern Turkey on February 6, 2023, Wattar’s team mobilised to save more than 1,300 animals on the Syrian side of the border, working 16 hours a day to find and transport them. “At first, people weren’t interested…

Police in Argentina have fired rubber bullets to disperse protesters gathered outside Congress in Buenos Aires as lawmakers debated newly elected President Javier Milei’s sweeping economic, social and political reform package. Opposition legislators stormed out of the building at one point to observe and denounce the police action, but later went back inside to take their seats and the debate resumed until past midnight. Local media reported three people injured and several arrests. The Buenos Aires press union reported at least a dozen journalists were hit by rubber bullets, including one in the face. It all unfolded on the second…