Author: ALJAZEERA

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…

Gaziantep, Turkey – When Elmas Abdulghani has a flashback, her body still shakes like the floor of her apartment on that early February morning a year ago. She was woken up by the screams of her husband, crying: “Elmas, wake up! Save your life!” “I just remember fear and confusion,” 35-year-old Abdulghani says, almost tearing up as her mind travels back in time. Abdulghani’s husband did not survive the first magnitude 7.8 earthquake, followed by a second magnitude 7.6 one later in the day and hundreds of aftershocks, that killed more than 50,000 people in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on…

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s interim budget last week marked nearly 10 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. Sitharaman showcased the government’s achievements over the past decade, rather than shower freebies, ahead of national polls due in a couple of months. A careful analysis shows the changing patterns in the Indian economy. Sitharaman reduced the food subsidy by 3.3 percent to 2.12 trillion rupees ($25.5bn) in 2025 from 2.05 trillion rupees ($24.6bn) in the current fiscal year. The fertiliser subsidy was also reduced while keeping up capital expenditure at 1.3 trillion rupees ($15.6bn). Keeping such spending in check allowed…

Espen Barth Eide discusses Norway’s peace efforts in the Israel-Palestine conflict – from Oslo Accords to advocating Gaza truce.Tracing Norway’s diplomatic journey from Trygve Lie’s pivotal role as the first United Nations secretary-general to its instrumental part in the Oslo Accords, a landmark agreement in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Norway has long been a beacon of international peace and neutrality. Its commitment to these principles faces new tests with the current war on Gaza, raising questions about its arms export policies and the indirect implications for regions in turmoil. Amid these complexities, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide talks to Al…

Sri Lanka seeks to foster growth after its economy contracted 3.8 percent last year, according to World Bank estimates.Thailand and Sri Lanka have signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a move Sri Lanka hopes will help it emerge from its worst financial crisis in decades. “This move aims to enhance market opportunities, with negotiations covering various aspects such as Trade in Goods, Investment, Customs Procedure, and Intellectual Property Rights,” read a statement published on Saturday by the Sri Lankan president’s media department. The island nation has been renewing a focus on trade deals to foster economic growth and help its…

Jandaris, Syria – It was a party, a celebration of life for so many children and young people who survived one of the worst natural disasters in decades. The big white tent was decked out in balloons and streamers, with colourful games marked out on the floor and all manner of hula hoops changing hands. Among the people being celebrated at the World Vision party was little Afraa, the baby who was born as her mother died under the debris of the massive earthquakes that struck northwestern Syria and southern Turkey on February 6 last year, killing 4,500 people in…

Jakarta, Indonesia –  After spa therapist Murniyati survived COVID-19 on a sparse salary, she thought the worst was over. But after the Indonesian government’s announcement of a steep rise in taxes on entertainment services, she fears the salon where she works could be forced to close, leaving her unemployed. “My husband is just a taxi driver so our combined income is low. Our life, my life, depends on him and me,” she told Al Jazeera. Murniyati is just one of the countless workers across Indonesia who could be affected by the plans to apply a 40-75 percent tax rate to…