ALGIERS: Algeria’s powerful military chief Gen Ahmed Gaid Salah, who was instrumental in pushing out the gas-rich country’s long-serving president amid pro-democracy protests earlier this year, died unexpectedly on Monday at age 79. Gaid Salah’s death thrusts Algeria into new political uncertainty as a tumultuous year comes to a close. Algeria’s military plays a central role in decision-making in this …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has welcomed the announcement of preliminary results of Afghan presidential polls and underscored the importance of completion of the already over-delayed process. “Pakistan welcomes the announcement of preliminary results of Afghan Presidential elections held on 28 September 2019. We note that the final results would be announced after completion of adjudication process within the stipulated time as per …

DIWANIYAH: Thousands of protesters blocked roads and bridges across southern Iraq on Monday, condemning Iranian influence and political leaders who missed another deadline to agree on a new prime minister. Anti-government demonstrators burned tyres in major cities across the south, forcing the closure of schools and government buildings, AFP correspondents reported as political paralysis deepened in Baghdad. Negotiations over a candidate to …

UNITED NATIONS: An average of nine children have been killed or maimed every day in Afghanistan this year, says a recent report from the UN Children’s Fund, Unicef, which describes the country as “the world’s most lethal warzone”. “Even by Afghanistan’s grim standards, 2019 has been particularly deadly for children”, says Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Children, their families and communities suffer …

KABUL: The Taliban claimed responsibility for an attack on Monday on American troops that killed one US soldier and, according to the insurgents, wounded several more. The killing is likely to have consequences for ongoing talks between the US and the Taliban. President Donald Trump in September declared negotiations “dead” after the Taliban killed a US soldier in a Kabul …

ma NEW YORK: Boeing on Monday replaced its embattled chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, saying a change was necessary as it attempts to restore its reputation amid the protracted 737 MAX crisis. Boeing named board Chairman David Calhoun as chief executive and president, saying the company needed to “restore confidence” and “repair relationships with regulators, customers and all other stakeholders.” The …

TEHRAN: Iran began new operations on Monday at a heavy water nuclear reactor, the head of the country’s nuclear agency said. The move was seemingly designed to intensify pressure on Europe to find an effective way around US sanctions that block Tehran’s oil sales abroad. Starting up the Arak heavy water reactor’s secondary circuit doesn’t violate Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal …

KARACHI: Despite a notable drop in the number of killing of journalists, the global press freedom crisis deepened in 2019 as governments increasingly turned to legal harassment, smear campaigns and online attacks to pressure independent media and journalists into silence, said the International Press Institute (IPI). The Vienna-based IPI’s global coverage of media freedom this year showed a rise in the …

TEHRAN: Tehran and Delhi have agreed to accelerate the development of an important Iranian port, India’s foreign minister said during a visit to the sanctions-hit Islamic republic on Monday. The Chabahar port — being jointly developed by India, Iran and Afghanistan — is on the Indian Ocean about 100 kilometres west of the Pakistan border. But development has stalled, despite …

KARACHI: Three boys sustained burn wounds when a sparking high-tension wire caused a fire in a house built under it in Surjani Town on Monday afternoon, police and rescue officials said. One of the boys was stated to be in a serious condition. Surjani SHO Iftikhar Ahmed Qureshi said the boys were playing on the rooftop of their home in …