News

  • Ancient Pompeii excavation uncovers lavish private bath complex
    on January 18, 2025 at 12:54 am

    A private bath complex in Pompeii has been unearthed by archaeologists; the baths highlight the wealth of the ancient city before it was destroyed in AD 79.

  • What to know about the hostages and cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas set to begin Sunday
    on January 17, 2025 at 10:31 pm

    Israel and Hamas finalize a historic cease-fire and hostage deal set to begin Sunday. The agreement includes phased releases, intense negotiations and ongoing security concerns.

  • Israeli security experts argue ‘bad' deal with Hamas, but ‘no other way’ to free hostages
    on January 17, 2025 at 9:24 pm

    Security experts analyzing the deal brokered between Israel and Hamas argue it was a 'bad deal' as it could pose security risks for Israel but one that needed to be done to return the hostages.

  • Pakistani court sentences ex-PM Imran Khan and his wife to 14 and 7 years in prison in graft case
    on January 17, 2025 at 4:46 pm

    A Pakistani court on Friday sentenced the country’s already-imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife to 14 and seven years in jail after finding them guilty of corruption, officials and his lawyer said.It's yet another blow for the former premier who has been behind the bars since 2023.The couple are accused of accepting a gift of land from a real estate tycoon in exchange for laundered money when Khan was in power.Prosecutors say the businessman, Malik Riaz, was then allowed by Khan to pay fines that were imposed on him in another case from the same laundered money of 190 million British pounds ($240 million) that was returned to Pakistan by British authorities in 2022 to deposit with the national exchequer.6 DEAD AS PROTESTS ERUPT IN PAKISTAN OVER JAILED FORMER PRIME MINISTER IMRAN KHANKhan has denied wrongdoing and insisted since his arrest in 2023 that all the charges against him are a plot by rivals to keep him from returning to office.According to Khan’s legal team, Khan laughed and his wife, Bushra Bibi, smiled when judge Nasir Javed read the verdict.Later, Khan and Bibi were taken into custody by prison officials after the announcement of the verdict, according to officials. She had earlier served a prison sentence in another graft case until she was freed on bail by a court in October. She recently led a rally to demand her husband’s release.Later, a post from Khan’s account on the X platform urged his supporters not to panic over the verdict, under which the al-Qadir University built by his wife's charity will also be taken over by authorities in the Punjab province."I will never accept this dictatorship and I will stay in the prison cell for as long as I have to in the struggle against this dictatorship, but I will not compromise on my principles and the struggle for the true freedom of the nation," Khan wrote. Khan’s family has said such posts are shared with his consent.Faisal Chaudhry, a defense lawyer, said the court verdict could be challenged in the superior courts.Shortly after the announcement of the verdict, lawmakers from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party rallied outside the parliament in the capital, Islamabad, saying the former premier had been wrongly punished.INDIA STEPS UP DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE TALIBAN AS RIVAL PAKISTAN LOSES INFLUENCE IN AFGHANISTAN"This is a bogus case, and we will approach an appeals court against this decision," said Omar Ayub Khan, a senior party leader who is not related to the former premier.Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April 2022, had previously been convicted on charges of corruption, revealing official secrets and violating marriage laws in three separate verdicts and sentenced to 10, 14 and seven years respectively. Under Pakistani law, he is to serve the terms concurrently — meaning, the length of the longest of the sentences.Some of Khan’s supporters were also present outside the Adiala prison in the city of Rawalpindi, and they chanted slogans against the government, demanding the release of their leader.On Thursday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters in Islamabad that there was "irrefutable evidence" against Khan and his wife in the "mega corruption scandal." Tarar said that Khan even did not tell his own Cabinet members about the money that was returned to Pakistan by Britain.Tarar also claimed that Khan built a new sprawling house in the eastern city of Lahore after giving benefits to the business tycoon, and that he was unable to prove that from where he got the money from to build it.The latest development came a day after Khan's PTI party held a crucial round of talks with representatives of the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to demand the release of all political detainees, including Khan and other party leaders.Sharif became prime minister following the February 2024 election, which PTI claims was rigged.

  • Russia, Iran to seal partnership treaty days before Trump takes office
    on January 17, 2025 at 1:40 pm

    Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will meet in Moscow to sign a partnership pact as the two nations brace for President-elect Trump's return.

  • Brazilian court denies Bolsonaro’s request to travel to Trump’s inauguration
    on January 16, 2025 at 9:38 pm

    Brazil’s Supreme Court has denied former President Jair Bolsonaro's request to have his passport temporarily restored in order to attend the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

  • UK leader Starmer signs ‘100-year partnership’ agreement with Ukraine during trip to Kyiv
    on January 16, 2025 at 8:22 pm

    As part of a European show of support, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signed a 100-year partnership agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.