LONDON: At a pharmacy in Tira, an Arab city in central Israel, a young cashier urged Amal to vote in the Israeli general election on Tuesday. Amal is a Palestinian citizen of Israel, and the encounter reflected a sense of determination she has seen take hold among younger voters amid a desire to be heard in a country where many in her community have felt increasingly unsafe, or even targeted. “Personally, I know we shouldn’t get too optimistic, but I’m proud — proud of the Arab community for sta

DAMASCUS: Syria will restore ​normal passenger and commercial traffic through the Nassib ‌border ‌crossing ​with Jordan ‌from ⁠Wednesday ​morning, the ⁠state news agency SANA reported, after ⁠the crossing ‌was ‌briefly ​closed ‌following Jordanian ‌airstrikes in southern Syria. The Nassib ‌crossing is Jordan’s only border ⁠crossing ⁠with Syria open to passenger and commercial traffic.

ISLAMABAD: Afghan Taliban forces fired mortars into a former Pakistani Taliban stronghold in restive northwestern Pakistan, killing a civilian and wounding five others, a Pakistani government official said early Wednesday. The shelling damaged shops in a bazaar in South Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province along the Afghan border, a local government administrator said on X. He said Pakistani forces along the border were responding “effectively and heavily.” There was no immediat

LONDON: Israel has committed a raft of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Occupied Territories, according to the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. In a report published on Monday focusing predominantly on the West Bank, Israel was accused of “extermination, persecution, torture, rape and other forms of sexual violence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, intentionally targeting Palestinian civilians.”

LONDON: The world’s top consumer goods and food companies, from Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble to Nestle and Reckitt, ​have warned of further price hikes next year to cover rising costs even as shoppers remain reluctant to splurge on groceries. Higher energy, raw material and freight costs as a result of the US war on Iran mean that the companies making everything from laundry detergent to soda and snacks face a balancing act to protect profit margins. Even higher prices on everyday items will f

AMMAN: Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic agreed on Wednesday to establish a joint security committee to investigate the details and repercussions of the Jordanian airstrikes against Daesh that killed seven civilians in southern Syria, the two countries’ foreign ministers said in a joint statement. During a phone call, ‌Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, ‌told his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani that the strikes had targeted Daesh sites based on field intelligence and were aimed ⁠at

PARIS, France: The French parliament’s upper house on Tuesday debated a controversial bill that would make protesters financially liable for damage caused during street demonstrations, despite warnings from critics that it could curb the right to protest. The bill was drafted in response to riots that followed Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League final in May. But it has taken on added significance after weeks of protests over inequality and soaring prices culm

Flavio Bolsonaro, who recently lost Brazil's presidential runoff election, has reportedly fled to the United States amid growing legal troubles and the cancellation of his passports. Despite his claims of election fraud, his party has accepted the results, leaving him isolated as he faces multiple investigations, including a corruption case related to financing a biopic about his father.

LONDON: Israel was waging a systematic campaign against journalism in an attempt to conceal its atrocities in Gaza, UN expert Francesca Albanese said on Tuesday. The killing of Palestinian reporters and destruction of media infrastructure have left an irreparable gap in the historical record, she warned. Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, described the Israeli campaign as “mediacide” during a virtual press briefing about a report she compiled on the at

Israeli voters on Tuesday gave opposition parties a narrow edge over ICC fugitive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, initial projections showed, after a decades-high turnout in the country's first election since the outbreak of the genocidal war in October 2023.

Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister who has led the country for nearly two decades, had run on promises to fight enemies from Hamas to Iran and had spent election day raising fears of the strength of Israeli Arab voters.

Early projections broadcast by Israeli television networks showed that the bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot, a centre-right former military chief, had a narrow edge over Netanyahu's bloc, which includes the far-right.

Early exit polls showed Arab parties made sweeping gains, likely giving them a critical role in the next parliament.

With no single party winning a majority, Israeli politicians will likely spend weeks in high-stakes negotiations to cobble together a coalition.

The country's main pollsters, Channels 11, 12 and 13, projected the opposition bloc to win 52 to 53 seats, and Netanyahu's bloc to win around 50, although his Likud would be the largest single party in parliament, with 24 or 25 seats.

In a dash to secure as many votes as possible, Netanyahu had charged that Israeli Arabs were out to "steal the election" and his Likud party unsuccessfully asked election authorities to keep polls open past 10:00 PM (2000 GMT).

His efforts led the opposition to charge that he was looking for pretexts to challenge the results.

"We cannot leave this battle here in the hands of the left and the Arab parties that want to bring an end to the Jewish state," a visibly tense Netanyahu told supporters as he tried to bring up turnout in a Likud stronghold.

Nationwide turnout as of 8 PM stood at nearly 75 percent, the highest in decades.

Arab minority in spotlight

Some 7.3 million people were eligible to vote, with tens of thousands of Israelis estimated to have flown in from abroad for an election seen as crucial to deciding the future character of their country.

Netanyahu, 77, has served as prime minister on and off for more than 19 years.

Throughout his career, he has repeatedly raised the spectre of Arab voters as a threat. He warned Tuesday of Arabs voting by the busload, writing on social media that Israel could wake up to a "government of the left wing and Muslim Brotherhood".

Netanyahu said that three senior officials of the United Arab List had been arrested with envelopes full of cash in the south.

The acting director general of the Central Elections Committee, Dean Livne, said that police had "caught individuals who tried to bribe voters", adding that the unidentified suspects were not at polling stations and were caught near their homes.

He said the matter was a localised case and under investigation.

United Arab List head Mansour Abbas, who could emerge as a kingmaker in a close election, accused Netanyahu of "lying and inciting" to mobilise his voters.

Exit polls from the main Israeli television channels showed the two Arab lists winning 17 or 18 seats in the 120-member parliament between them, up from 10 in the last election in 2022.

In Tel Aviv, left-wing party The Democrats, which is part of Eisenkot's opposition bloc, said police had arrested a man with a knife who had moved threateningly towards its leader Yair Golan.

"Incitement and violence will not intimidate us," Golan said in a statement, blaming the incident on the "poison machine" of Netanyahu.

Netanyahu last returned to power in December 2022, bringing into his coalition far-right ultra-nationalists who have since seen their political clout skyrocket and have aggressively championed settlements in the West Bank.

In the last days of the campaign, he posted an image of a nuclear bomb destroying Tel Aviv and talked up his endorsement by US President Donald Trump, who is also fond of alleging election fraud.

ALKHOBAR: “Everyone will get their chance to participate and add value to the team,” said Simone Inzaghi in the pre-match press conference for Al-Hilal’s AFC Champions League Elite Matchday 3 clash against Al-Shamal on Monday. Indeed, Inzaghi brought in a host of players in a changed lineup after Al-Hilal’s hard-fought victory over Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League last Friday, but it resulted in their first-ever league stage defeat since the Elite edition launched in 2024/25. In goal, Gulf Cup

First exit polls from Israel's elections indicate the opposition bloc has a slight advantage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp, projected to win 52 or 53 seats compared to Netanyahu's bloc with 50 seats. Despite the opposition's lead, neither side has achieved an outright majority in the 120-seat Knesset, while high voter turnout was noted, especially among Israeli Arab parties, which are set to secure 17 or 18 seats.

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• The first exit polls from Israel's pivotal general election on Tuesday showed strong gains for the country's Arab-majority parties, whose voter base turned out in high numbers. Exit polls from the main Israeli television channels showed the two Arab lists winning 17 or 18 seats in the 120-member parliament between them, up from 10 in the last election in 2022.
• Israel has so far recorded the highest voter turnout since 1973 as millions of people head to the polls to elect 120 members of the Knesset. Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank are not allowed to vote, despite the Israeli government determining the direction of their future.
• Israeli voters on Tuesday gave a narrow edge to opposition parties over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, initial projections showed, after decades-high turnout in the country's first election since the outbreak of the genocidal war.
• The southern West Bank city of Hebron remains besieged for the fifth consecutive day following a deadly shootout on Friday, which prompted a large military operation that has displaced nearly 4,000 Palestinians.
• Meanwhile, the war in Yemen rages, with the Saudi-led coalition intercepting Houthi ballistic missiles and Houthi-affiliated media reported that Yemeni government forces launched air strikes in Taiz province

King Charles III has commenced a Caribbean tour, focusing on acknowledging the historical legacy of slavery and discussing climate risks facing islands. His itinerary includes visits to the Bahamas and Guyana.

First exit polls from Israel's elections indicate the opposition bloc has a slight advantage over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's camp, projected to win 52 or 53 seats compared to Netanyahu's bloc with 50 seats. Despite the opposition's lead, neither side has achieved an outright majority in the 120-seat Knesset, while high voter turnout was noted, especially among Israeli Arab parties, which are set to secure 17 or 18 seats.

The Yemeni government has accused the Iran-backed Houthi militia of mutilating the bodies of fallen soldiers in Taiz, claiming they used liquid incendiary chemicals on the remains. Colonel Majed Al-Nuzaili condemned these actions as violations of Yemeni and international law, highlighting that this is not an isolated incident, referencing similar acts earlier in 2023.

French media groups have condemned the handling of journalists at a National Rally party congress led by Marine Le Pen. The incident occurred at a major campaign rally in Orleans.

SHENDI, Sudan: Large parts of Sudan’s capital were without electricity for more than 12 hours Tuesday after a drone strike on a major power substation, according to an electric company official. The attack left hospitals and bakeries dependent on generators and limited water supplies across Khartoum. The state-run Sudanese Electricity Distribution Company acknowledged “serious damage and technical faults” to the distribution network and several main stations and power lines but didn’t explain

RIYADH: Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez arrived in Riyadh on Monday ahead of his highly anticipated World Boxing Council Super Middleweight title fight against Christian Mbilli, the headline bout at the “Mexico vs. The World” event at The Venue on Oct. 31. Canelo was welcomed upon arrival in the Kingdom by Faisal Bafarat, the CEO of the General Entertainment Authority, as preparations continue for one of the season’s major sporting events. The boxer was accompanied by several other Mexican fighters

WASHINGTON: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s broad assertions about Arab contributions to humanity’s scientific and literary discoveries at a Republican campaign event in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have drawn criticism just days before midterm elections. “There’s 500 million Arabs in the world and yet they don’t produce science,” Kennedy said on the campaign trail, Monday. “They don’t win the Nobel Prize. They don’t win the Fields Prize. They don’t win the Wolf Prize. T