An 82-year-old woman who has spent six decades trying to reach space will join Jeff Bezos on the first human flight by his space company later this month. Wally Funk was one of the “Mercury 13” who underwent training in the 1960s. Mr. Bezos has invited Ms. Funk as an …

The United States on Thursday added Turkey to a list of countries that are implicated in the use of child soldiers over the past year, placing a NATO ally for the first time in such a list, in a move that is likely to further complicate the already fraught ties …

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi affirmed, today, Thursday, during his meeting with European Parliament President David Sassoli, Iraq’s aspiration to build distinguished bilateral relations, while noting that the government is continuing to implement economic reforms and diversify investment. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said, “He met the …

More than six million videos were removed from TikTok in Pakistan in three months, the app said on Wednesday, as it battles an on-off ban in the deeply conservative country. Wildly popular among Pakistani youth, the Chinese-owned app has been shut down by authorities twice over “indecent” content, most recently …

The residents of a village in Canada’s British Columbia province have been ordered to evacuate after a wildfire sparked by the country’s hottest-ever temperatures ripped through homes and other buildings. On Wednesday evening, Mayor of Lytton Jan Polderman issued an evacuation order after a high of 49.6C (121.1F) was registered …

Ethiopia’s government urged Tigrayan rebels to join a unilateral ceasefire in their conflict on Thursday as aid agencies struggled to reach hundreds of thousands of people facing famine. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the former rulers of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, said on Monday it was back in control of …

Iraq logged 7554 COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Health said today. The daily epidemiological report on the COVID-19 situation stated that 30 COVID-19 deaths were registered today. On the other hand, 4593 patients achieved full recovery. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Iraq, 1353458 …

Hundreds took to the streets to demand the gov’t’s resignation over IMF-backed reforms. Hundreds of Sudanese protesters took to the streets across the country on Wednesday to demand the government’s resignation over the International Monetary Fund-backed (IMF) economic reforms. The protests erupted a day after the IMF approved a $2.5bn …

The former crown prince of Saudi Arabia has suffered serious injuries to his feet from beatings and can no longer walk unaided, sources familiar with his situation said, citing torture during his detention by the kingdom. NBC News, citing two people familiar with his situation, reported on Wednesday that Mohammed …

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations says a guarantee by the United States that it will never unilaterally withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal again is crucial to a successful conclusion of the ongoing talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the agreement. Speaking to reporters after a United Nations Security …

Police deployed in the streets of Hong Kong in large numbers on Thursday to prevent protests on the anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, and its acting leader said a national security law had brought order back to the city after chaos. Police vans, water cannon trucks, armoured vehicles, …

A Swedish police officer died from his wounds after being fatally shot in Gothenburg on Wednesday. It reportedly marks the first killing of a law enforcement officer in 14 years, as gun violence in the country continues to soar. The officer’s death was announced by police in a statement on …

The Japanese embassy in Manila has announced that Japan and the Philippines will deepen their defense ties by holding their first-ever joint exercises next week, in an apparent attempt to counter Chinese influence in the region. In a statement on Thursday, the Japanese embassy hailed the drills as a “significant …

Donald Rumsfeld’s legacy is “death and destruction, and a militarized American public,” American journalist Don DeBar has said, commenting on the death of the former US defense secretary who was the main architect of the Iraq war. Rumsfeld died at the age of 88 in Taos, New Mexico, his family …

UN health agency sounds the alarm and calls for ‘discipline’ as highly infectious Delta variant races through the region. The third wave of infections is now inevitable unless citizens and legislators are “disciplined”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns, saying a 10-week decline in new coronavirus infections across Europe has …

Multiple cities scrapped Canada Day celebrations on Thursday after the discovery of hundreds of remains of children at former indigenous schools sparked a reckoning with the country’s colonial past. Calls to scale back or cancel celebrations snowballed after, beginning in May, almost 1,000 unmarked graves were found at former so-called …

Turkey’s withdrawal on Thursday from an international treaty to prevent violence against women is not a step backward, President Tayyip Erdogan said, defending a move that has drawn condemnation from many Turks and Western allies. “Some circles are trying to portray our withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention as a step …

Lionel Messi’s Barcelona contract expired on June 30; the 34-year-old is now a free agent but Barca president Joan Laporta is confident Argentina forward will sign a new deal; “We want him to stay and Leo wants to stay, everything is going well,” said Laporta Barcelona president Joan Laporta remains …

Iraqi security forces dismantled a terrorist network in Kirkuk and arrested its members earlier today, Thursday. According to the Security Media Cell (SMC), a force from the “Agency for Intelligence and Federal Investigations” arrested six terrorists who formed a network affiliated with the terrorist organization of ISIS. The terrorists had …

Iraq collectively grossed nearly six billion dollars from oil sales last June, according to a survey by the state oil marketer, SOMO. Crude oil exports amounted to 86,765,589 barrels, yielding 6,141,077,000 dollars, SOMO survey said. Exports from Oilfields in Mid and south Iraq were 83,690,352 barrels, while Kirkuk oilfields exports, …