The Pakistani rupee fell 9.6% against the dollar on Thursday, central bank data showed — the biggest one-day drop in over two decades — in a slump that may persuade the International Monetary Fund to resume lending to the country. The drop comes a day after foreign exchange companies removed a cap on the exchange […]
CNN — The US and Israel launched their largest joint military exercise ever on Monday, sending a clear signal to Iran and underscoring the strength of their alliance despite concerns over the composition of the new Israeli government which includes ultra-nationalist and ultra-religious parties. The live-fire exercise, named Juniper Oak, will include 100 US aircraft […]
Hong Kong/Seoul CNN — South Korea’s leader is capping off a whirlwind week, after securing tens of billions of dollars in investment from the Middle East and vowing to have his country play a more important role in revitalizing international supply chains. On Monday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol announced that the United Arab […]
CNN — At least 78 people have died in freezing conditions in Afghanistan in the last nine days, a Taliban official said Thursday, deepening a humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people now living under the control of the radical Islamist group. Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, told CNN that […]
CNN — Some of the United Nations’ most senior female officials have been meeting Taliban leaders in Kabul to discuss the ban on female aid workers, as Afghanistan battles famine and poverty. In December the Taliban ordered all local and international non-governmental organizations to stop their female employees from coming to work or risk having […]
Editor’s Note: A version of this story appears in today’s Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter, CNN’s three-times-a-week look inside the region’s biggest stories. Sign up here. Abu Dhabi CNN — Egypt’s economic situation is so dire that the government is asking people to eat chicken feet. The Arab world’s most populous nation is suffering […]
Washington CNN — An American wrongfully detained in Iran is calling on President Joe Biden to take notice of US detainees there, launching a hunger strike Monday to mark seven years since he was left behind in a prisoner swap that brought other Americans home. In a letter to Biden, Siamak Namazi called on the […]
CNN — Protesters across North America rallied together Sunday to mark the third anniversary of Iran’s downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (PS752) and demand justice for the victims and their families. The Kyiv-bound Boeing 737 plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew on […]
CNN — For nearly half a decade, you could be forgiven for thinking just about everything in Western democracy seemed a bit broken. The social-media yelling in 140 characters. The wild populism, and dog-whistle racism. The clumsy coronavirus lockdowns and their attendant conspiracy theories. The tolerance of absolute, constant falsehoods. The questioning and beleaguering of […]
Washington CNN — Two Americans who had been detained by the Taliban in Afghanistan have been released and are en route to Qatar, three sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Two of the sources tell CNN that one of the Americans is filmmaker Ivor Shearer, who was arrested along with his Afghan producer, Faizullah […]
