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More news - Recent news Friday's Iranian presidential election saw a particularly low turnout, with early estimates indicating that only around 25% of eligible voters participated. This is a significant drop from the 70% turnout seen in previous elections and falls short of the 50% target set by ruling clerics, who see voter participation as a measure of their legitimacy. Years of economic hardship and severe social restrictions have left many Iranians disillusioned with politicians’ broken promises. For some, abstaining from voting is a way of expressing their rejection of the government. Reports from Tehran showed empty polling stations, with some voters defying dress codes, such as Mahdieh, 41, who cast her ballot without a hijab. By contrast, polling stations in central and sout...

More news - News 24 hours "We understand who is behind these terrorist acts," Sergei Melikov, the senior Dagestan official, said in a speech to residents. He drew comparisons between the victims of the assault and Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, saying they were facing the same enemy. "We must understand that the war is coming to our home," Melikov added. Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, in his daily press conference on Monday appeared to draw a link between the violence in Dagestan and Ukraine's separate attack on Sunday on occupied Crimea. Local officials declared a three-day mourning period in Dagestan, a multi-religious and ethnically diverse region, and said victims' families would receive special compensation. Dagestan's roughly 3.2 million residents are divided among dozen...

More news - Latest news Israel ordered evacuations in eastern Gaza on Thursday as heavy attacks hit the region, causing numerous casualties, according to Palestinian officials and residents. Those in the area described a desperate scramble to escape amid the continuing explosions. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strikes, which reportedly targeted the Shajaiye neighborhood, an area badly damaged by previous heavy fighting. Israel's public broadcaster, Kan, noted that the military was conducting a ground operation to eliminate Hamas, based on intelligence suggesting the group was regaining control of the neighborhood. A witness from a human rights organization reported seeing Israeli tanks on the outskirts of Shajaiye. If confirmed, the operation would...

Related media - Breaking news During the Iranian presidential campaign, a recurring theme dominated debates, rallies and speeches: the long-awaited return of Donald J. Trump. The six presidential candidates have repeatedly suggested that Trump's victory in the 2024 US presidential election is inevitable. The central question for Iranian voters as they go to the polls on Friday is determining which candidate is best equipped to handle Trump's presidency. Interestingly, President Biden is barely mentioned and the numerous polls indicating a close election in the United States are ignored. Instead, Trump's name is often invoked. “Wait and see what will happen when Trump comes,” said Mostafa Pourmohammadi, a cleric and candidate, during a recent televised debate. “We need to prepare f...

More news - Latest news Kenyan lawmakers passed a controversial finance law on Tuesday, sparking outrage from thousands of people who marched on Parliament in Nairobi. Demonstrators pleaded with the government to reject the proposed tax increases, arguing they would disproportionately burden ordinary Kenyans. Clashes broke out as police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. Footage captured by international media showed the chaotic scene, including the use of force against protesters. Reports of human rights activists being kidnapped ahead of the protest also emerged, raising concerns about freedom of expression. The proposed legislation has set off a firestorm across Kenya. The East African nation, known for its relative stability, witnessed days of nationwide demonstra...

More news - Latest news “I'm in the middle of this whole thing, and even I find it hard to explain what happened,” Mr. Toth said. “People cheer for him as if they were cheering for the Hungarian national football team.” Politics, however, destroyed Azahriah's chances of representing her country in Europe's musical equivalent of the World Cup, the Eurovision Song Contest. Authorities, alarmed by Eurovision's reputation as Europe's biggest gay event, in 2020 ended Hungary's participation in the annual competition. “It would have been amazing if I could have won Eurovision as a straight white guy,” Azahriah said. David Sajo, entertainment editor for Telex, a popular Hungarian online media outlet, said he was not a big fan, but praised Azahriah for broadening Hungarian musical horizons...

Related media - Recent news The biggest losers of the election appear to be the Greens, who have seen their support plummet by a quarter compared to five years ago. However, the Greens, with their 53 seats, could play an important role by strengthening centrist majorities as an alternative to far-right parties. Final data from all 27 EU countries is expected to be made public early Monday morning. The results appear to have largely maintained the balance of power in the European Parliament, which approves legislation, the bloc's budget and its top leaders, including the president of the powerful European Commission, the EU's executive branch. The first test for the weak centrist majority will be the approval of the new president of the European Commission, expected in July. Von der ...

More news - Latest news In the footage, edited to blur the soldiers' faces and remove gory images, the hostages are then seen leaving the building and climbing through tree-lined terrain as gunfire erupts around them. “Hamas members shot at them,” said al-Tahrawi, the shop owner. Other militants joined the fight, according to Admiral Hagari, "running through the streets with RPGs," an acronym for rocket-propelled grenades. "There was a lot of fire around us," he said. As Ms. Argamani was approaching the beach in one vehicle, the other truck used for the rescue broke down, according to Israeli officials, who requested anonymity to discuss a clandestine operation. To provide cover for the stalled truck, officials said, the Air Force began bombing the nearby area, effectively creating...

Related media - Latest news While the measures expand the scope of the U.S. sanctions program, the Biden administration has so far refrained from imposing sanctions on Chinese or European banks it believes are helping Russia. The new measures do not prevent banks from facilitating transactions related to Russia's energy exports, which the Biden administration has allowed to continue out of fear that restricting them could stoke inflation. Announcing the sanctions, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said in a statement that “Russia's war economy is deeply isolated from the international financial system, leaving the Kremlin's military desperate for access to the outside world.” At the heart of the measures is an expansion of “secondary” sanctions that give the United States the power...

More news - Breaking news K-pop juggernaut BTS is one step closer to a reunion. The first member of the boy band to enlist in South Korea's army, Jin, 31, was discharged Wednesday morning, BTS' label said. Over the next year, his bandmates are expected to complete their military service, which is required of nearly all South Korean men. BTS shocked their own army – as the seven-member group's fervent following is collectively known – in June 2022 when they said they would take time off to enlist. Jin, the group's oldest member, whose birth name is Kim Seok-jin, began his 18-month stint in the army that December. His enlistment came after a long public debate over whether BTS should get an exemption from the draft, as Olympic medalists and some classical musicians do. However, the ...