عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Iraqi-Iranian Agreement on ‘Achieving Stability in the Middle East’

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi during a welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2022. President Website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi during a welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2022. President Website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
TT
TT

Iraqi-Iranian Agreement on ‘Achieving Stability in the Middle East’

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi during a welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2022. President Website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi during a welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran, June 26, 2022. President Website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran on Sunday.

“We have agreed to work together to bring stability and calm to the region,” Kadhimi said in a joint televised news conference with Raisi.

“Dialogue with regional officials can resolve the regional issues without foreign intervention,” Raisi said.

Kadhimi arrived in Tehran after visiting Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah to discuss regional and bilateral issues. The premier is being accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising political and economic officials.

According to a statement carried by the Iraq News Agency (INA), the meeting reiterated commitment to supporting the armistice in Yemen and reinforcing peace efforts there. It also affirmed that a peace solution for the Yemeni crisis must stem from the internal will of Yemenis.

“We also agreed to make joint efforts to meet the challenges of food security posed by the Ukraine war,” said Raisi, according to Iran’s presidential website.

“Good bilateral and regional relations between Iraq and Iran can be very effective in role-playing of the two countries in the region and international issues,” added the president.

Raisi stressed the need to resolve the problems of the Yemeni people as soon as possible and establish a ceasefire in the country.

“Lifting the siege of Yemen and the Yemenis, and the Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue can solve the problems of this country and end the suffering of Yemeni people,” said Raisi.

“Without a doubt, the continuation of this war is fruitless and will not result in anything but the suffering of the Yemeni people, so this war must be ended as soon as possible and the ceasefire can be a step towards resolving the issues,” he added.

“Iran and Iraq emphasize the need for peace and stability in the region and we believe that peace in the region happens through the role-playing of the officials of all countries in the region and the presence of foreigners in the region will not solve any problem, but instead will add to the problems,” warned Raisi.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Belgian Wildfire ‘Encircled’ but Situation Still ‘Complicated’

A firefighter gestures to another as smoke emanates from burnt vegetation during operations against a wildfire at the Hautes Fagnes (High Fens) nature reserve near Baelen, on August 18, 2026. (AFP)
A firefighter gestures to another as smoke emanates from burnt vegetation during operations against a wildfire at the Hautes Fagnes (High Fens) nature reserve near Baelen, on August 18, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

Belgian Wildfire ‘Encircled’ but Situation Still ‘Complicated’

A firefighter gestures to another as smoke emanates from burnt vegetation during operations against a wildfire at the Hautes Fagnes (High Fens) nature reserve near Baelen, on August 18, 2026. (AFP)
A firefighter gestures to another as smoke emanates from burnt vegetation during operations against a wildfire at the Hautes Fagnes (High Fens) nature reserve near Baelen, on August 18, 2026. (AFP)

Firefighters managed overnight to fully surround Belgium's largest wildfire in a century, but the situation on the ground "remains complicated" with crews battling several new flare-ups, authorities said Wednesday.

Crisis cell spokesman Tony Hosmans said the fire raging in the High Fens nature reserve "has been encircled" and is not moving east towards Germany, with the goal today to bring it under control "if possible with aerial support".

"The situation remains complicated due to a number of flare-ups that have occurred in various parts of the site," he added.

The blaze charring the expanse of peatland, pine trees and hiking trails grew over the weekend to half the size of Manhattan -- 3,000 hectares (7,500 acres) -- although hundreds of firefighters working night and day have managed to stop it spreading further.

The last area to be circumscribed was a hard-to-access front closest to the German border, with ground crews working all night to close the gap, coming in from the east and north under very difficult conditions.

On-site operations have been complicated by the fens' terrain -- a patchwork of heath, peat bogs and raised wooden boardwalks.

Water-bombing aircraft from Norway, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands flew in to help, but they were unable to operate at all on Tuesday due to low clouds.

Rain falling intermittently on the area has slowed the fire's spread by increasing humidity levels, but the weather has badly hampered aerial support since Monday.

- Burning underground -

Europe has been swept by weeks of devastating wildfires fueled by dry conditions and a historically hot summer, with France, Greece, Portugal and Spain also battling major blazes.

The High Fens blaze broke out Friday for reasons still unknown in an area that was ravaged by massive fires in 1911, during a similar period of heatwaves.

It is the country's largest wildfire since.

The fire triggered evacuation orders in the German border town of Monschau as well as two Belgian villages, although residents of the hamlet of Sourbrodt have been given the green light to return home.

Even once brought under control, officials have warned it will take weeks or even months of soaking and dousing to prevent the fire from reigniting.

"The fire is burning in the peat, so it is actually underground, sometimes quite deep," explained area fire chief David Covens on a trip into a fire zone.

"Whenever we disturb the ground, when we cut down a tree and expose the soil, the fire can reignite," he said. "We're doing everything we can with the resources available, but we know this is going to take a long time."

World

Hotel Blaze in India's West Bengal Kills 9 and Injures 6

FILED - 16 November 2024, India, New Delhi: An Indian ambulance is parked on the side of the road. Photo: Dirk Godder/dpa
FILED - 16 November 2024, India, New Delhi: An Indian ambulance is parked on the side of the road. Photo: Dirk Godder/dpa
TT
TT

Hotel Blaze in India's West Bengal Kills 9 and Injures 6

FILED - 16 November 2024, India, New Delhi: An Indian ambulance is parked on the side of the road. Photo: Dirk Godder/dpa
FILED - 16 November 2024, India, New Delhi: An Indian ambulance is parked on the side of the road. Photo: Dirk Godder/dpa

A fire broke out at a hotel in Kolkata in the early hours Wednesday, killing at least nine people and injuring six in the capital of India’s West Bengal state, police said.

The blaze erupted around 1:45 a.m. at a hotel in central Kolkata close to the West Bengal Fire Department headquarters, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

Five fire engines were deployed to bring the blaze under control, while police and disaster management teams carried out rescue operations, the report said. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Firefighters struggled to reach people trapped on the upper floors as thick smoke engulfed the building, a police officer told the news agency.

The fire was brought under control, The Associated Press quoted the officer as saying.

Authorities said their immediate focus was on rescuing anyone still trapped inside and investigating the cause of the fire, which was not immediately known.

Nine people have been confirmed dead but the toll could rise, police told PTI.

Deadly fires, often linked to electrical faults or gas cylinder explosions, are common in India where investigators have frequently pointed to safety lapses and inadequate enforcement of fire regulations as contributing to recurring loss of life.

On Monday, a blaze at a hotel in West Bengal’s temple town of Tarapith left at least seven people dead and several others critically injured.

World

Ebola Cases in Congo Exceed 5,000

People wearing protective clothing prepare for the burial of a man at Nyamurongo Cemetery in Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18 August 2026. EPA/DIEUDONNE DIROLE
People wearing protective clothing prepare for the burial of a man at Nyamurongo Cemetery in Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18 August 2026. EPA/DIEUDONNE DIROLE
TT
TT

Ebola Cases in Congo Exceed 5,000

People wearing protective clothing prepare for the burial of a man at Nyamurongo Cemetery in Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18 August 2026. EPA/DIEUDONNE DIROLE
People wearing protective clothing prepare for the burial of a man at Nyamurongo Cemetery in Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, 18 August 2026. EPA/DIEUDONNE DIROLE

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo now exceeds 5,000, government data showed late on Tuesday, as health officials warn that response efforts are failing to contain the deadly disease.

Congo's 17th Ebola epidemic turned into the biggest in the country's history ⁠in terms of ⁠number of cases in late July and over the weekend the death toll hit 2,378, the public health institute said, surpassing the previous worst outbreak ⁠in 2018-2020.

The institute has so far logged 5,021 cases, according to its latest situation report, making it the second-worst outbreak globally, behind only the 2014 to 2016 epidemic in West Africa in both infections and deaths.

The ongoing outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, ⁠which ⁠has no approved vaccines or treatments.

It has gained momentum since it was declared on May 15, as weak health infrastructure, community resistance, instability and protests by response workers hinder efforts to identify and respond to cases.