Washington: US Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of Indian and African heritage, was declared the 2024 presidential nominee of the ruling Democratic Party on Friday after she won enough votes from Democratic delegates in a virtual roll call.

Ankara: Turkiye's communications authority blocked access to the social media platform Instagram on Friday, the latest instance of a clampdown on websites in the country.

Dhaka: Bangladesh on Thursday banned the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir under anti-terrorism law following nationwide unrest over the quota system for government jobs, accusing the fundamentalist party of instigating protests that left at least 150 people dead.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has launched a racially insensitive attack against Kamala Harris by questioning whether she is “Indian or Black”, drawing a sharp reaction from his Democratic rival who termed his remarks "the same old show" of "divisiveness" and "disrespect".

Reports suggest that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued an order for a direct military strike against Israel in response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. This directive was given during an emergency session of Iran's Supreme National Security Council on Wednesday, shortly after Iran confirmed Haniyeh's death in Tehran.

Ukrainian forces shot down all 89 Shahed drones launched by Russia in a nighttime attack on the country, Ukraine's air force said Wednesday, in what was one of the largest drone barrages this year.

Hours after the assassination of senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran’s capital Tehran on Wednesday, the Palestinian Hamas group has accused Israel of being behind the attack, terming it a “grave escalation”. Hamas described Haniyeh as their “brother and leader” and alleged that he was killed in a “treacherous Zionist raid” in his residence, after attending the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president.

A far-right mob rioted outside a mosque in Southport on Tuesday, setting a police van on fire following a misinformation campaign that falsely claimed the 17-year-old suspect in a recent fatal stabbing was a Muslim.