Pakistan's Supreme Court has scrapped a lifetime ban on politicians with convictions from contesting elections, paving the way for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to run for the fourth time. The lifetime ban on convicted politicians was imposed in 2018.Under a new court order passed on Monday, convicted politicians would be barred from running only for five years. Sharif's party said he will seek a fourth term after returning in October from a four-year self-exile in London to avoid serving prison sentences on corruption charges. They were overturned on appeal after his return. Sh

The president of the Maldives has suspended three of his deputy ministers for posting derogatory comments against India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi. President Mohamed Muizzu suspended the three until further notice for their posts on X, formerly Twitter, which were in response to Modi's posts promoting the pristine beaches of India's Lakshadweep archipelago for Indian travelers. Last year, Indians made up the largest number of tourists visiting the Maldives, which is famous for its luxury island resorts and white sandy beaches. India is also a strategic ally, with military personne

A law enforcement official says the suspect in a shooting at an Iowa high school shooting has died. Police in Perry, Iowa, say multiple people were shot at the city's high school, on students' first day back in classes after their annual winter break. A spokesperson said two gunshot victims were taken by ambulance to a hospital in the state capital of Des Moines, about 40 miles southeast of Perry. In Perry, Dallas County Sheriff Adam Infante says an active shooter was reported at Perry High School before school started on Thursday and officers responded about seven minutes later. The shooting

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal sponsored by the United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian authorities say that 230 Ukrainian prisoners of war returned home. Russia's Defense Ministry says that 248 Russian servicemen have been freed from Ukrainian captivity. The ministry says that the deal was made possible thanks to mediatory efforts by the United Arab Emirates. The massive prisoner exchange follows other such deals earlier in the war, which is nearing the two-year mark.

United Arab Emirates - Iran says explosions at an event honoring a prominent Iranian general slain in a U.S. airstrike in 2020 have killed at least 103 people and wounded 141 others. Iranian state media call them a ``terroristic'' attack. No group has immediately claimed responsibility. The blasts on Wednesday struck an event marking the the fourth anniversary of the killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force. who died in Iraq in January 2020. The explosions occurred near his grave site in Kerman, about 820 kilometers (510 miles) southeast of the

A passenger plane and a Japanese coast guard aircraft have collided on the runway at Tokyo's Haneda airport and burst into flames. TV footage showed a large burst of fire erupt from the side of the Japan Airlines plane as it taxied after landing. The area around the wing then caught fire. Transport Minister Tetsuo Saito said all 379 occupants of the passenger plane got out safely. He said the pilot of the coast guard plane evacuated safely but the other five crewmembers were found dead. Haneda is one of the busiest airports in Japan, and many people travel over the New Year holidays.

At least 10 people have died and thousands remain cut off from the power grid in Ukraine. According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko more than 400 settlements in 11 regions have been affected by electricity and more than 1,500 responders are trying to reach thousands of people for rescue. Another 23 were injured, including two children, Klymenko said Tuesday, adding the deaths were in Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Kyiv regions.Officials said the worst of the storm appeared to be over but another powerful low-pressure storm could hit the country late Tuesday into late Wednesday. The Ukrainian

A four-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has begun on Friday. Under this agreement Hamas has released 13 Israeli hostages in the first round. This information was given by the Prime Minister's Office of Israel. During the 4 days of the ceasefire, Hamas will release a total of 50 hostages and in return Israel will release 150 Palestinian prisoners.U. K. Hamas, declared a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, attacked Israel on October 7 and took about 240 people hostage. Qatar played a major role in the ceasefire between the two sides. The International Com

A spokesman for Qatar's Foreign Ministry hopes the momentum of the deal between Israel and Hamas will lead to an end of theviolence. The deal entails a temporary four-day ceasefire which will see the release of dozens of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The cease-fire will start at 7 a.m. local time tomorrow, with 13 women and children held by Hamas freed in the afternoon. Officials say three Palestinian prisoners would be freed for every hostage. The deal includes increased aid that will start to enter Gaza.