International News

Yellen says US carefully monitoring China economy

NEW DELHI: The United States is "carefully" monitoring China challenges, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Friday, as the slowdown in the world second largest economy raises concerns for global growth.
Many are worried about the Asian giant struggles, with the threat of recession in Europe and high inflation in many major economies contributing to a plunge in demand for Chinese goods.
"China faces a variety of both short and longer term global challenges, economic challenges that we have been monitoring carefully," Yellen told reporters in New Delhi, ahead of a two-day G20 summit.
"That said, China has quite a bit of policy space to address these challenges."

World leaders start arriving New Delhi to attend G20 Summit

NEW DELHI: As India is all set to host the 18th G20 Summit after months of preparation, world leaders have started arriving in New Delhi to attend the global event beginning Saturday.
Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth and President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu have already arrived in the national capital of India to attend the mega event, which the country is going to organize for the first time. However, several heads of state and government including Mexican and EU delegation are expected to arrive in New Delhi today.

Millions of Shiite pilgrims flock to Karbala

KARBALA, Iraq: Millions of Shiite Muslim pilgrims massed at the golden-domed mausoleums of the holy Iraqi city of Karbala on Wednesday, commemorating Arbaeen, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
The event, organised under strict security, brought together some 22 million pilgrims this year, according to official figures.
Iran hit a new participation record with four million visitors, a top security official told the Iranian news agency IRNA, up from three million last year.
Marked by Shiites, who constitute the majority in Iraq and Iran, Arbaeen ("Forty" in Arabic) marks the 40th day of mourning for the martyr Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and a founding figure of Shiite Islam.

Pre-Incan site for ancestor worship found in Peru

LIMA: A team of Peruvian and Japanese archaeologists has unearthed a pre-Hispanic archaeological site in northern Peru dedicated to ancestor worship, with burial chambers, human remains and ceramic offerings.
"We have discovered an archaeological site of the Wari period with an antiquity of between 800 to 1000 years AD" in the Cajamarca region 900 kilometers (560 miles) north of Lima, Japanese archaeologist Shinya Watanabe told AFP on Saturday.
"Two burial chambers with pits for placing mummies and offerings to the ancestors were found at the site," the expert said.