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RIYADH: Kuwait has named Noura Soliman and Khalifa Abdullah as its new finance and trade ministers respectively as part of a cabinet reshuffle, Kuwait News Agency said on Sunday.
KYIV: At least nine people were injured, including an 11-year-old girl, and several apartments were on fire after a Russian drone attack on Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.
Falling debris from a destroyed drone sparked a fire in a multi-story apartment building in the Solomianskyi district in Kyiv’s west, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on his Telegram messaging app.
“So far, nine people have been injured,” Klitschko said. “All of them were treated by medics on the spot.”
The military administration of Kyiv posted a photo of flames bursting out of a flat in an apartment building.
It also said that another fire broke out in a multi-story administrative building in the Solomianskyi district.
Reuters witnesses heard a series of explosions in Kyiv in what sounded like air defense units in operation.
Kyiv, its surrounding region and nearly the whole eastern half of Ukraine were under air raid alerts from around 0130 GMT.
KARACHI: Saudi oil giant, Aramco, on Tuesday unveiled its first branded retail gas station in Pakistan in the eastern city of Lahore, months after its acquisition of a 40 percent stake in Gas & Oil Pakistan Ltd. (GO) petroleum company.
Aramco is a global integrated energy and chemicals company that produces approximately one in every eight barrels of the world’s oil supply. GO, one of Pakistan’s largest retail and storage companies, is involved in the procurement, storage, sale and marketing of petroleum products and lubricants.
The Aramco-branded stations in Pakistan will offer branded premium fuel, high-quality lubricants, professional automotive services and modern convenience stores to provide a seamless customer experience, according to a statement shared by Corporate and Marketing Communications (CMC), which handles Go and Aramco’s public relations in Pakistan.
“This is another milestone in Aramco’s downstream growth story, as we launch the first Aramco station in Pakistan — a market with significant growth potential,” Yasser M. Mufti, Aramco executive vice president of products and customers, was quoted as saying by the CMC.
“Our values of excellence, innovation and community partnerships sit at the heart of what we do, and will act as our guide as we leverage our extensive global refinery systems to ensure reliable supplies to customers while introducing our complementary world class retail offerings.”
Together with GO, which has a network of over 1,200 fuel retail stations in Pakistan, Aramco plans to expand its retail network and establish a presence in the fast-growing Pakistani economy.
“We are confident that this partnership will deliver exceptional value to customers,” Mufti said.
Khalid Riaz, the GO chief executive officer, echoed the sentiment, saying the first Aramco-branded gas station in Lahore was a testament to their commitment to excellence and innovation.
“Together with Aramco, we aim to elevate the retail fuel landscape in Pakistan, setting new benchmarks for quality, service, and customer satisfaction,” he said.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia enjoy strong trade, defense and cultural ties. The Kingdom is home to over 2.7 million Pakistani expatriates and serves as the top source of remittances to the cash-strapped South Asian nation.
In February 2019, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia inked investment deals totaling $21 billion during a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Islamabad. The agreements included about $10 billion for an Aramco oil refinery and $1 billion for a petrochemical complex at the strategic Gwadar Port in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.
Both countries have been working in recent months to increase bilateral trade and investment, and the Kingdom this year reaffirmed its commitment to expedite an investment package worth $5 billion for Pakistan.
WASHINGTON: Democrat Kamala Harris warned tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington at her biggest rally that her Republican opponent Donald Trump was seeking unchecked power as their tightening race for the presidency entered its final week.
Harris spoke on Tuesday evening to an outdoor rally estimated by her campaign to number more than 75,000 people at the spot near the White House where on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump addressed his supporters before they attacked the US Capitol.
“We know who Donald Trump is,” Harris said. She said the then-president sent an “armed mob” to the US Capitol to try to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
“This is someone who is unstable, obsessed with revenge, consumed with grievance and out for unchecked power,” Harris said during what her campaign called her closing argument before a tightly contested Nov. 5 election.
More than 53 million Americans have already voted in the election, according to Election Hub at the University of Florida, in a battle that will decide who runs the world’s richest and most powerful country for four years.
Harris was flanked by American flags on stage and surrounded by blue and white banners that said “FREEDOM” with a well-lit White House behind her.
The crowd included older people and college students, people from overseas, from New York and from nearby Virginia. Many women came in groups with other female friends.
“It’s important that we do not go back to the horrible past policies under President Trump,” said Saul Schwartz, a former federal worker from Alexandria, Virginia.
“She is everything that I always wanted in a president. She is joyous. She is real, she is powerful. And she is a woman,” said Danielle Hoffmann from Staten Island, New York. “It’s time for you guys... to take a backseat because we’re driving right now,” she said, addressing men in general. Her husband, she noted, is a Trump supporter.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Tuesday showed that Harris’ lead had eroded to just 44 percent to 43 percent among registered voters.
Harris has led Trump in every Reuters/Ipsos poll since she entered the race in July, but her advantage has steadily shrunk since late September.
Trump and his allies have sought to play down the violence of Jan. 6.
Thousands of his supporters stormed the Capitol, sending lawmakers fleeing for their lives after Trump’s address on the Ellipse, where as president in 2021 he told the crowd to “fight like hell” to prevent Congress from ratifying his loss.
Four people died in the ensuing riot at the Capitol, and one police officer who defended the Capitol died the following day. Trump has said that if reelected, he would pardon the more than 1,500 participants who have been charged with crimes.
“We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms,” Harris told the Washington crowd on Tuesday and urged Americans to put divisions behind them.
In Florida earlier in the day, Trump sought to move on from the racist and other vulgar remarks made by allies at his New York rally on Sunday.
Trump did not comment on the remarks made by speakers at the Sunday event where comedian Tony Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage” and disparaged Black Americans, Jewish people, Palestinians and Latinos.
Trump’s campaign had said previously that the comments about Puerto Rico did not reflect the former president’s views, but Trump on Tuesday called the New York event “an absolute lovefest” and said he was honored to be involved.
President Joe Biden drew ire from Trump’s campaign for remarks he made about the Sunday rally during a fundraising call on Tuesday.
According to a transcript posted by a White House spokesperson on X, Biden said: “the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable and it’s un-American.”
Several news organizations cited the same quote but without the apostrophe.
Biden later posted on X, the social media site: “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
As Harris spoke in Washington, Trump visited a heavily Hispanic city in Pennsylvania, two days after Hinchcliffe’s comments about Puerto Rico drew outrage at the New York rally.
The US Census Bureau says Puerto Ricans are the largest Hispanic group in Pennsylvania, a state that holds the highest number of Electoral College votes of the seven battleground states expected to decide the election.
“I’d like to begin with a very, very simple question: Are you better off now than you were four years ago? I’m here today with a message of hope for all Americans,” Trump said.
Harris, who would be the first female president, and Trump, seeking a return to office after his 2017-21 term, diverge on support for Ukraine and NATO, abortion rights, taxes, basic democratic principles and tariffs that could trigger trade wars.
On tariffs, Trump on Tuesday explicitly mentioned the European Union. “They’re brutal,” he said in Pennsylvania. “They sell millions and millions of cars in the United States. No, no, no, they are going to have to pay a big price.”
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden took a swipe against Donald Trump’s supporters on Tuesday as he reacted to the Republican presidential nominee’s weekend rally at Madison Square Garden, which was overshadowed by crude and racist rhetoric.
In a call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden responded to a comic at Trump’s rally who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.” Biden’s initial comments were garbled.
“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don’t, I don’t know the Puerto Rican that I know, the Puerto Rico where I’m fr — in my home state of Delaware. They’re good, decent honorable people,” he said.
The president then added: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters. His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American. It’s totally contrary to everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been.”
White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden “referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’”
In referring to Trump’s supporters as “garbage,” Biden’s tone was at odds with the message that Democratic nominee Kamala Harris is seeking to present as she aims to cast a broad appeal, including to disaffected Republicans. Just minutes after Biden’s comments, Harris spoke from the Ellipse in Washington, vowing to be a president who would unite the country.
“I pledge to be a president for all Americans,” said Harris, who is Biden’s vice president.
Republicans quickly highlighted Biden’s remark. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio interrupted Trump’s rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, to recount what happened.
““Moments ago Joe Biden stated that our supporters, our patriots, are garbage,” Rubio said. ”He’s talking about everyday Americans who love their country.”
Some prominent Democrats also began to distance from Biden’s comments. Speaking on CNN, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he would “never insult the good people of Pennsylvania or any Americans even if they chose to support a candidate that I didn’t support.”
The comments recalled then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton dismissing Trump supporters during a 2016 fundraiser in New York by saying that half would fit into a ” basket of deplorables.”
Clinton later called that characterization “grossly generalistic.” But it became a defiant rallying cry for many Trump backers who said the insult encapsulated the elitist attitudes of Clinton and the Democrats.
With Election Day now just a week off, Biden has worked to maintain relevance, furiously promoting his administration’s accomplishments while Harris in her race against Trump.
But his efforts to remain in the political spotlight might not always be so helpful for the top of the Democratic ticket he’s now promoting. That’s because, while Harris has been sharply critical of Trump for months, repeatedly calling him “unstable” and “unhinged” and even suggesting that he was ” fascist,” she has been careful not to decry his supporters.
In fact, the vice president has campaigned extensively with former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and other former GOP elected officials — hoping to woo conservative crossover voters. The Democratic convention — and Harris ads — have highlighted the stories of everyday Americans who talked about having voted for Trump in the past but now say they are supporting the vice president.
On Tuesday’s call, Biden also said that Trump “doesn’t give a damn about the Latino community” and urged rejection of the former president even as Trump’s campaign says its support is rising among Hispanics, particularly men.
“Vote to keep Donald Trump out of the White House,” Biden said. “He’s a true danger to, not just Latinos but to all people. Particularly those who are in a minority in this country.”
PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz overcame some rusty moments on his serve to beat Nicolas Jarry 7-5, 6-1 and reach the third round of the Paris Masters on Tuesday.
The second-seeded Spaniard was troubled by Jarry’s strong forehand at times. The Chilean broke his serve in the ninth game and held for 5-5. But Jarry double-faulted in his next service game to lose the first set.
“It was a little bit complicated, really happy to get through the first set,” Alcaraz said. “I have to get used to the speed of the court. It’s really fast for me.”
Alcaraz saved a break point in the third game of the second set with an ace and broke for a 4-1 lead with a crisp forehand winner.
Serving for the match, Alcaraz saved another break point with an ace to make it deuce and won the next two points, clinching victory when the erratic Jarry’s two-handed backhand clipped the net and went out.
“He’s a really dangerous player on these courts,” the 21-year-old Alcaraz said. “I’m super happy to win here.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion is looking for his fifth title of the year and next plays either 15th-seeded Ugo Humbert or American qualifier Marcos Giron.
“It’s been a great year so far,” said Alcaraz, who won major titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.
Tenth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece beat Alejandro Tabilo 6-3, 6-4 to stay in contention to reach the season-ending ATP Finals for the top eight players. It is being held in Turin, Italy, next month.
Seventh-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway, a three-time Grand Slam runner-up, started well before losing 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 to unseeded Australian Jordan Thompson.
In an earlier second-round match, sixth-seeded Andrey Rublev lost two tiebreakers and his temper as his hopes of qualifying for the Finals took a hit.
Rublev lost 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) to Francisco Cerundolo and was so frustrated at one point in the second set that he smashed his racket against his left knee at least seven times in succession and made it bleed.
The Russian player held the eighth and final qualifying place in the race for the Finals and could be overtaken by rivals.
US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz became the fifth player to qualify for the Finals. The big-serving American reached the season-ending tournament for the second time in three years. The indoor event takes place from Nov. 10-17.
Fritz joined US Open champion Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev in the field.
Sinner pulled out of the Paris Masters on Monday, citing a virus. The Italian player is guaranteed to finish the year as No. 1. He was the second high-profile player to pull out following seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.
In remaining first-round play, Holger Rune — who beat Djokovic in the 2022 final — advanced with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Matteo Arnaldi.
No. 9 seed Alex de Minaur beat Mariano Navone 7-5, 6-1 to stay in outside contention for Turin, while No. 12 Hubert Hurkacz lost 6-1, 6-3 to Alex Michelsen.
US Open semifinalist Jack Draper won 7-5, 6-2 against Jiri Lehecka; American Ben Shelton beat Corentin Moutet 6-3, 6-7 (8), 6-3, and Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard hit 28 aces in defeating US Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe 6-7 (5), 7-6 (4), 6-3.
Fresh from his title in Basel, Mpetshi Perricard next plays Karen Khachanov and will look to add to his 512 aces.
Frenchman Arthur Fils also progressed by edging Croatian Marin Cilic 7-6 (5), 6-4 and next faces Jan-Lennard Struff.
But veteran Richard Gasquet, who plans to retire after next year’s French Open, lost 6-3, 6-4 to Zizou Bergs.
