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Leading challenger and reformist presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi greets the media before speaking at a late night press conference in Tehran after polls closed in the Iranian presidential elections, 12/06/2009.

Release of Iran leaders gets tick

Iran’s top security body has approved the release of opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

A large pyrocumulus cloud (or cloud of fire) explodes outward during the Carr fire near Redding, California on July 27, 2018. Two firefighters have died and more than 100 homes have burned as wind-whipped flames tore through the region. / AFP PHOTO / JOSH EDELSON

‘Firenado’ torches California

The death toll is rising as monster wildfires — including one so powerful it erupted into the sky — tear through bone-dry US state.

updatedThe World

This handout photograph taken on July 29, 2018 and released by the Nusa Tenggara Barat Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) shows an Indonesian man (R) standing among the collapsed ruins of a house following an earthquake in Lombok. A shallow 6.4-magnitude quake struck the Indonesian island of Lombok on July 29, the United States Geological Survey said. / AFP PHOTO / Nusa Tenggara Barat Disaster Mitigation Agency / Handout / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT

Ten dead in Lombok quake

At least ten people have died after a powerful tremor hit the Indonesian island of Lombok, close to Bali.

(FILES) This file photo taken on March 20, 2015 shows FIFA president Sepp Blatter holding a press conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich at the end of a two-day meeting to decide the dates of the 2022 World Cup football tournament in Qatar. US women's football star Hope Solo accused Sepp Blatter of sexual assault on November 10, 2017, claiming the disgraced former FIFA president groped her backside at the 2013 Ballon d'Or ceremony. The 36-year-old Solo, her country's standout goalkeeper, claimed the 81-year-old Blatter pounced as she was about to present an award to her teammate Abby Wambach. / AFP PHOTO / MICHAEL BUHOLZER

Qatar a thorn in FIFA’s side

Today’s disclosures threaten to dash the hopes of a calm passage to Doha, in the wake of a successful World Cup in Russia.

JONATHAN CALVERT and GEORGE ARBUTHNOTT

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - DECEMBER 02: FIFA President Joseph S Blatter names Qatar as the winning hosts of 2022 during the FIFA World Cup 2018 & 2022 Host Countries Announcement at the Messe Conference Centre on December 2, 2010 in Zurich, Switzerland. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Qatar sabotaged Australian bid

A whistleblower has revealed that ex-CIA agents were hired in a dirty tricks campaign to land the 2022 World Cup tournament.

JONATHAN CALVERT and GEORGE ARBUTHNOTT

qatar world cup black opsThe Times

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (R), Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy (C) and Federal Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull (L) hold up football scarves as Australia launches its 37 million USD bid to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup at Parliament House in Canberra on June 14, 2009. The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) said the key strengths in its bid are proximity to Asia, bipartisan political support, and Australia's track record of hosting major events, such as the 2000 Olympic Games. AFP PHOTO/Torsten BLACKWOOD

Professor caught up in Cup plot

Adelaide university economist offered Qatari cash to write a report criticising Australia and sabotage our World Cup bid, emails reveal.

JONATHAN CALVERT and GEORGE ARBUTHNOTT

REDDING, CA - JULY 28: A Cal Fire firefighter mops up hot spots after the Carr Fire moved through the area on July 28, 2018 in Redding, California. A Redding firefighter and bulldozer operator were killed battling the fast moving Carr Fire that has burned over 80,000 acres and destroyed hundreds of homes. The fire is 5 percent contained. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Residents flee California fire

Thousands of residents have fled a monster wildfire in Northern California which has already killed two firefighters.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 11, 2002, Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick prays during a prayer for deceased bishops at the start of the morning session of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops being held in Washington, DC. Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Cardinal McCarrick, who is accused of sexually abusing a teenager nearly five decades ago, the Vatican said on July 28, 2018. McCarrick, the former archbishop of Washington, was removed from the ministry in June after a review board found there was

Pope strips US cardinal of title

The Pope has ordered the former archbishop of Washington to conduct a “life of prayer and penance” amid sex abuse claims.

COMMENTThe Times

Migrants and refugees wait for security check after crossing the Macedonian border into Serbia, near the village of Miratovac, on January 29, 2016. More than one million migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Europe in 2015, nearly half of them Syrians, according to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR. The International Organisation for Migration said las week that 31,000 had arrived in Greece already this year. / AFP PHOTO / ARMEND NIMANI

It’s cruel to be kind to migrants

The line between economic and political migrants is so blurred that we will have to tighten the definition of ‘refugee.

Matthew Parris

Mary Mhuriyengwe (C) leads workers cleaning an abandoned and dusty office desk for Zimbabwean commercial farmer Rob Smart (TOP) at Lesbury Estates in Headlands east of the capital Harare on February 1 2018 days after Smart was allowed to return to his land. When the riot police arrived, Zimbabwean farmworker Mary Mhuriyengwe saw her life fall apart as her job and home disappeared in the ruthless land seizures that defined Robert Mugabe's rule. Mhuriyengwe, 35, watched as police carrying AK47 rifles released teargas to force white farmer Robert Smart off his land in June 2017 -- perhaps the last of 18 years of evictions that helped to trigger the country's economic collapse. / AFP PHOTO / Jekesai NJIKIZANA

Whites side with devil they know

Rob Smart was forced off his farm – yet now he hopes the party that launched Zimbabwe’s catastrophic land grab will win the election.

Jane Flanagan

NORFOLK, ENGLAND - JULY 27: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales visits 617 Squadron, the UK's first F-35 Lightning Squadron based at RAF Marham, Kings Lynn on July 27, 2018 in Norfolk, England. (Photo by Chris Radburn - WPA Pool/ Getty Images)

Prince defends pedophile bishop

Private letters have revealed Prince Charles complained of the ‘monstrous wrongs’ done to a disgraced sex offender.

Sean O’Neill

Wall Street Journal

CEO opens up about his affairs

Seeking a fresh start with his wife, tech founder Mike Cagney admits sex with subordinates was behind his abrupt departure.

Peter Rudegeair

FILE - In this May 19, 2017 file photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters from a balcony of the Ecuadorian embassy in London. The Justice Department's indictment Friday, July 13, 2018 of 12 Russian military intelligence officers for U.S. election hacking undermine denials by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that the Russian government was the source of stolen Democratic Party emails published by the anti-secrecy organization. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein, File)

Assange ‘facing expulsion’

Source reveals WikiLeaks founder’s self-imposed incarceration in Ecuadorean embassy is about to end.

Graham Keeley and John Simpson

US politics

HELSINKI, FINLAND - JULY 16: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin arrive to waiting media during a joint press conference after their summit on July 16, 2018 in Helsinki, Finland. The two leaders met one-on-one and discussed a range of issues including the 2016 U.S Election collusion. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

World’s most complicated RSVP

Trump is open to visiting Moscow, and Putin is open to visiting the White House. But it’s not as simple as it seems.

(FILES): This September 11, 2001 file photo shows pedestrians running from the scene as one of the World Trade Center Towers collapses in New York City following a terrorist plane crash on the twin towers. Seventeen years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the remains of a 26-year-old finance worker killed in New York has been formally identified thanks to advances in DNA testing, officials announced Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Scott Michael Johnson is the 1,642nd person to be identified of the 2,753 people killed when two passenger jets, hijacked by Al-Qaeda, destroyed the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center, the symbol of New York's financial wealth. Johnson worked as a securities analyst at investment banking company Keefe, Bruyette and Woods, New York's chief medical examiner Barbara Sampson said. / AFP PHOTO / DOUG KANTER

Al-Qa’ida’s not done with us yet

After 30 years, the deadly group’s cycle of violent successes and near-death experiences is yet to run its course.

David Kilcullen

World Commentary

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, walks with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa after their meeting for bilateral talks talks at the government's Union Buildings, Tuesday, July 24, 2018. Jinping is in the country to attend the three-day BRICS Summit starting Wednesday in Johannesburg. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)

Be wary of China’s vision

Chinese President Xi Jinping “project of the century” may help some economies, but at a political cost.

The Economist

National Affairs

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis addresses a press conference with his Norwegian counterpart Frank Bakke-Jensen, at the Ministry of Defense in Olso, Norway, on Saturday, July 14, 2018. (Jim Watson/Pool Photo via AP)

US sent missing soldiers’ DNA

Australia has supplied the US with DNA of 43Australian soldiers lost in North Korea in hopes of their remains being identified.

Cameron Stewart

STANFORD, CA - JULY 24: Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop (L) speaks as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo looks on during a press conference at the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) at the Hoover Institution on the campus of Stanford University on July 24, 2018 in Stanford, California. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis are participating in the two-day AUSMIN forum at Stanford University. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Plan B is China, India, Japan

The Trump factor has placed our security environment is in flux, calling for a flexible policy response.

John McCarthy

TOPSHOT - This general view shows emergency workers among damaged vehicles in a open parking area of northern Athens on July 26, 2018, after a flash flood struck the Greek capital. The flood follows fires, which broke out in Greece on July 23, the deadliest in living memory. At least 82 people have been confirmed dead, while emergency crews were continuing to search incinerated homes and vehicles for at least 27 missing, who include nine-year-old twin girls from the village of Mati. / AFP PHOTO / ANGELOS TZORTZINIS

Illegal buildings blamed for fires

Grief and shock over Greece’s deadliest wildfires were clouded yesterday by a bitter debate over who was to blame.

A picture taken on July 26, 2018 shows Israeli security forces at the Adam settlement in the occupied West Bank where a stabbing attack took place. / AFP PHOTO / Ahmad GHARABLI

Israel to build new units

Israel is to build hundreds of new homes in a settlement in the occupied West Bank where a Palestinian stabbed three Israelis.

In this handout photograph released by political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on July 26, 2018, Pakistan's cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, and head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party, addresses the nation at his residence in Islamabad a day after general election. Pakistan cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan claimed victory on July 26 in the country's tense general election marred by allegations of

Khan needs coalition to be PM

Imran Khan may have won the election, but the former national cricket captain hasn’t become the prime minister yet.

Cricket star-turned-politician Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), speaks to members of media after casting his vote at a polling station during the general election in Islamabad, Pakistan, July 25, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC163C748B00

Mercurial man in a volatile mix

Much that Imran Khan says about Pakistan and his rise to power is simply untrue. Pakistan’s nukes remain the most dangerously vulnerable in the world.

Greg Sheridan

Wall Street Journal

Supporters of Pakistan's cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, and head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party, celebrate in Karachi on July 26, 2018, a day after a general election. Pakistan cricket hero turned politician Imran Khan has claimed victory on July 26, in the country's tense general election marred by allegations of

For Imran, winning was easy

Imran Khan has promised much on his long road to power. Now comes the hard part of delivering.

Sadanand Dhume

PYEONGTAEK, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 27: A U.N. honor guards carries a box containing remains believed to be from American servicemen killed during the 1950-53 Korean War after arrived from North Korea, at Osan Air Base on July 27, 2018 in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. North Korea returned the remains of some U.S. soldiers who died during the 1950-53 Korean War on Friday, following through on a promise North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un made to U.S. President Donald Trump when the leaders met in Singapore on June 12. (Photo by Ahn Young-joon - Pool/Getty Images)

North Korea returns US dead

A US military aircraft flew the remains of more than 50 American servicemen out of North Korea yesterday.

FILE - In this March 31, 2002 file photo, Former Pakistani cricket stars and winners of World Cup 1992, Imran Khan, left, and Javed Miandad chat at a reception to celebrate the 10 years anniversary of victory at the World Cup 1992, in Lahore, Pakistan.

Imran’s political inning begins

By the force of his skills and personality, the charismatic Imran Khan endured in the toughest job in Pakistan for a decade.

AnalysisUS politics

PEOSTA, IA - JULY 26: U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a round-table discussion with business leaders at Northeast Iowa Community College on July 26, 2018 in Peosta, Iowa. The stop is the first of two Midwest stops the president has scheduled for today. Later this afternoon Trump will visit U.S. Steel's Granite City Works near St. Louis. Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

Trump fears farming backlash

With elections looming, Donald Trump is in campaign mode, trying to avert a backlash among US farmers hurt by tariffs.

Cameron Stewart

FILE - In this file photo taken on Sunday, April 22, 2018, Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya listens during an interview with The Associated Press in Moscow, Russia. Veselnitskaya, the Moscow lawyer said to have promised Donald Trumpâ€™s presidential campaign dirt on his Democratic opponent worked more closely with senior Russian government officials than she previously let on, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Dmitry Serebryakov, File)

‘Trump knew of Russian meeting’

Donald Trump’s ex-lawyer says he knew in advance of a meeting in which Russians promised to share dirt on Hillary Clinton.

World Commentary

In this photo supplied by the South African Government Communications and Information Services (GCIS), Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, centre with scarf, arrives at the Waterkloof Airforce Base in Pretoria, South Africa, to attend the BRICS Summit in Johannesburg. Zimbabwe goes to the polls Monday in historic elections. ( Jacoline Schoonees / South African Government Communication and Information Services via AP)

Never smile at the crocodile

Presenting himself as a reformed character, President Emmerson Mnangagwa says he will rescue Zimbabwe. Don’t believe it.

The economist