UN atomic watchdog chief heading to Iran; seeks more access
Berlin: The head of the UN’s atomic watchdog agency will head to Tehran next week to press Iranian authorities for access to sites where the country is thought to have stored or used undeclared nuclear material, the organization said Saturday. It will be the first visit to Iran of International Atomic Energy Agency Director General […]
Belarus blocks news websites amid large protests
Minsk: Authorities in Belarus have blocked an array of news media websites reporting on the country shaken by two weeks of protests against authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko. The Belarusian Association of Journalists said Saturday that more than 20 sites had been blocked, including those of US-funded Radio Liberty and Belsat, a Polish-funded satellite TV channel […]
US faces opposition to demand to ‘snap back’ Iran sanctions
United Nations: The Trump administration ran into immediate opposition after its top diplomat officially informed the United Nations it is demanding the restoration of all UN sanctions on Iran, with allies and opponents declaring the US action illegal and doomed to failure. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted Thursday that the United States has […]
Mali’s junta spokesman promises transition to civilian rule
Bamako (Mali): The military junta ruling Mali following this week’s coup is seeking a transitional president to return the country civilian rule, the group’s spokesman said. Ismael Wague told The Associated Press that the newly formed National Committee for the Salvation of the People will meet with political parties and civil society groups to determine […]
Gaza militants fire 12 rockets, Israel strikes Hamas targets
Jerusalem: Palestinian militants fired 12 rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip overnight, nine of which were intercepted, and Israel responded with three airstrikes on targets linked to the territory’s militant Hamas rulers, the Israeli military said early Friday. It was the most serious exchange of fire along the Gaza frontier in months, but there […]
Libya’s government announces cease-fire, calls for elections
Cairo: Libya’s U.N.-supported government Friday announced a cease-fire across the oil-rich country and called for demilitarizing the strategic city of Sirte, which is controlled by rival forces. In a separate statement Aguila Saleh, speaker of the rival east-based House of Representatives, also called for a cease-fire. The announcements came amid fears of an escalation in […]
Time for world to show solidarity with Lebanese people: UN
Beirut (Lebanon): The head of the U.N. refugee agency says it’s time for the international community to show solidarity with the Lebanese people by offering assistance to a country that has hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees for decades. U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi also said the UNHCR is making its capacity and […]
Trump: US demands restoration of UN sanctions against Iran
Washington: The Trump administration is set to demand the restoration of all international sanctions on Iran in a move that will further isolate the U.S. at the United Nations, test the credibility of the U.N. Security Council and possibly deal a fatal blow to one of former President Barack Obama’s signature foreign policy achievements. At […]
Biden secures Democratic presidential nomination to challenge Trump
Washington: Joe Biden has officially been nominated the Democratic presidential candidate at the party’s unprecedented virtual convention to challenge Republican incumbent President Donald Trump in the November 3 election. Biden, 77, who served as vice president of the US for eight years from January 2009 to January 2017, would deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday. […]
Palestinians in Gaza rally against Israel-UAE deal
Gaza City (Gaza Strip):Hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday rallied against the U.S.-brokered deal to normalise ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Protesters burned Israeli and American flags, trampled on posters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump, and chanted “normalisation is betrayal to Jerusalem and Palestine.” […]
