Iran says talks with US will remain ‘indirect’, to focus solely on nuclear issue, lifting sanctions
Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme, along with...Geostrategy
Osaka Expo 2025 opens: World gathers amidst hope and global tensions
From quirky Hello Kitty algae sculptures to demonstrations of flying vehicles and lunar samples, the Osaka Expo offers a fascinating...Economy Geostrategy Global
Turkmenistan unveils $5 bn city in honor of national leader
Arkadag, Turkmenistan -- Turkmenistan on Thursday inaugurated Arkadag, a $ 5-billion "smart" city built in honor of former strongman leader Gurbanguly...The new city is named after Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who ruled over the country between 2006 and 2022 and now carries the title Hero Arkadag (Protector).
The former president, who turned 66 on Thursday, remains the real decision-maker in the country, observers say.
EU presses Tunisia in bid to stem Med migrant flow
In early June, European Union countries reached agreement on a long-stalled revision of the bloc's asylum rules. It aims to...The discussion will come two weeks after a boat believed to have been carrying hundreds of migrants capsized off Greece in one of the worst such tragedies in years
Amnesty International and other rights groups say the tragedy resulted from Brussels' "Fortress Europe" policy implemented over the past seven years
ADB partners committed US$11.4bn to cofinance Asia-Pacific projects in 2022
MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Asian Development Bank's financing partners committed US$11.4 billion to confinance projects in 2022 that boosted the resilience...The report reveals that ADB and its partners enabled the countries to face current and emerging shocks.
ABD and its partners financed projects that helped developing members strengthen trade and small businesses.
Dangerous provocation: Muslim nations condemn Quran burning
Under a heavy police presence, Salwan Momika stomped on the Quran before setting several pages alight in front of Stockholm's...The incident occurred as Muslims around the world began marking the Eid al-Adha holiday and as the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia was drawing to a close.
Iraq's influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr called for a demonstration outside theh embassy in Baghdad to demand the removal of the ambassador.
Key judicial reform clause thrown out, says Israeli PM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had "thrown out" a key provision of his controversial judicial reform plan that...The proposed changes to the justice system have also drawn intense criticism from the international community.
The proposals had sparked one the country's biggest protest movements with thousands taking to the streets since they were announced in January.
Turkey to hold NATO talks with Sweden next Thursday
Turkey dropped its objections to Sweden's nordic neighbour Finland joining earlier in the year and Helsinki became a NATO member...NATO counterparts have been pushing Turkey to grant the green light to Sweden by the time a summit is held in Lithuania on July 11-12
Sweden and Finland last year reversed decades of hesitation and formally applied to join NATO after Russia invaded Ukraine
Iran takes Canada to UN court over terror compensation
The UN's top tribunal said on Wednesday that Iran has taken Canada to the International Court of Justice for allowing...Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was downed shortly after take-off from Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people aboard
Canada broke diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 as relations frayed over Tehran's support for Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, its nuclear program
Rescue ship saves 86 migrants off Libyan coast: charity
The UN's International Organization for Migration estimates that 1,724 migrants had disappeared trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe so...Spokesman for the charity said that most of the migrants were minors, trying to cross the Mediterranean on their own, without family
Italian authorities said the passengers can disembark at its port of Bari, which the charity said was still a three-day voyage away
Kuwait, France discuss bilateral ties, cooperation on regional, global issues
Paris, France - Kuwait and France discuss bilateral relationship and cooperation on regional and global issues of shared interests on Tuesday. The...Kuwaiti foreign minister Sheikh Salem emphasized the close ties between the two nations, and the high level of cooperation they have achieved across various fields
The discussions also covered a wide range of topics, including the historical links between the two countries and strategies for strengthening their ties
Iranian pilgrims at ease during hajj post Riyadh-Tehran detente
MECCA, SAUDI ARABIA- If a landmark reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran has eased tensions in the Gulf, clouds have also...An Iranian tour operator who has joined the hajj on several occasions said he was feeling "comfort and safety" in Saudi Arabia.
More than 86,000 Iranians, including 300 aged over 80, are on this year's hajj, according to Iranian media reports.
