BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati has affirmed that “opportunities are still available to salvage what can be saved in the country,” referring to the severe economic crisis Lebanon has been in the grip of for two years. This marked Mikati’s first comment after he was named by Presiden...
WASHINGTON (AA) – UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Ramiz Alakbarov has said that dialogue with Taliban authorities is key in the crisis-hit nation, as the situation regarding human rights and the economy remains precarious. Alakbarov said at a UN Security Council meeting that basic human rights, freedom of expression and freedom...
Beirut, Lebanon – (AFP) Lebanon’s lawmakers designated incumbent Prime Minister Najib Mikati to form a new government Thursday, more than a month after parliamentary elections that yielded no clear majority. The 66-year-old billionaire, who had been widely expected to keep his job, secured 54 votes during parliamentary consultation...
ISTANBUL (AA) – An Iranian court has ordered the United States to pay $4.3 billion in compensation for the killing of the country’s nuclear scientists. Iran blames Israel, a major ally of the US, for the assassination of a number of Iranian nuclear scientists in recent years. “The 55th Civil Court of Tehran ordered the […]
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – Life is gradually returning to normal in northeastern Bangladesh, which was devastated by the worst floods in a century. However, the suffering of people is far from over as they have lost everything and face new challenges in resuming their lives. Last week’s flood in Sylhet district, known for tea cultivation, ...
AMMAN, Jordan (AA) – Jordanian King Abdullah II left Amman on Thursday for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Royal Court said in a statement. The statement, however, did not provide details about the duration of the visit or the agenda of the talks. The […]
TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Thursday Iran is ready to resume talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, following talks with his Russian counterpart in Tehran. At a joint press conference with Sergey Lavrov in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian urged the United States to be “realistic” regarding reaching an a...
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah met with Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Beirut, according to the Lebanese group on Thursday. A Hezbollah statement said the two sides dwelt on political developments and threats in the region. They discussed developments on the ground in the Palestinian territories an...
ISTANBUL (AA) – NATO on Thursday confirmed that it would provide security support to Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. “The support will include training against threats posed by Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) materials, which will be delivered by Slovakia and NATO’s Joint CBRN Defence Centre of Exc...
ANKARA (AA) – Turkmenistan announced on Thursday that it will send humanitarian assistance to earthquake victims in Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, while addressing Mohammad Fazel Saber, charge d’affaires of the Afghanistan Embassy in Ashgabat, expressed his country’s willingness to provide humanitarian assistance to ...
