As Iran talks near end, UN nuclear watchdog chief in Tehran

TEHRAN — The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog met Saturday with Iranian officials as talks in Vienna over Tehran’s tattered atomic deal with world powers appear to be reaching their end. Rafael Mariano Grossi of the International Atomic Energy Agency described his weekend visit to Tehran as a means “to address outstanding questions” […]

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Taliban condemns Peshawar suicide blast

KABUL – Afghan Taliban on Friday strongly condemned the attack on a mosque in Peshawar martyring more than 50 people and wounding around 200 others. Taliban spokesman and Afghanistan s Deputy Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid in his latest Tweet while strongly condemning the Peshawar bombing said that there was “no justification” for attacking people in places […]

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Russia reports cease-fire in 2 Ukraine areas for evacuations

LVIV – The Russian military initiated a temporary cease-fire in two areas of Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate, Russian state media reported Saturday, the first breakthrough in allowing people to escape the war. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for the strategic port […]

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Afghan war displaced settle in the ruins of a lost city

LASHKAR GAH – Once the winter residence of sultans from illustrious Islamic dynasties, the ruins of a thousand-year-old royal city in southern Afghanistan have become home to hundreds of people who have fled Taliban clashes. The astonishing ochre clay complex juts from the cliffs along the Helmand River, threatened by decay and encroaching urban sprawl […]

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Britain holds crisis meeting over virus travel ban

LONDON – Prime Minister Boris Johnson was to chair a crisis meeting Monday as a growing number of countries from France to Argentina blocked flights to Britain over a new highly infectious coronavirus strain the UK said was “out of control”. The World Health Organization also called for stronger containment measures across Europe, which has […]

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Rockets hit near US embassy in Iraq as tensions flare

BAGHDAD – A volley of rockets exploded near the US embassy in Baghdad Sunday, as tensions mount ahead of the anniversary of the US killing top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on Iraqi soil. AFP reporters in the capital s east heard at least five booms on Sunday night, followed by whistling sounds. A few moments later, […]

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Covid-19 outbreak: Saudi Arabia suspends international flights and land and sea entry for a week

CAIRO – Saudi Arabia suspended late on Sunday all international commercial flights for a renewable week except for the foreign flights already in the kingdom which will be allowed to leave, state news agency SPA reported quoting an interior ministry source. The source added the entry to the kingdom through land and sea ports will […]

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Indian farmers intensify protests as deadlock over new laws continues

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI -Tens of thousands of Indian farmers on Sunday intensified their protests against three new agricultural laws aimed at overhauling food grain procurement and pricing rules by allowing private companies direct access to the vast agrarian sector. Angry farmers staged demonstrations near New Delhi after rejecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assurances that the laws […]

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US government confirms cyberattack

WASHINGTON – The US government confirmed Sunday that its computer networks had been hit by a cyberattack, as The Washington Post reported at least two departments had been targeted by Russian state hackers. “We have been working closely with our agency partners regarding recently discovered activity on government networks,” a spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and […]

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Explosion rocks Singapore-flagged tanker off Saudi port

RIYADH – An explosion rocked a Singapore-flagged oil tanker off the Saudi port city of Jeddah Monday, the vessel s owner said, in the latest apparent strike on energy sector targets in the kingdom. All 22 sailors aboard the tanker BW Rhine escaped unhurt after the blast struck just after midnight, Singapore-based shipping company Hafnia said, […]

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