U.N. official: Lebanese politicians watching as economy collapses
Lebanese politicians are watching the economy collapse, the senior U.N. official in Lebanon said on Wednesday, rebuking a political elite that has failed to form a government as the country sinks deeper into economic and financial crisis.
Ethiopia’s electoral board sets tentative August date for elections
Ethiopia’s electoral board said on Wednesday it expects to hold national elections on Aug. 16, 2020, the first vote under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who took office in 2018 and has directed political and economic reforms.
Displaced and scared: Yemenis still in limbo after almost five years of war
Widow Samirah Nasser and her eight children tried to return to their Yemeni village but were forced by relentless air strikes to return to the relative safety of a refugee camp.
Iran’s president dismisses idea of a new ‘Trump deal’ in nuclear row
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani dismissed on Tuesday a proposal for a new “Trump deal” aimed at resolving a nuclear row, saying it was a “strange” offer and criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump for always breaking promises.
China says rights groups that issued critical reports are biased
Two rights groups that issued reports this week criticizing China’s treatment of minorities at home and its interference abroad are biased and distorting facts, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Wednesday.
Iran’s Zarif says not sure how long a ‘Trump deal’ on nuclear issue would last
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Wednesday rejected any direct nuclear negotiations with the United States and said he wasn’t sure how long any pact by U.S. President Donald Trump would last.
South Korea says pushing ahead with North Korea engagement despite stalled talks
Inter-Korean cooperation doesn’t necessarily have to wait for the United States’ denuclearization talks with North Korea to progress, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on Tuesday after meeting her U.S. and Japanese counterparts in Calif…
Iran’s Zarif says 2015 nuclear deal ‘among best deals’: State TV
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday the country’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers was among the “best deals” he could envisage.
Ukraine asks Iran to return black boxes from crashed plane
Ukraine’s prosecutor’s office and security service have asked Iranian authorities to give Kiev black boxes from the crashed Ukrainian plane, the prosecutors office said on Wednesday.
Turbulent inauguration day in Guatemala, outgoing president hit by eggs
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei took office on Tuesday in a ceremony overshadowed by delays and protests against outgoing officials seeking immunity from prosecution, a reminder of the country’s deep-seated political corruption.
