Tehran, Nov 20 (IANS) The head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran has said Tehran will not allow any “special” inspections of the country’s nuclear facilities, media reported Thursday. “We will not accept any special inspections” by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that are exclusively planned for Iran’s nuclear facilities, Ali-Akbar Salehi said, […]
Kolkata, Nov 19 (IANS) China’s Yunnan province has formally invited West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for a visit to foster sister city relations between Kunming and Kolkata, an official said Wednesday. Kunming is the capital of Yunnan province while Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. According to Wang Xuefeng, […]
Baghdad, Nov 19 (IANS/EFE) At least five people were killed and 11 others wounded Wednesday in a car bomb suicide attack in Erbil, capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq, security sources told Efe news agency. The attack targeted Erbil’s municipal government headquarters, which had been spared until now despite the offensive that […]
Ramallah, Nov 19 (IANS) Palestinian Foreign Minister Reyad al-Malki Wednesday called on Spain to recognise the state of Palestine after its parliament voted overwhelmingly Tuesday in favour of establishing a Palestinian state. Al-Malki said in an emailed press statement that the Palestinian leadership expresses gratitude to the Spanish kingdom and all Spanish political parties for […]
Beirut, Nov 19 (IANS) The Lebanese parliament Wednesday failed for the 15th consecutive time since April to elect a new head of state to replace President Michel Suleiman, whose term ended May 25. Lack of the required constitutional two-thirds quorum in the 128-seat parliament was the reason that pushed Speaker Nabih Berri to call for […]
Baghdad, Nov 18 (IANS) Iraqi security forces launched a major offensive to recapture the town of Saadiyah in the eastern province of Diyala Tuesday while troops retook control of a village near the country’s largest oil refinery in Salahudin province, security sources said. Early Tuesday, security forces backed by Shia militias and aircraft carried out […]
Beirut, Nov 18 (IANS/EFE) At least 23 people were killed Monday and Tuesday by barrel bombs launched by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad near the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The observatory said that 13 of the victims, including two children, died Tuesday morning […]
Beijing, Nov 18 (IANS/TASS) Strengthening and expanding ties with China remains Russia’s overriding priority, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday. “Amid a highly volatile world situation, it becomes particularly important to strengthen reliable good-neighbourly relations between our countries,” Shoigu said at talks with his Chinese counterpart Chang Wanquan here. “This is not only an […]
Tokyo, Nov 18 (IANS/EFE) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the lower house of parliament Tuesday — just halfway through his mandate — and announced that snap elections will be held two years ahead of schedule. Abe made the announcement at a press conference where he explained that the move resulted from his decision to […]
Madrid, Nov 18 (IANS/EFE) The Spanish police have arrested 50 people across the country as part of an ongoing operation against an Indian network accused of tax fraud and other crimes in its commercial dealings, sources close to the investigation said Tuesday. Some 150 houses in different Spanish regions were being searched, while authorities have […]