LAHORE, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan has rejected the US State Department’s listing of the South Asian country as a state of “particular concern” for religious freedoms, saying that the claim is “detached from realities on the ground.” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch expressed her disappointment with the issue, calling it a “...
MOSCOW (AA) – The Kremlin has thanked Saudi Arabia and the UAE for facilitating Thursday’s high-profile prisoner swap, as Russian national Viktor Bout returned home in exchange of American basketball star Brittney Griner. “We highly appreciate the role of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which traditionally make a s...
UNITED NATIONS (AA) – The UN demanded an immediate halt to the death penalty Thursday after Iran executed a man arrested during nationwide protests. “We stand firmly against the use of the death penalty,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters. “We join our colleagues in the Human Rights Office calling for an immedi...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Saudi Arabia and China have agreed to enhance their cooperation in different fields and support each other to preserve the integrity of their territories. Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday evening on a three-day official visit. A joint statement was issued by Saudi Arabia and China followin...
BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) – Kosovo began deploying more police units late Thursday to the north of the country as tensions rose between ethnic Serbs and the Pristina government, according to the Interior Ministry. Local media reported that non-Serb units of the Kosovo police had started entering the northern areas of Mitrovica to ensure secu...
ISTANBUL (AA) – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Thursday condemned the killing of three Palestinians by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. In a written statement, the OIC asserted that the crimes and ongoing attacks committed against the Palestinian people should be investigated and that Israel shoul...
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Likud Party of Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu has signed a deal with the far-right Zionist Shas party to join the upcoming government. Under the agreement, the head of Shas party, Aryeh Deri, will take the interior and health ministries in the first half of the government period (two years) while...
BERLIN (AA) – A group of far-right leaders and ex-military officers who plotted a coup in Germany had procured weapons and had concrete plans, the country’s domestic intelligence chief has claimed. “This group had a large network across the country, they had precise plans, they had been prepared to use violence, even if that meant […]...
ISTANBUL (AA) – Chinese President Xi Jinping has said China will work with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) “to foster a new pattern of multi-faceted energy cooperation.” Xi, who is in Saudi Arabia on a state visit, made the statement for local media publications. “The visit will carry forward our traditional friendsh...
BEIRUT (AA) – Lebanese lawmakers failed Thursday for the ninth time to elect a new president after the post was vacated Oct. 31. The vote was attended by 105 lawmakers in the 128-member parliament. Candidate Michel Moawad, backed by the Lebanese Forces party, received 39 votes, well short of the figure needed to win the […]
