Rio de Janeiro, July 4 (IANS) At least two people were killed and several others injured after a bridge collapsed on a busy highway in the World Cup host city of Belo Horizonte in Brazil, media reports said. A car, a truck and a mini-bus were under the bridge when it fell Thursday, Xinhua quoted the […]
United Nations, July 4 (IANS) The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has reported that nearly 100,000 people are seeking protection in its bases across the country, and the number is likely to remain high, a spokesperson said Thursday. “Humanitarian partners are working together with UNMISS to improve the situation, wherever possible, both by improving the […]
Baghdad, July 4 (IANS) The leader of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region Thursday asked the regional parliament to prepare for a referendum on the independence of the region as well as the disputed areas adjacent to the country’s north, an official Kurdish website said. Masoud Barzani, leader of Iraq’s Kurdistan, asked the regional parliament “to organise a […]
Washington, July 4 (IANS) US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday they are focusing American military efforts in Iraq on securing the American embassy and personnel in Baghdad, while advising Iraqi security forces based on assessing the situation in the Middle East country. Hagel made the remarks while addressing a Pentagon press conference here. He also […]
United Nations, July 3 (IANS) Yemen, reeling from political instability and insecurity from jihadist attacks, is “on the brink of an economic collapse,” a UN humanitarian official said here Wednesday, blaming the mild, but popular, drug khat, for much of the Aden Gulf nation’s woes. “This is one of (the) largest humanitarian challenges in scale and […]
Washington, July 3 (IANS) The Obama administration Wednesday threw its weight behind Ukraine’s decision to end a ceasefire and resume military operations against the insurgents in the country’s east. White House spokesperson Josh Earnest blamed the armed militants for not observing the truce, saying “it only fueled separatist violence and allowed the separatists to make further […]
Brussels, July 3 (IANS) The European Union (EU) is “determined” to achieve a final and comprehensive agreement in the new round of Iran’s nuclear talks that started Wednesday in Vienna, EU’s foreign policy spokesperson Michael Mann said. “We are determined. We hope Iran comes with a positive and realistic attitude,” Xinhua quoted the spokesperson as saying. […]
Paris, July 3 (IANS) Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who was placed under formal investigation for influence-peddling, Wednesday said “politics manipulated judicial system” in a corruption probe that may taint the conservative’s political come-back. In his first interview since losing the presidential election two years ago, the ex-head of state stressed “the judicial system was manipulated”, […]
Berlin, July 3 (IANS) The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine Wednesday reconfirmed their commitment to sustainable peace and stability in Ukraine and stressed the necessity of achieving a sustainable ceasefire in the crisis-hit country. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his counterpart Laurent Fabius from France, Sergey Lavrov from Russia and Pavlo Klimkin […]
Moscow, July 3 (IANS) A full-scale gas crisis is looming in Ukraine unless Kiev settles its multi-billion-dollar debt to Moscow, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday. “Ukraine does not pay for gas. Their debt is enormous. They are taking gas from underground storage facilities,” Medvedev wrote on his Facebook account, warning there will be a […]