World News Roundup: EU no longer agrees on Balkan membership guarantee, diplomats say; Blending chalk and cheese: assembling a government for Germany and more

"Countries that did not condemn terrorist acts against Iran's nuclear site are not qualified to comment on inspections there," Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said during a visit to Moscow, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. '30 years of blah blah blah': Thunberg questions Italy climate talks Greta Thunberg and fellow youth campaigners struck a sceptical tone for this week's climate talks in Italy, saying much has been promised but little done to tackle global warming in almost three decades since the landmark Earth Summit.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

EU no longer agrees on Balkan membership guarantee, diplomats say

The European Union, fearing a political backlash in member states, can no longer agree to give a guarantee of future membership to the six Balkan countries once promised a place in the club, according to four diplomats and an internal document. An impasse over a declaration for a summit of EU and Balkan leaders on Oct. 6 is a low point in the EU's strategy to bring Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania and North Macedonia into the bloc. It coincides with a flare-up of tension at the Kosovo-Serbia border.

Blending chalk and cheese: assembling a government for Germany

Whether the Social Democrats' Olaf Scholz or a conservative becomes the next German chancellor, they will probably need to bring into their coalition two smaller parties that are far apart on many of the issues that will shape Germany's future. Any majority will rest on the Greens, led by former competitive athlete Annalena Baerbock and novelist Robert Habeck, and the business-friendly Free Democrats, led by former energy trader Christian Lindner, finding areas of agreement.

Swedish police investigate Gothenburg blast, four seriously hurt

Four people were seriously hurt in an explosion and fire on Tuesday in the Swedish city of Gothenburg and police are investigating whether an explosive device was placed at the scene. At least 16 people were taken to hospital after the early morning blast set ablaze an apartment bloc in a central residential area. Fire fighters pulled people from the building while others used tied sheets to lower themselves from balconies as grey smoke billowed out of stairwells and windows.

Cocaine and ecstasy found in river at Glastonbury Festival

A river that runs through the Glastonbury Festival, the largest greenfield music festival in the world, is contaminated with illicit drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy because stoned revellers often urinate on the ground, scientists said. Researchers from Bangor University found that concentrations of MDMA, known as ecstasy, quadrupled downstream in the Whitelake River in the week after the Glastonbury Festival when it was last held in 2019.

Spain declares volcano hit La Palma as disaster zone

Spain's government classified the island of La Palma, which has been struck by a volcanic eruption, as a disaster zone on Tuesday, a move that will trigger emergency subsidies and other support measures. The government announced a first package of 10.5 million euros ($12.30 million), which includes around 5 million euros to buy houses, with the rest to acquire furniture and essential household goods, government spokesperson Isabel Rodriguez told reporters on Tuesday.

The Taliban vowed no revenge. One Afghan family tells a different story

When the Taliban won back control of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar last month, they set out to settle a score with an old foe. As they searched for prominent local politician Ajmal Omar - who had helped drive the militants out of a Nangarhar district a year earlier and tried to dissuade young Afghans from joining them - Taliban members detonated explosives at his ancestral home.

Iran rejects U.S. demand for U.N. inspectors' access to nuclear site

Iran on Tuesday rejected a U.S. call to grant U.N. inspectors access to a nuclear site, saying Washington was not qualified to demand inspections without condemning a sabotage attack on the facility, Iranian state media reported. "Countries that did not condemn terrorist acts against Iran's nuclear site are not qualified to comment on inspections there," Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said during a visit to Moscow, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

'30 years of blah blah blah': Thunberg questions Italy climate talks

Greta Thunberg and fellow youth campaigners struck a sceptical tone for this week's climate talks in Italy, saying much has been promised but little done to tackle global warming in almost three decades since the landmark Earth Summit. Fears that climate change is worsening grew after a U.N. report in August warned the situation was dangerously close to spiralling out of control, with the world certain to face further disruptions for generations to come.

Belarus leader: change constitution to prevent opposition from taking power

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko called on Tuesday for changes to the constitution that would prevent an opposition movement that rose up against him in mass street protests last year from taking power, the state news agency Belta reported. President since 1994, Lukashenko has touted constitutional reform as a way out of the political crisis following a disputed election in August 2020. But his opponents have denounced such change as a sham exercise to keep the veteran leader in office.

Russia launches new case against jailed Kremlin critic Navalny

Russia's Investigative Committee has launched a new criminal case against jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and his allies, the committee said in a statement on Tuesday. The committee said it was investigating Navalny on suspicion of setting up an "extremist group" together with his associates. A Russian court has already outlawed Navalny's anti-corruption foundation as extremist and he himself is in prison for parole violations.

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