World News Roundup: North Macedonia hosts its first Gay Pride march

North Macedonia hosts its first Gay Pride march

North Macedonia held its first Gay Pride march on Saturday, in a test of the conservative Balkan country's record on respecting minority rights as it seeks to join the European Union. Gay men, lesbians and other members of the LGBT community continue to face discrimination and hate attacks across the Balkans. North Macedonia is among the last countries in the region to hold a Pride event.

Iran to resist U.S. sanctions, just as it withstood Iraqi chemical attack: Zarif

The Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday that Iran would resist any U.S. sanctions, just as it persevered during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war when the forces of the then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein launched a chemical attack on an Iranian town. "We persevered then, and will now," Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted in reference to the chemical attack on Sardasht. "We'll never forget that Western world supported & armed Saddam ... Security Council never condemned his gassing of our people."

Trump offers North Korea's Kim weekend meeting in demilitarized zone

U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a weekend meeting with Kim Jong Un at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea on Saturday, an encounter North Korea said would be meaningful in advancing relations if it goes ahead. If Trump and Kim do meet, it will be for the third time in just over a year, and four months since their second summit broke down with no progress on U.S. efforts to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.

Wildfires and power cuts plague Europe as heatwave breaks records

Hundreds of firefighters battled on Saturday to contain wildfires in southern France as a stifling heatwave brought record-breaking temperatures to parts of Europe, killing at least three people in Italy. In the Gard region, where France's highest temperature on record was registered on Friday at 45.9 degrees Celsius (114 degrees Fahrenheit), scores of fires burned some 600 hectares (about 1,500 acres) of land and destroyed several houses and vehicles, emergency services said. Italian police arrest migrant-rescue ship captain after docking

Italian police arrested on Saturday the German captain of a migrant-rescue ship at the centre of a standoff with the Italian government after she docked at the island port of Lampedusa. The Dutch-flagged Sea-Watch 3, operated by German charity Sea-Watch, has been at sea for more than two weeks with 40 rescued Africans on board. The Africans were allowed to disembark and were taken to a reception centre on the island. Trump says he appreciates Saudi purchase of U.S. military equipment

President Donald Trump said on Saturday he appreciated Saudi Arabia's purchase of U.S. military equipment, calling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a "friend of mine" who had worked to open up the country with economic and social reforms. Trump's plan to boost defense sales to the kingdom has hit obstacles in Congress, where Democrats and some fellow Republicans are not happy about human rights abuses, including the murder last year of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Ethiopia airs voice of alleged coup leader killed in crackdown

Ethiopia has released a recording of the state militia commander it says led a failed coup attempt last week in which dozens of people, including five top officials, were killed. A state militia commanded by Brigadier General Asamnew Tsige attacked government buildings in Bahir Dar, the state capital of Ethiopia's Amhara region on June 22. Putin says Russia will do all it can to improve ties with U.S.

Russia's president said on Saturday that Moscow would do all it could to improve relations with the United States that have been strained by years of diplomatic conflicts over Ukraine and accusations of Russian meddling in U.S. elections. Vladimir Putin was speaking at the G20 summit in Osaka where he met U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss issues ranging from trade to disarmament. He also invited Trump to visit Moscow in May next year. Taliban kill 26 government militiamen as talks enter crucial stage

Taliban militants killed at least 26 members of a pro-government militia in north Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said, as the militants and U.S. negotiators prepared for a new round of peace talks in Qatar. The U.S. officials and the Islamist militants are due to launch a seventh round of talks later on Saturday, in what one U.S. official said was a "make-or-break moment" in efforts to end the 18-year war. Turkey's Erdogan says U.S. will not impose sanctions over Russian missile deal

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday the United States did not plan to impose sanctions on Ankara for buying Russian defense systems, after the U.S. president said Turkey had not been treated fairly over the contract. The NATO allies have been at odds over Turkey's decision to procure the Russian S-400 missile defense systems, with Washington warning of sanctions if the deal goes through.