World News Roundup: Taliban car bomb kills at least 14; Greek conservatives tipped to unseat Tsipras and more


Devdiscourse News Desk | Updated: 07-07-2019 18:34 IST | Created: 07-07-2019 18:30 IST
World News Roundup: Taliban car bomb kills at least 14; Greek conservatives tipped to unseat Tsipras and more
Image Credit: ANI

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russian-led assault in Syria leaves over 500 civilians dead: rights groups, rescuers

At least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people injured since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern Syria began two months ago, rights groups and rescuers said on Saturday. Russian jets joined the Syrian army on April 26 in the biggest offensive against parts of rebel-held Idlib province and adjoining northern Hama provinces in the biggest escalation in the war between Syrian President Bashar al Assad and his enemies since last summer.

Iranian tanker wasn't headed to Syria: Iran deputy foreign minister

An Iranian tanker captured by British Royal Marines in Gibraltar was not headed to Syria, Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Sunday in a press conference broadcast live on state TV. Royal Marines seized the tanker on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic intervention described as "maritime robbery" by Araqchi.

Iran ratchets up nuclear tensions with enrichment plan

Iran said on Sunday it will boost its uranium enrichment in a few hours above a cap set by a landmark 2015 nuclear deal, a move that could eventually culminate in the return of all international sanctions on Tehran. In a sign of heightening Western concern, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Iran's decision as a "violation" of the pact which the United States pulled out of last year.

Sri Lanka on alert as Buddhist hardliners hold first meeting after Easter attacks

Police lined the streets of the Sri Lankan highland town of Kandy on Sunday and the army was on standby as hardline Buddhist monks gathered for their first big assembly since Easter attacks by Islamist militants on churches and luxury hotels. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, the influential head of the Buddhist nationalist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), has called for as many as 10,000 clergymen from across the country to attend the meet.

Trump administration 'uniquely dysfunctional', says Britain's ambassador to U.S.: newspaper

Britain's ambassador to the United States described President Donald Trump's administration as "dysfunctional", "clumsy" and "inept", the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported, citing a series of confidential memos. In memos to the British government which date from 2017 to the present, Kim Darroch said Trump "radiates insecurity" and advises officials in London that to deal with him effectively "you need to make your points simple, even blunt".

Taliban car bomb kills at least 14 as group holds peace talks in Qatar

A Taliban attack on a government security compound in central Afghanistan on Sunday killed at least eight security personnel, six civilians and wounded more than 180, officials said, as rival Afghan groups met in Qatar to discuss peace. Islamist Taliban fighters detonated a car bomb in Ghazni city near an office of Afghanistan's main intelligence service, the National Directorate of Security (NDS), during Sunday morning's rush hour, officials said.

In first post-bailout vote, Greek conservatives tipped to unseat Tsipras

Greeks voted on Sunday in the first general election since the country emerged from international bailouts, with polls predicting the conservatives will return to power and end four years of leftist rule blamed for saddling Greece with more debt. Opinion polls put New Democracy's lead at around 10 percentage points ahead of ruling Syriza, potentially giving it an absolute majority in Greece's 300-seat parliament.

Hong Kong protesters march again, reaching out to Chinese visitors

Tens of thousands of protesters marched through one of Hong Kong's most touristy areas on Sunday, trying to gain support from mainland Chinese visitors for the city's opposition to an extradition bill which has caused political turmoil. Protests against the now-suspended bill have drawn millions of people to the streets in the former British colony in recent weeks, posing the biggest challenge Beijing has faced to its rule in the territory since Hong Kong returned to Chinese control in 1997.

Syrians, facing orders to demolish homes, fear fate in Lebanon

Dima al-Kanj's house is now a pile of rubble and twisted metal. It was just a concrete hut near the Lebanese border, but she had spent five years trying to make it cozy for her children after fleeing the war in Syria.

UK's Labour discusses timing of no confidence vote with Conservative lawmakers

Britain's opposition Labour Party will call a no-confidence vote in the government when it believes members of the ruling Conservatives will support it, the party's trade spokesman Barry Gardiner said on Sunday. Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to become prime minister this month, has said Britain must leave the European Union on Oct. 31 with or without a deal. Several Conservative lawmakers have said they would consider voting to try to bring down a government which was pursuing a no-deal Brexit.

(With inputs from agencies.)

Give Feedback