WORLD
France announces return of ambassador to Australia
"The deep confidence crisis caused by Australia's decision will take a long time to resolve and will require concrete actions," the ministry said in a press release. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has instructed his country's ambassador to return to Australia to redefine the terms of the two countries' relationship and to defend France's interests in the wake of Australia's breach of contract.
Moscow vows retaliation for NATO's expulsion of Russian diplomats
"NATO's reluctance to interact has become obvious, and this seems to be definitive and irrevocable. We will proceed from this when developing response measures, which will follow," said Russia Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova during her weekly press briefing. She added that while the alliance's decision did not come as a surprise, it was nonetheless an arrogant and hypocritical move, especially as no official explanations were provided.
CIA sets up new mission centre for China
The new China Mission Center "will further strengthen our collective work on the most important geopolitical threat we face in the 21st century, an increasingly adversarial Chinese government," CIA Director William Burns said in a statement, echoing what the veteran diplomat had said during his Senate confirmation hearings would be among his main priorities.
Indian-American astronaut part of SpaceX Crew-3 mission
"NASA's SpaceX Crew-3 mission will carry NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron as well as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket to the space station," the US space agency said in a statement.
Abdulrazak Gurnah conferred Nobel Prize for Literature 2021
Announcing the award - the first to a non-European writer since Japan-born Kazuo Ishiguro in 2017 - the Swedish Academy cited his "uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee in the gulf between cultures and continents".
Palestine slams Israeli court's decision on Jews' right to pray at al-Aqsa
In a statement, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the move "a flagrant aggression against al-Aqsa Mosque", Xinhua news agency. The Al-Aqsa Mosque compound is a site holy to both Muslims and Jews, the latter of whom call it the Temple Mount.
EU vows to fix UK-France fishing row
"Finding a solution and continuity to the fishing activities of the European fishermen and women remains a top priority," Xinhua news agency quoted Vivian Loonela, the Commission's coordinating spokesperson for fisheries matters, as saying. Brexit has deprived several French fishermen of the right to operate in UK territorial waters.
Russia, Iran ready to resume nuke talks in Vienna: Lavrov
Russia opposes attempts of some countries to link the preservation of the Iran nuclear deal with Tehran's concessions on other issues, Lavrov said on Wednesday during a joint press conference with his visiting Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian following their talks in Moscow. Lavrov said that the international community is still waiting for the US to return to the nuclear deal and lift "illegal restrictions" on Iran and its economic partners.
US discloses size of nuclear stockpile
According to a report provided by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the US has 3,750 warheads as of September 2020, Xinhua news agency reported. "This number represents an approximate 88 per cent reduction in the stockpile from its maximum (31,255) at the end of fiscal year 1967, and an approximate 83 per cent reduction from its level (22,217) when the Berlin Wall fell in late 1989," the NNSA said.
New ISI chief's first priority is to crush Balochistan freedom movement
Following his appointment on Wednesday, Lt Gen Anjum replaced Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, who was seen with the Taliban after the fall of Kabul on August 15. Lt Gen Hameed, who was heading the spy agency since June 16, 2019, has now been appointed as Commander of the Peshawar Corps, which would make him eligible for the next Pakistan Army chief.
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