UN chief urges Israel to stop settlement construction
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Israel to stop occupying Arab territories. Speaking to reporters in Beirut on Sunday, he said that both old and new Israeli settlements were illegal and that they hampered efforts to create a Palestinian state.
Assad orders general amnesty for anti-government protesters
Syrian President Bashar Assad announced a general amnesty for anti-government protesters on Sunday, in a decision that comes 10 months after the beginning of mass protest rallies in the city of Daraa. The opposition has repeatedly called for an immediate release of all demonstrators which is also in line with the Arab League’s peace plan on Syria.
Qaeda militants seize town near Yemen capital
Al Qaeda militants have seized a small town about 170 km southeast of Yemen’s capital Sanaa, Reuters reports, citing local police witnesses. They said the militants entered the town of Radda in al-Baydah province on Saturday night with little resistance from a small contingent of police and seized an ancient citadel and mosque.
Russia grabs bronze at Freestyle World Cup dual moguls
On Sunday, Russian athletes won bronze in dual moguls events at the FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup in Mont Gabriel, Canada. Russia’s Yekaterina Stolyarova yielded to Hannah Kearney of the United States and Canada’s Justin Dufour-Lapointe who won gold and silver, respectively.
Russia slams US anti-terror law
Russia sees the latest US anti-terror legislation as a violation of international law in general and provisions of the 1966 International Civil and Political Liberties Pact in particular.
Iran asks Gulf oil exporters to go easy on output in event of EU sanctions
Iran has asked the neighboring Gulf states not to increase oil production if the EU goes ahead with its threat to slap sanctions on Tehran, Iran’s OPEC envoy Mohammed-Ali Hatibi said on Sunday. The US and some other Western countries accuse Iran of developing atomic weapons under the guise of peaceful nuclear research.
Parliamentary elections under way in Kazakhstan
The early parliamentary elections are under way in Kazakhstan, with no violations registered, according to the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries. About 1,000 international observers are monitoring the elections which see the participation of 7 political parties. Each party is to garner at least 7 percent of the vote to make it to the parliament.
Another survivor rescued from wrecked Italian ship
Rescue teams looking for missing passengers of the Costa Concordia luxury cruise ship that ran aground near the coast of Tuscany late Friday, have found another survivor, the AP reports citing local emergency officials.
Phobos-Grunt fragments to fall on Earth late Sunday
Fragments of the failed Russian Phobos-Grunt Mars probe will fall on the Earth between late Sunday and early Monday, the Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said. It added that the fragments will fall on a strip between 51.4 degrees North and 51.4 degrees South. No more than 20-30 fragments of Phobos-Grunt can fall on the Earth.
Iran Wars Episode 1: The gulf menace
by RT
Iran plays a critical role in the Persian Gulf and, with its strategic geography, totally dominates the northern gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. But does it have enough resources to block and hold the strategic route in…
Five killed as explosion tears ship apart off Korean coast (VIDEO)
by RT
A 4191-tonne freight vessel carrying oil exploded on Sunday morning in the Yellow Sea off South Korea’s port city of Incheon. Five crew members of the total of 11 Koreans and five Burmese have been killed, while six…
‘Qatar is aligned with US in destabilizing Syria’
by RT
The emir of Qatar has become the first Arab leader to voice support for military intervention in Syria should the bloodshed continue there. Does that mean Doha is aligned with the West’s agenda in the region?
Russian News From Russia…