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Iran holds off sending ambassador to Sweden in protest over Koran incident

Iran holds off sending ambassador to Sweden in protest over Koran incident

IRAN will refrain from sending a new ambassador to Sweden in protest over the burning of a Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said. A man tore up and burned a Koran outside Stockholm's central mosque on Wednesday, the first day of the Muslim Eid al Adha holidays. Swedish police charged the man who burned the holy book with agitation against an ethnic or national group. In a newspaper interview, he described himself as an Iraqi refugee seeking to ban it. Iran's foreign ministry summoned Sweden's charge d'affaires on Thursday to condemn what it said was an…
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Tributes  for late ANC leader Jessie Duarte

Tributes for late ANC leader Jessie Duarte

THE ANC, South Africa's governing party, has led South Africans in paying tribute to leading political activist Jessie Duarte, the organisation's deputy secretary-general who has passed on after a battle with cancer. Duarte, stepped down from her ANC duties to focus on her health. She passed away on Sunday and was buried later in the day, in line with Muslim rites. The South African government honoured Duarte by declaring an official funeral for her. SA President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Duarte, whom he described as a long-time anti-apartheid activist who served as a special assistant to former President Nelson…
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Afghanistan withdraws ambassador, diplomats from Islamabad

Afghanistan withdraws ambassador, diplomats from Islamabad

AFGHANISTAN has withdrawn its ambassador and diplomats from Pakistan's capital following the kidnapping of the ambassador's daughter, the Afghan foreign ministry said has announced, a new blow to relations at a sensitive time for the Afghan peace process. The daughter of Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan was seized on Friday and held for several hours by unknown assailants who left her with injuries and rope marks and Pakistan authorities have said they are investigating. "The Afghan government recalled the ambassador and senior diplomats to Kabul until the complete elimination of the security threats, including the arrest and punishment of the perpetrators,"…
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Morocco recalls its ambassador to Berlin

Morocco recalls its ambassador to Berlin

MOROCCO recalled its ambassador to Berlin for consultations yesterday in protest at what it described as Germany's "destructive attitude" towards Rabat's position on the Western Sahara issue. It accused Germany of engaging in "antagonistic activism" after the United States in December recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the territory, which is also claimed as an independent state by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front movement. Washington's decision, part of a deal that also involved increasing diplomatic ties between Morocco and Israel, prompted Germany to call a U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss the issue. In March, Morocco ordered all governmental departments and bodies to…
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Ousted Myanmar ambassador tells UK: reject the military’s envoy

Ousted Myanmar ambassador tells UK: reject the military’s envoy

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE and SARAH YOUNG MYANMAR’S ousted ambassador to the United Kingdom, who has been locked out of his embassy by the military, urged the British government yesterday to refuse to recognise the junta's envoys and send them back to Myanmar. In a move that has implications for Myanmar's network of diplomats across the world, the ambassador was locked out of his London embassy on Wednesday by his deputy at the behest of the Myanmar military which seized power in February. "We believe the UK government would not back those who are working for the military junta and we also…
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‘UN Security Council must act against Israel’s violations and illegal actions’

‘UN Security Council must act against Israel’s violations and illegal actions’

JERRY MATJILA  WE are meeting here today, as we do every month to discuss the situation in the Middle East, including the question of Palestine. Unfortunately, there is very little progress in resolving this conflict despite the continued and necessary focus on this conflict that has spanned over seven decades. Month after month we have heard of continued settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory, we have heard of the seizure and demolitions of Palestinian land, we have heard of the continued violations of the rights of the Palestinian people and the rejection of the internationally recognised parameters for direct…
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