live WUF13 opening ceremony held in Baku as global forum advances sustainable urban development
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the of...
Iran's stance against the development of nuclear weapons will not significantly change, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera on Wednesday (18 March), cautioning that the new supreme leader is yet to publicly express his view on the matter.
Araghchi said Gulf countries would have to draft a new protocol for the Strait of Hormuz after the war ends. He added that safe passage must be ensured under conditions aligned with Iranian and regional interests.
Iran shut the vital energy gateway, through which a fifth of global oil and liquefied gas passes, saying it "won't even allow a litre of oil" to reach the U.S., Israel and their partners.
Speaker of the Iranian parliament Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf had also earlier tweeted that the strait’s situation will not return to its pre-war conditions.
The U.S. has sought to build a naval coalition to escort vessels navigating the strait, with most NATO allies refusing to get involved in military operations against Iran.
NATO-member France said it would only consider a joint international coalition to secure passage through the strait following a ceasefire and prior negotiations with Tehran.
Araghchi added that an end to the war was only conceivable if the conflict is permanently over throughout the region and Iran receives compensation for damages incurred.
Asked about Iranian strikes in the Gulf not only targeting U.S. military bases but also impacting residential or commercial areas, Iran's foreign minister said this was because U.S. forces relocated to urban areas.
"Wherever there were American forces gathering, wherever there were facilities belonging to them, they were targeted. It is possible some of these places were near urban areas," the top Iranian diplomat said.
Araghchi acknowledged that regional countries are "upset and their people have been harmed or bothered" by Iranian strikes, but added that the blame lay entirely with the U.S. for starting the war on 28 February.
Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the first time, taking victory in a final overshadowed by a boycott over Israel’s participation and the war in Gaza.
At least eight people were injured after a driver rammed a car into pedestrians in the northern Italian city of Modena, authorities said on Saturday. Four of the victims were reported to be in serious condition.
The World Urban Forum (WUF13) continues in Baku, Azerbaijan on 18 May, addressing the global housing crisis. The day’s agenda includes the official opening press conference, the WUF13 Urban Expo opening and a ministerial dialogue on the Nairobi Declaration to advance Africa's urban agenda.
At least eight people have died and 32 others were injured after a freight train collided with a public bus at a railway crossing in Bangkok on Saturday (16 May), triggering a fire that quickly spread through the vehicle.
U.S. President Donald Trump says China's Xi Jinping agreed Iran must reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran prepares a new shipping mechanism. Tensions over the U.S. blockade and stalled nuclear talks continue to disrupt global oil supplies.
A new documentary by AnewZ Investigations titled 'Target Yerevan' is set to premiere in Baku soon, examining allegations surrounding former International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, Armenian lobbying networks, and wider political influence campaigns.
Thousands of displaced families in Gaza are facing growing infestations of rats and insects as worsening sanitation conditions and mounting waste deepen the humanitarian crisis across overcrowded camps, according to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
Uzbekistan has launched a nationwide environmental initiative titled ‘Day Without Cars’, which will take place twice a month as part of efforts to improve air quality and reduce vehicle emissions.
The thirteenth session of the World Urban Forum will open in Baku on Sunday, bringing together government representatives, city leaders, urban planners, international organisations, businesses and civil society to discuss the future of sustainable urban development.
Matiul Haq Khalis, Director General of Afghanistan’s National Environmental Protection Agency, has travelled to Baku to attend the 13th World Urban Forum, where climate change and safer cities will be discussed.
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