US, Russia hold high-stake talks on Ukraine as NATO warns of ‘severe costs’ if Ukraine attacked

Top US and Russian officials have held high-stake talks aimed at easing tensions over Ukraine amid warnings by NATO that Russia would face “severe costs” if it launched an attack on its former Soviet neighbor.

In surprising decision, Saudi English-language daily appoints rabbi as regular columnist

Saudi Arabia’s English-language daily newspaper Arab News has appointed a prominent rabbi as a regular current affairs columnist, as Israel is working behind the scenes towards normalization of diplomatic relations with the Riyadh regime.

Iran calls on France to revise anti-Muslim laws after assault on religious freedom

senior Iranian rights official has called on France to revise laws targeting the Muslim minority across the European country after the French government ordered the closure of nearly two dozen more mosques in a fresh assault on freedom of religion.

France closes 20 more mosques in fresh assault on religious freedom

China berates US over double standards on free speech after Assange verdict

Amid outcry, calls mount for urgent action to protect Afghan Shias

Global condemnations continue to pour in after terrorist bombers attacked a Shia mosque in southern Afghanistan and killed dozens of worshipers attending Friday prayers.

Over 50 killed in massive bomb blast claimed by Daesh at Shia mosque in Afghanistan’s Kunduz

A bomb attack claimed by the Daesh terrorist group on a Shia mosque in Afghanistan’s northeastern city of Kunduz has killed more than 50 people and left score of others injured.

US, NATO talked of democracy, war on terror but only sought ‘own interests’ in Afghanistan

In a post on his official Twitter page on Wednesday, Mohammad Javad Zarif hit out at Washington and the US-led military alliance of NATO for boasting about their efforts to help democracy and war on terror, saying the events in Afghanistan proved they even failed in their declared bid.