Israel cancels Al Jazeera reporter's press credentials
Israeli authorities have cancelled the press credentials of an Al Jazeera reporter, after he said his journalism was part of the Palestinian "resistance". Elias Karam, a senior reporter at Al Jazeera's Jerusalem bureau, said in an interview to the Muslim Brotherhood TV channel Dar Al-Iman: "As a Palestinian journalist who is in an occupied area or a conflict area, journalistic work is an integral part of the resistance and of political and educational action.
Iran dismisses US criticism on religious freedom
Iran's Foreign Ministry dismissed a recent annual report by the US government on the lack of religious freedom in the Islamic republic. The Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that the US Department of State's report is "unrealistic, baseless and biased", and the document has been prepared to serve only political purposes.
No war on Korean peninsula: South Korean President
South Korean President Moon Jae-in said that a war on the Korean peninsula will never happen again and assured that the US will not take any military action against Pyongyang without Seoul's consent. He also commented that "the US sought to put maximum pressure and sanctions through the latest UN Security Council resolution," while at the same time it is "seeking unilateral measures".
Obama's tweet in response to Charlottesville breaks record
Former US President Barack Obama's response to the weekend's violence in Charlottesville in US state of Virginia, has broken the record for most Twitter likes, with a number of over 3 million on the social media platform. "No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion..." Obama tweeted Saturday night, quoting Nelson Mandela from the former South African president's autobiography "Long Walk to Freedom."
Australian far-right leader wears burqa to Senate
Australian far-right leader Pauline Hanson wore a burqa to the Senate in behalf of her One Nation party's efforts to ban the garment in the country. Attorney-General George Brandis condemned Hanson's stunt and "counselled and cautioned" her against causing offence to religious groups. Hanson's motion to ban the burqa will be debated in the Senate.
Pakistan's anti-graft body summons Sharif, sons
Pakistan's anti-corruption body has issued summons to disqualified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his two sons to appear before it on Friday in money laundering and graft cases. The apex court had directed the anti-corruption body to file four reference cases by September 8 against Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz, his two sons, son-in-law Muhammad Safdar and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.
India should not forcibly return ethnic Rohingya refugees: HRW
India should abide by its international legal obligations and should not forcibly return ethnic Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, where they face persecution, without fairly evaluating their claims as refugees, said Human Rights Watch. The organisation said about 16,500 Rohingya living in India are registered with the United Nations Refugee Agency, while the government contends that tens of thousands are unregistered.
(With input from agencies)