News / News Bulletin

"NATO leaders stand together on Russia"

Saturday, 09 July 2016 1:11 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 09 July 2016 1:11 PM ]

(Front row, L-R) Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite, Polish President Andrzej Duda, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, US President Barack Obama, Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani and Afghanistan's Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah pose along with other leaders for a family photo during a NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland. © AFP

Here is a round-up of global news developments:

Iran has dismissed recent remarks by German Chancellor Angela Merkel who claimed that Tehran’s missile launches were inconsistent with a UN resolution. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi says Tehran’s missiles are merely defensive and not designed to carry nuclear warheads. He says the program does not violate UN Resolution 2231.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg says the leaders of the military alliance share the same stance regarding Russia. At a Warsaw summit, they agreed to maintain a united policy of deterrence and dialogue with resurgent Russia. The Kremlin says talk of a threat from Russia is absurd.
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron has announced the deployment of more soldiers to Afghanistan for the first time since the UK’s withdrawal from the country began. The number of soldiers is being increased from 450 to 500, while the departure date of all soldiers has been delayed until 2017.
The Syrian army has liberated a strategic town east of the capital Damascus. Maydaa was recaptured following fierce clashes with the Jaysh al-Islam terror group over the past two weeks. The town served as a supply line to the militant-held East Ghouta region near Damascus.
Foreign-backed militants have fired a dozen mortar rounds into the northern Syrian city of Aleppo. This a day after over 20 civilians died in another mortar attack in the city. Violence in Aleppo has recently escalated amid an offensive by the Syrian army to crush armed groups.
North Korea is said to have carried out yet another missile test, amid simmering tensions on the Korean Peninsula. South Korea says Pyongyang has launched a ballistic missile from a submarine off the northeastern port of Sinpo. So far, no comments from the North about the possible missile firing.
Thousands of people have rallied across several US cities to protest against police brutality. The demonstrations were held in Atlanta, New York City, Philadelphia and Phoenix. President Barack Obama will cut short his trip to Europe, and travel to Dallas in a bid to ease tensions.
A Soyuz space capsule has docked with the International Space Station after a two-day voyage. The docking was carried out in automatic mode at a height of 412 kilometers above the Earth. Three new crew members from Russia, Japan, and the United States will be delivered to the space station.