World Echo

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called United States State Secretary Marco Rubio to advise him to evacuate US citizens and diplomats from Kyiv, as the Kremlin plans to continue heavy strikes on the Ukrainian capital, according to a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday, Bloomberg reported. According to the report, citing the statement, the Russian foreign minister called his US counterpart at the request of President Vladimir Putin to tell him that Russia was launching systematic and consistent strikes against facilities in Kyiv as well as against the relevant “decision-making centres”. Bloomberg wrote that Russia had bombed Ukrainian cities regularly, Kyiv included, since 2022. However, it added that this Sunday, Ukraine came under a massive Russian drone and missile barrage that included an Oreshnik ballistic missile. 🇷🇺🇺🇸📞 On May 25, Russia's FM #Lavrov & US Secretary of State @SecRubio spoke over the phone Lavrov off...

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that securing a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory remains a national priority. “The path to a complete Israeli withdrawal remains a steadfast national demand, one that the Lebanese state is working to achieve through negotiations,” Aoun said in a statement carried by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA). The remarks came as Lebanon marked Resistance and Liberation Day, commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of occupation. Read: Israel pounds Lebanon despite truce Aoun said negotiations with Israel “will not be an act of concession or surrender,” but instead represent Lebanon’s effort to assert its sovereign right to protect its territory through the country’s military and security institutions. Beirut and Tel Aviv have held three rounds of direct talks mediated by the United States since mid-April in efforts to establis...

Over 1.5 million Muslims began filling a vast tent city in the holy city of Mecca on Monday for an annual Hajj pilgrimage carried out against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the war in the Middle East. The white-robed pilgrims on buses or on foot arrived at the sprawling encampment in Mina after performing the "tawaf" — walking seven times around the Kaaba, the giant black cube at Mecca's Grand Mosque. The start of the Hajj came as United States President Donald Trump continued to send mixed signals over a possible agreement to extend an uneasy ceasefire with Iran and a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This year's rites, drawing Muslim worshippers from across the world, including Iran, follow waves of Iranian attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours. Read: What we know about the possible US-Iran deal Saudi officials have been keen to keep conflict far from the minds of visitors, many of whom have travelled long distances for on...

The United States and Iran appear closer than ever to a deal that would end a war that has engulfed the Middle East and disrupted the global oil market. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the world might “get some good news” soon after President Donald Trump announced an agreement had been “largely negotiated” and would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Before Trump’s announcement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei spoke of “a trend towards rapprochement” with Washington, but warned that “it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues.” He said on state television that Iran’s “intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement,” before a final deal is reached within 30 to 60 days. What do we know about the possible agreement? Nuclear question Baghaei said that the nucle...

More than 20 people are trapped under the rubble of a building under construction in the Philippines that collapsed on Sunday, officials said, as rescue ​efforts continued. Five people were confirmed trapped, including two in contact with rescuers, ​and 18 more were feared under the rubble, officials said. "We have five ⁠confirmed trapped victims, and we have a figure of 18 workers from the list ​of construction workers on duty today, but no feedback yet from their families. This ​brings the estimated number of trapped victims to 23 as of today," Maria Leah Sajili, information officer at the regional Bureau of Fire Protection, told a press briefing. At the site of the collapsed multi-storey building ​under construction in the city of Angeles, north of the capital Manila, rescuers were seen ​clambering over a mound of concrete slabs and mangled steel, covered in green netting, searching for ‌survivors. The ⁠number of rescued, including those in the vicinity, remai...

Iran on Saturday attributed difficulties in the Pakistan-mediated negotiations between Tehran and the United States to what it described as Washington’s repeated failure to uphold its commitments, contradictions, and excessive demands, according to Press TV. It stated that Iran's UN mission warned that the US's excessive demands and obstructionism pushed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty into "free fall." The mission stressed that without genuine progress on nuclear disarmament, the NPT had no future. "The NPT Review Conference failed for the third consecutive time due to obstructionism by the United States and its allies." Iran's UN mission warns that US excessive demands and obstructionism have pushed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty into "free fall," stressing that without genuine progress on nuclear disarmament, the NPT has no future. Follow: https://t.co/B3zXG74hnU pic.twitter.com/DdnthFcEtf — Press T...