Briefly

IRAN

'Goodwill' sought by Teheran for deal talks

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Saturday that US officials tried to discuss restarting nuclear talks last month, but he insisted Washington must first release $10 billion of Teheran's frozen funds as a sign of goodwill. Iran has rejected direct talks with the United States, and indirect talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear accord aimed at keeping Iran from being able to develop a nuclear weapon stopped in June. The US used intermediaries at the United Nations last month to attempt to make contact, Abdollahian told state television.

AFGHANISTAN

Taliban hold victory rally outside Kabul

Taliban supporters and senior figures held their first mass rally outside Kabul on Sunday, in a show of strength as they consolidate their rule of Afghanistan. No foreign government has yet recognized the Taliban's rule, but their hold on power within the country is all but unchallenged seven weeks after they took the capital. Afghanistan's neighbor Pakistan has urged the world to engage with the Taliban. The United States and the European Union, which were major donors to the overthrown Afghan government, have warned that they will not recognize the Taliban government unless it becomes more inclusive.

UNITED STATES

Canadian charged over role narrating IS videos

A Canadian extremist who fought for the Islamic State group and narrated violent propaganda videos has been taken into custody by the United States and charged, the US Justice Department said on Saturday. Mohammed Khalifa, 38, who was born in Saudi Arabia, was captured during a firefight in January 2019 by Kurdish-dominated Syrian forces allied with the US. Khalifa left Canada in 2013 to join the IS in Syria, and by the next year had become a key member of its propaganda team because of his fluent English and Arabic, according to a statement from the department. He allegedly served as a lead translator in IS propaganda production and as the English-speaking narrator on two violent recruitment videos.

Pro-abortion protests draw tens of thousands

Wearing pink hats and T-shirts and shouting "Hands off my body", tens of thousands of women took to the streets across the United States on Saturday in protests aimed at countering a conservative drive to restrict access to abortions. In Washington, about 10,000 protesters rallied in a square near the White House under sunny skies before marching to the US Supreme Court, which will have the final say on the contentious issue.

Agencies - Xinhua