Afghan blast kills 2 TV news employees
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A bus belonging to an Afghan TV station was hit by a roadside bomb Saturday in the capital, Kabul, killing two employees, said a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry.
Four other employees were wounded in the attack, said Marwa Amini, ministry deputy spokeswoman.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the violence, but Amini said the bus from Khurshid TV was the target.
Mohammad Rafi Sediqi, an official with Khurshid, confirmed the deaths of two employees. He said two wounded were in critical condition.
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Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, on his Twitter account denied involvement in the attack.
The Islamic State group affiliate is also active in Kabul and has claimed responsibility for recent attacks in the capital.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul condemned the attack and expressed condolences for the families of the victims. "Attacks on the media are attacks on Afghanistan's freedom and progress," the embassy said in a tweet. "We stand with free media and are working hard for a peaceful Afghanistan."
Feroz Bashari, a government spokesman, said on Twitter that an attack on journalists is an attack on freedom of speech and open media and cannot be justified. "The Afghan government is seriously investigating this attack. Such attacks are not acceptable for the Afghan government."
Merkel rules out in-person role at G-7
BERLIN -- Chancellor Angela Merkel will not personally attend a meeting in the U.S. with the leaders of the world's major economies if President Donald Trump goes ahead with it, unless the course of the coronavirus spread changes by then, her office said Saturday.
After canceling the Group of Seven summit, originally scheduled for June 10-12 at Camp David, Trump said a week ago that he was again considering hosting an in-person meeting of world leaders because it would be a "great sign to all" of things returning to normal during the pandemic.
Immediately after that announcement, Merkel suggested she had not yet made up her mind on whether to attend in person or by videoconference, but her office told the dpa news agency she has now made a decision.
"As of today, given the overall pandemic situation, she cannot commit to participating in person," her office said. It added that the chancellor would continue to monitor the coronavirus situation in case things change.
Europeans rap U.S. on Iran-waivers step
BERLIN -- The western European parties to the landmark nuclear deal with Iran on Saturday criticized a U.S. decision to end nearly all of the last vestiges of sanctions relief provided under the 2015 pact.
The U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the deal with Iran in 2018.
The deal promises Iran economic incentives in return for curbs on its nuclear program. The deal was meant to prevent Iran from developing a bomb.
With the reimposition of American sanctions, however, Iran's economy has been struggling, and it has been violating the restrictions of the pact to try to pressure the other nations to do more to help it economically.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo raised the stakes on Wednesday, saying he would revoke all but one of the sanctions waivers covering civil nuclear cooperation. The waivers had allowed Russian, European and Chinese companies to continue to work on Iran's civilian nuclear facilities without drawing American penalties.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministries of Germany, France and Britain said they "deeply regret the U.S. decision."
"These projects, endorsed by U.N. Security Council resolution 2231, serve the nonproliferation interests of all and provide the international community with assurances of the exclusively peaceful and safe nature of Iranian nuclear activities," they said.
Militants blamed in Burkina Faso deaths
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso -- Islamic extremists killed at least 15 people, including children, in an attack on a group of traders traveling between towns in northern Burkina Faso, the government said Saturday.
The victims of Friday's attack in Loroum province were being escorted by a defense group that was likely the target, according to a security report prepared for humanitarian organizations working in Burkina Faso.
Government spokesman Remis Fulgance Dandjinou said the attack was in response to increased efforts by the army to stem growing violence across the once peaceful West African country.
Nearly 2,000 people were killed last year as defense groups and the military sought to stem the violence by militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.
Already deaths have increased more than 40% this year, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
Local defense groups and government security forces have been accused of targeting the Peuhl, or Fulani, ethnic group for its perceived support of the jihadis. Friday's attack was most likely in retaliation "for targeting the Fulani people," said Siaka Coulibaly with the Center for Public Policy Monitoring by Citizens.
A Section on 05/31/2020