News in Brief -2024-11-23

Ten killed in attack on Sufi shrine in Afghanistan: interior ministry
At least 10 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on a Sufi shrine in Afghanistan's northern Baghlan province, an interior ministry spokesman told AFP on Friday. "A man fired on Sufis taking part in a weekly ritual at a shrine in a remote area of Nahrin district, killing ten people," the ministry's Abdul Matin Qani said. — AFP
Iran to launch 'advanced centrifuges'
in response to IAEA censure
Iran said Friday it would launch a series of "new and advanced" centrifuges in response to a resolution adopted by the IAEA that censures Tehran for what the agency called lack of cooperation. "The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued an order to take effective measures, including launching a significant series of new and advanced centrifuges of various types." The censure motion brought by Britain, France, Germany and the United States at the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation board followed a similar one in June. But it comes with tensions running high over Iran's atomic programme, with critics fearing that Tehran is attempting to develop a nuclear weapon -- a claim the Islamic republic has repeatedly denied.
The resolution -- which China, Russia and Burkina Faso voted against -- was carried with 19 votes in favour, 12 abstentions and Venezuela not participating, two diplomats told AFP. — AFP
NATO member Romania signs deal
with US to buy F-35 jets
NATO member Romania on Thursday signed a deal with Washington to buy 32 F-35 jets, an unprecedented expenditure for the country neighbouring Ukraine.
Romania is the latest to acquire the combat jets, more than two and a half years after Russia invaded Ukraine. With an estimated cost of $6.5 billion approved by Romania's parliament, it is the most expensive military purchase by the poor eastern European country, which has gained in strategic importance since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The F-35A combat aircraft, which are expected to begin arriving in the early 2030s, will "significantly strengthen" Romania's defence capabilities, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said at the signing ceremony. — AFP
Past diplomacy only confirmed US
hostility: Kim Jong Un
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his past negotiations with the United States only confirmed Washington's "unchangeable" hostility toward Pyongyang and described his nuclear buildup as the only way to counter external threats, state media said Friday. Kim spoke Thursday at a defense exhibition where North Korea displayed some of its most powerful weapons systems, including intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to target the U.S. mainland, the North's Korean Central News Agency said. While meeting with army officers last week, he had pledged a "limitless" expansion of his military nuclear program. — AP