TEHRAN, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Sunday said Iran is ready to help establish strong relations between regional states and the European Union (EU).

He made the remarks when meeting with Luigi Di Maio, the EU special representative for the Gulf region, in the Iranian capital of Tehran, according to a statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Amir-Abdollahian said Iran welcomes any EU initiative to enhance cooperation between the block and regional states.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The Ukrainian military said Monday that it recaptured strategic gas and oil drilling platforms from Russia in the Black Sea and claimed gains in occupied areas near Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine left in ruins after the war’s longest and deadliest fighting.

The recapture of the so-called Boyko Towers platforms provides an energy source and takes back an asset that Russia seized in 2015 and used to launch helicopters, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said.

DAMASCUS, Sept 11 (NNN-SANA) – UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, yesterday underscored the need for a political solution to Syria’s enduring crisis, warning that, failing to address the political dimensions of the crisis will perpetuate the ongoing economic turmoil and humanitarian suffering in the country.

LIMA, Sept 11 (NNN-ANDINA) — The United Kingdom (on Nov 9, 2022) was the last country to allow visa-free entry of Peruvians into its territory. 

It is worth knowing that there are other countries like Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and more, where Peruvian nationals can travel using only their passport and/or ID card.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Chile on Monday was commemorating the 50th anniversary of the coup led by Gen. Augusto Pinochet, which ushered in a brutal military dictatorship that lasted almost 17 years.

The commemoration began with a ceremony at the La Moneda presidential palace, which was bombed by warplanes at the start of the coup.

Sept 11 (Reuters) - Moderna (MRNA.O) said on Monday it has struck a deal with German drug developer Immatics (4A3.F) for developing cancer vaccines and therapies, and would pay $120 million in cash and additional milestone payments.

Moderna said the companies would use Immatics' drug discovery platform to develop mRNA-based cancer vaccines, and also study its own cancer vaccine for use in combination with Immatics' cancer therapy IMA203.

CAIRO (AP) — At least 27 people were reported dead Monday in flooding in eastern Libya, but one of the country’s leaders said as many as 2,000 or more are feared dead after Mediterranean storm Daniel caused devastating floods over the weekend in the North African nation.

HELSINKI, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- David Wu, Visit Finland's director of Greater China, said in a recent written interview with Xinhua that he was excited by China's decision to reopen group tourism to Finland.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has recently issued a notice allowing nationwide travel agencies and online tourism companies to operate outbound group tours and offer "flight + hotel" packages for Chinese citizens to a third batch of selected countries and regions, including Finland.

NEW YORK (AP) — JetBlue Airways said Monday it has reached agreement to turn over Spirit Airlines’ operations at airports in Boston and Newark, New Jersey, as JetBlue ramps up its effort to win regulatory or court approval to buy Spirit.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hays said the announcement “is aimed at removing any doubt of our commitment to promoting competition.”

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 11 (NNN-Bernama) — The Malaysian government will implement a multi-tiered levy system in the near future, said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

It is aimed at securing job opportunities for locals and promoting automation and mechanisation while maintaining the policy of limiting foreign workers to 15 per cent of the total workforce.

According to Anwar, skills mismatch, low wages, and slow productivity growth are the key issues hindering Malaysia’s ability to transition to a high-income economy.

CAIRO, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Arab League (AL) on Sunday welcomed the admission of the African Union (AU) as a permanent member to the Group of 20 (G20), expressing hope that the pan-Arab organization would enjoy the same status.

AL Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit welcomed in a statement the G20 leaders' decision on AU's entry into the group.

On Saturday, G20 members agreed to grant permanent membership to the AU in an effort to make the group more representative.

RIYADH, Sept 11 (NNN-SPA) – Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday, the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States, to establish intercontinental green transit corridors.

The MoU, signed on Friday, provides a framework for developing a protocol for establishing green transit corridors through the kingdom, to connect Asia and Europe.

This project aims to facilitate the transit of renewable electricity and clean hydrogen, via transmission cables and pipelines, as well as, constructing rail linkages, said the report.