NEWS OF THE DAY
From Around the World
1 Nuclear deal: The head of the U.N. agency monitoring Iran’s nuclear deal with the U.S. and five other nations says Tehran is living up to its end of the agreement — comments that indirectly oppose President Trump’s view. The U.S. president refused last month to certify Iran’s compliance, saying the benefits Tehran is getting from the deal are not proportional to its concessions. Iran limited its nuclear program in exchange for an end to nuclear-related sanctions, but legislation now is pending before Congress that would attach additional conditions for existing U.S. sanctions relief — a move Tehran says would violate the pact. Speaking Thursday, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano told the IAEA’s 35-nation board that the “commitments being undertaken by Iran are being implemented.”
2 Papal visit: Pope Francis is planning a visit to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia next year, when the three Baltic nations celebrate their 100th anniversaries. Janis Siksnis, an adviser to Latvia’s president, confirmed it Thursday, saying no other details were yet available. The three Baltic nations declared their independence from Russia in 1918 but were incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940 and remained part of it until 1991. Francis has one other confirmed trip so far in 2018, a Jan. 15-22 visit to Chile and Peru.
3 African migrants: Rwanda is offering to host some of the African refugees who reportedly face abuse in Libya. Rwanda’s government said in a statement that “we cannot remain silent when human beings are being mistreated and auctioned off like cattle.” Rwandan Foreign Minister Louise Mushikiwabo tweeted this week that “Rwanda is small, but we will find some space!” U.N. chief Antonio Guterres has called for an immediate investigation into the reported sale of African migrants in Libya, saying transactions may amount to crimes against humanity. Guterres said he was “horrified” by video footage, broadcast on CNN, of the bidding and sale of migrant men seeking a better life.
4 Online hate speech: Facebook is adding 500 more contractors in Germany to review content posted to the social media site, after a new law came into force targeting online hate speech. The company says the staff will work for a service provider called CCC at a new office in the western city of Essen that was formally opened Thursday. German lawmakers approved a bill in June that could see social networking sites fined up to $59 million if they persistently fail to remove illegal content within a week. Critics say the law could force Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to decide what is legal or not.
5 Insect bread: One of Finland’s largest food companies is selling what it says is a first: insect bread. Markus Hellstrom, head of the Fazer group’s bakery division, said Thursday that one loaf contains about 70 dried house crickets, ground into powder and added to the flour. In Switzerland, supermarket chain Coop began selling burgers and balls made from insects in September. Insects can also be found on supermarket shelves in Belgium, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands. The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization has promoted insects as a source of human food, saying they are healthy and high in protein and minerals. The agency says many types of insects produce less greenhouse gases and ammonia than most livestock — such as methane-spewing cattle — and require less land and money to cultivate.