Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begged President Barack Obama on Monday to keep the sanctions against Iran in place because Netanyahu remains skeptical about the Iranian government’s assurances that it would negotiate about its nuclear programs. Netanyahu said he worries that Iran is just being friendly so it has time to continue making a bomb. Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke on the phone this weekend, marking the first time in more than 30 years a United States and an Iranian official had spoken directly.

Inspectors on Tuesday will begin ensuring Syria does not have the ability to produce more chemical weapons after Nov. 1. A Russian initiative helped avert a military strike from the U.S. by getting Syria to agree to destroy its stockpile completely by mid-2014. Although U.S. and Russian officials are working to hold a peace conference in November between the Syrian government and those rebelling against it, the opposition group continues to struggle to decide whether President Bashar Assad should step down.

The United Nations and an elder rights group will release a study Tuesday saying the world is not prepared to handle its increasing aging population. The report ranked the social and economic well-being of the elderly in 91 countries; Sweden took the top spot, and the U.S. came in eighth. The report said people more than 60 years old will outnumber those younger than 15 by 2050 for the first time in history.

Information is from the Associated Press.

Contact Carrie Blazina at [email protected].