News

By James M. Dorsey | May 22, 2020 The United Arab Emirates and Turkey are locked into a regional power struggle that has fuelled conflict in Libya and could spark renewed fighting in Syria. It is a struggle, like that between Saudi Arabia and Iran, that threatens to keep the …

Iraq and Saudi Arabia agreed on Saturday to continue working to re-balance markets and stressed their commitment to output cuts agreed by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, Russia and other allies, Saudi state news agency SPA said. The comments came after Iraq’s Finance Minister Ali Allawi, who is …

New moon Angel sits at the opening to the street drain for a long time she has been sitting there. She heard so much talk; gossip about IT IT IT. She’s been coming to sit by the drain for days now waiting on Pennywise to appear. She’s not afraid. Why? …

The corruption trial of Benjamin Netanyahu opens on Sunday in a Jerusalem court, where he will become the first serving Israeli prime minister to face criminal prosecution, in a case he calls a political witch-hunt. Netanyahu is required to appear for the session in Jerusalem District Court, a week after …

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday discussed turmoil in Libya and Syria, as well as reopening economies around the world amid the global coronavirus pandemic, a White House spokesman said. “President Trump and President Erdogan discussed progress on reopening and boosting global economies in the …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned on Saturday of retaliatory measures against the United States if Washington caused problems for tankers carrying Iranian fuel to Venezuela, the semi-official news agency Mehr reported. “If our tankers in the Caribbean or anywhere in the world face trouble caused by the Americans, they (the …

The ongoing political and economic crisis in Lebanon is no longer news. The country is in a crisis that had been cooking since 1990, and finally came to its boiling point in recent months with new agents of corruption joining in 2005 under the motto of – ironically – “fighting …

US prosecutors are seeking to confiscate a rare ancient tablet from a Christian museum co-founded by the president of retailer Hobby Lobby. The 3,500-year-old artefact, from what is now Iraq, bears text from the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the world’s oldest works of literature. Prosecutors allege that an auction …

The Trump administration discussed last week whether to conduct its first nuclear test explosion since 1992, the Washington Post reported late on Friday, citing a senior official and two former officials familiar with the matter. The topic surfaced at a meeting of senior officials representing the top national security agencies …

In the 1951 science fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, an alien in human form visits the planet accompanied by a giant metallic robot and delivers an ultimatum: change your warlike ways or face obliteration. The movie ends with world leaders pondering their choice. By Aaron David Miller …

Iran’s Supreme Leader on Friday denounced Israel as a “tumor” to be eliminated and hailed Tehran’s supply of arms to Palestinians, drawing swift condemnation from the United States and European Union. Opposition to Israel is a core belief for Shi’ite-led Iran, which backs Palestinian and Lebanese Islamic militant groups opposed …

The U.S. withdrawal from the Open Skies treaty will affect the interests of all of its participants, who are also members of NATO, RIA state news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko as saying on Thursday. Russia has not violated the treaty and nothing prevents the continuation of …

The Palestinians have suspended contacts with the CIA after announcing an end to security coordination with Israel and the United States in protest at Israeli proposals to annex territory in the West Bank, a Palestinian official said on Thursday. Saeb Erekat, Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Washington …

Venezuela’s military will escort Iranian tankers bringing fuel to the gasoline-starved country as soon as they enter its exclusive economic zone, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Wednesday. His comments came after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido said the shipment should “alarm” Latin America. Both OPEC members are U.S. adversaries …

Lebanon is at risk of a major food crisis and many Lebanese may soon find it hard to afford bread because of an acute financial crunch and the fall-out of COVID-19, the prime minister warned. Writing in the Washington Post, Hassan Diab also warned of a global food security emergency …

An Israeli court rejected on Wednesday a request by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be absent from the opening of his corruption trial next week, saying he must abide by the practice of hearing the charges in person. Netanyahu had asked Jerusalem District Court to be excused from his May …

U.S. immunotherapy company Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc (INO.O) on Wednesday said its experimental vaccine to prevent coronavirus infection was shown to produce protective antibodies and immune system responses in mice and guinea pigs. The company’s shares, which have more than quadrupled this year, surged 17.7% to $17.13 in trading before the …

Iran’s navy will continue its “regular missions” in the Gulf, an Iranian military official was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency on Wednesday, a day after the U.S. Navy issued a warning to mariners there to stay away from U.S. warships. “The naval units of the Islamic Republic …

Global growth in new renewable energy capacity will experience its first annual decline in 20 years this year amid the coronavirus pandemic but is expected to pick up next year, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday. The world is set to build fewer wind turbines, solar plants and other …

With the United States weighing a response to a gasoline shipment from Iran to Venezuela, people waiting in line outside service stations in the country’s capital said they were eager to fill their tanks, regardless of how the fuel arrived. OPEC members Venezuela and Iran both are U.S. adversaries. A …

The U.S. Navy on Tuesday issued a warning to mariners to stay 100 meters (yards) away from U.S. warships or risk being “interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures.” Reuters is first to report the new warning, issued in detail in a notice to mariners. It follows …

Global carbon dioxide emissions could fall by up to 7% this year, depending on ongoing restrictions and social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic, research published in the journal Nature Climate Change showed on Tuesday. The study, by a group of scientists from institutions in Europe, the United States and …

The FBI cracked the iPhone encryption of the Royal Saudi Air Force trainee who killed three American sailors in a December attack at a naval base in Florida, and found evidence linking him to al Qaeda, Attorney General William Barr said on Monday. The shooter, Second Lieutenant Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, …

President Donald Trump may have fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick because he was investigating U.S. military sales to Saudi Arabia, Democratic lawmakers said on Monday, although Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he sought Linick’s removal because his work was undermining the department. Trump announced the planned removal …

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Monday to permanently halt funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) if it did not commit to improvements within 30 days, and to reconsider the membership of the United States in the body. Trump suspended U.S. contributions to the WHO last month, accusing it …

I was infected with COVID-19 and have recovered. The urge to go outside, meet with friends, hug them, and be with them is eating on my consciousness. But I can’t, because New York City is still on pause and has been since March 22, the date that New York State …

Oman’s decision to liquidate GlassPoint Solar company comes after the sharp fall in oil and gas prices caused by the global economic slowdown in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Oman news agency said, citing a statement from State General Reserve Fund. Oman owns 31% of shares in GlassPoint Solar. …

Syrian tycoon Rami Makhlouf issued a video statement on Sunday saying officials had told him to quit as head of mobile operator Syriatel, in the latest twist in a tussle over assets and taxes that has uncovered a rift at the heart of the ruling elite. Makhlouf, a cousin of …

Unconfirmed reports on social media say that the vicinity of the Artillery College in Ramouse, south of Aleppo, was targeted. An explosion has been heard in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, a SANA news agency correspondent said on early Saturday. There has been no confirmed information so far concerning possible …

Democrats in Congress on Saturday launched an investigation into President Donald Trump’s move to oust the State Department’s internal watchdog, accusing the president of escalating his fight against any oversight of his administration. Trump announced the planned removal of Inspector General Steve Linick in a letter to House of Representatives …

China’s ambassador to Israel was found dead in his home in a Tel Aviv suburb on Sunday, an Israeli police spokesman said. He did not comment on the cause of death of ambassador Du Wei, who was 57 years old and became ambassador to Israel in February, according to the …

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his new unity government to parliament on Sunday, ending more than a year of political deadlock but still facing a trial starting in a week for alleged corruption. His power-sharing agreement with former election rival, centrist Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, opens the …

By Hazem Samir | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2020-05-15 11:38 After China won its fierce battle with coronavirus epidemic, it joined other countries in fighting their own outbreaks of the deadly virus. Driven by moral commitment, China shipped a huge amount of medical aid to more than 80 countries around the …

Turkish authorities have detained 38 people including the local head of the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) in relation to an armed attack which killed two people in the eastern province of Van, governor’s office said on Friday. The attack on Thursday targeted two municipality personnel and a civilian returning …

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund has bought minority stakes in major American companies including Boeing (BA.N), Facebook (FB.O) and Citigroup (C.N), according to a U.S. regulatory filing. The $300 billion Public Investment Fund (PIF) has been buying minority stakes in companies across the world, taking advantage of market weakness in …

Virtual reality tours have replaced flag-waving rallies as Palestinians facing coronavirus restrictions create digital spaces to lament the loss of their physical homeland in 1948. Cellphone apps and Zoom video chats are among the other online tools being used to mark the Nakba, or “Catastrophe”, when Palestinians were forced from …

BY LYU JINGHUA   Neither side wants to appear weak, but recent actions and rhetoric by both sides has put all of us in greater danger of U.S.-China military tensions sliding into armed conflict. The coronavirus pandemic is reshaping the U.S.-China relationship — but in the opposite of the way …

Two brutal attacks this week laid bare major weaknesses of the U.S.-Taliban troop withdrawal pact: nothing in it obliges the Taliban to prevent such massacres and the Afghan government’s ability to thwart them will only wane as U.S. troops pull out. The pact is ultimately supposed to promote peace between …

The United States is considering measures it could take in response to Iran’s shipment of fuel to crisis-stricken Venezuela, a senior official in President Donald Trump’s administration told Reuters on Thursday. The United States has a “high degree of certainty” that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government is paying Iran tons …

A regular survey of experts on matters relating to Middle Eastern and North African politics and security (By MICHAEL YOUNG) Assaad al-Achi | Executive director of Baytna Syria, Syrian civil society activist Although leadership tensions, at least public ones, are extremely rare in Syria, they have always existed since Hafez …

The U.S. Senate narrowly blocked an amendment on Wednesday that would have prevented law enforcement from collecting information on Americans’ internet habits without a warrant, as the Senate moved toward a reauthorization of divisive surveillance tools. The Senate defeated the amendment sponsored by Republican Senator Steve Daines and Democrat Ron …

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday that Israel is now concentrating its attacks in Syria on missile-manufacturing sites. Israel has conducted many raids inside Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011. It sees the presence of Hezbollah and its ally Iran there as a strategic …

The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw Patriot anti-missile defense batteries from Saudi Arabia is likely to fuel an already brewing arms race as the kingdom attempts to catch-up with Iran’s nuclear development as well as its space, ballistic missile, and drone capabilities. By James M. Dorsey One thing is certain, …

Almost a third of gay and bisexual men report feeling vulnerable at home during the new coronavirus pandemic, with Brazilians particularly concerned, a global survey found on Tuesday, highlighting its wider mental health impacts. According to research conducted by the U.S.-based gay social network Hornet for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, …