Tag Archives: United States

Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to love skating on thin ice. In the past he negotiated the status of the Kuril Islands – which have been an integral part of Russia for over seventy years – with Japan, and now he is suggesting that the peace talks between Moscow and …

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that a meeting of four international mediators for resolving the intensifying Israeli-Palestinian conflict is urgently required. Israel said it killed 16 members of the Hamas armed wing in Gaza in a barrage on Wednesday. At least 56 people have been killed in …

The Middle East quartet of mediators – the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations – discussed on Tuesday reviving “meaningful negotiations” between Israel and the Palestinians with the aim of a two-state solution. In a statement following their meeting, the quartet said that both Israel and …

The Afghan government and the Taliban agreed on Friday to try to accelerate peace talks, at a meeting in Moscow that followed an international conference there on the peace process, a senior Afghan official was quoted as saying. The United States, Russia, China and Pakistan called on Afghanistan’s warring sides …

U.N. rights experts urged 57 states on Monday to repatriate nearly 10,000 of their citizens – women and children associated with Islamic State fighters – held in camps in northeast Syria in “sub-human” conditions without legal process. Under international law, these states have a duty to repatriate their citizens and, …

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed the UN Security Council on Tuesday to indefinitely extend an arms embargo on Iran before it expires in October. Speaking at the virtual briefing, Pompeo warned that its expiration would risk the stability of the region. “Iran will hold a sword of Damocles …

Just when China influence over Europe seemed to expand into full blast, the Covid-19 crisis seems to have put a serious stop to it. The biggest geopolitical prize in the raising USA – Chinese challenge is the European Union, formerly anchored securely in the Western side but in recent years …

A U.S. warship has sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait for the second time in a month, Taiwanese and U.S. militaries said on Friday.Taiwan and US militaries are on heightened alert amid increased activity by China’s armed forces near the island, and a Chinese aircraft carrier passed near the island …

[I wrote this blog piece  in October 2016, on the eve of the US presidential election. Given all the discussion today of what kind of a system we are trying to protect and restore under Corona Virus, I thought it would be relevant to revisit it on the eve of …

A petition to investigate the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for “crimes against humanity” and “medical malpractice” has amassed more than 385,000 signatures from concerned citizens. Almost four times the number required to get a response from the White House. By Arthur Blok The “We the People” petition asks the …

US President Donald Trump warned that China could face consequences if it was “knowingly responsible” for the coronavirus pandemic, as he ratcheted up criticism of Beijing over its handling of the outbreak. “It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn’t,” Trump said at a White …

Bernie Sanders has endorsed the Democratic candidate and former vice president Joe Biden for president, a week after the progressive senator ended his campaign. The announcement on Monday was made in an event Mr Biden streamed live online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Appearing on a split screen and with …

Turkey has given recordings on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to Saudi Arabia, the United States, Germany, France and Britain, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday. Turkish sources have said previously that authorities have an audio recording purportedly documenting the murder. Speaking ahead of his departure for France …

Russia has called on the United States to explain experiments with biological and chemical weapons in Georgia, with various Russian officials warning Washington that Moscow won’t tolerate such trials near its borders. Major General Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, revealed during an interview with …

President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed the allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior levied against his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, calling them “totally political.” “And for people to come out of the woodwork from 36 years ago and 30 years ago and never mentioned it and all of a sudden …

Just when it seems the Syrian war cannot get more complex, it does. In the skies above the Mediterranean, Syrian missiles shoot down an allied Russian surveillance plane after mistaking it for an Israeli bomber. In the Black Sea resort of Sochi, the Russian and Turkish presidents produce a plan …

Iran said it will veto any Opec decision that harms the Islamic Republic and warned that some oil producers are trying to create an alternative suppliers’ forum that supports US policies hostile to the government in Tehran. Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said the agreement that the Organisation of Petroleum …

A University of Michigan professor refused to write a recommendation letter for a student to study abroad in Israel, claiming it was part of an “academic boycott” of the country. John Cheney-Lippold, an associate professor in the American culture department, rejected student Abigail Ingber’s request in an email, a screenshot …

With Bashar Assad and his Russian allies on the verge of victory in Syria’s civil war, the Trump administration is facing new pressure to respond forcefully and prevent a bloodbath of historic proportions — but analysts say the U.S. has virtually no good options, as seven years of muddy American …

The United States will not present its long-awaited plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace any time soon and is instead trying to unilaterally change the terms of reference for any future proposal, a senior Palestinian official said on Saturday. Echoing deep scepticism among the Palestinians, Arab countries and analysts, Saeb Erekat, the …

For oil investors, this is both the best of times and the worst of times, depending on which crude benchmark you trade. While money managers pile up on bets that Brent futures will rise as supplies from Iran shrink, even Hurricane Florence wasn’t enough to get investors excited in the …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Russia on Friday of actively working to undermine international sanctions on North Korea and said the enforcement of the steps was essential to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. “Russia has actively attempted to undermine the U.N. Security Council resolutions, the …

Russia has launched its biggest military exercise since the Cold War, involving about 300,000 service personnel, in eastern Siberia. China is sending 3,200 troops to take part in “Vostok-2018”, with many Chinese armoured vehicles and aircraft. Mongolia is also sending some units. The last Russian exercise of similar scale was …

The United States will threaten Monday to punish individuals that cooperate with the International Criminal Court in a potential investigation of U.S. wartime actions in Afghanistan, according to people familiar with the decision. The Trump administration is also expected to announce that it is shutting down a Palestinian diplomatic office …

In nine months from start to finish – the time it takes to carry a baby to term – Palestinian businessman Faisal Saleh set up the first museum of Palestinian art and culture in the United States. He did it on a shoestring budget, housing the galleries in the ground-floor …

China’s trade surplus with the U.S. hit another record monthly high in August as the world’s second-largest economy faced the threat of more tariffs from the Trump administration. China’s trade surplus with the U.S. widened to $31.05 billion last month from $28.09 billion in July, while its total trade surplus …

Preparations are under way to transfer Yemen’s President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to the United States tonight to receive medical treatment, a Yemen government source told Reuters on Sunday. The head of the country’s internationally-recognized government, who has lived in exile in Riyadh since the Iranian-aligned Houthi group captured the Yemeni capital …

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis says his country is concerned about Turkey’s intent to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems and that Washington takes a dim view of such a move. In a press briefing at the Pentagon on Tuesday, Mattis warned Ankara against buying the missile defense system …

During the Army 2018 military-technical forum held August 21-26 at Kubinka, west of Moscow, the Russian defense ministry signed a total of 32 contracts with 20 Russian manufacturers. The value of the orders exceeded 130 billion roubles (nearly $2 billion) and calls for the delivery of 600 pieces of equipment …

Vladimir Gutenev, first deputy head of the economic policy committee of the State Duma, the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, said it is time for Russia to draw its own red lines. Among such measures, the official said the deployment of Russian tactical nukes in countries such as Syria, …

A federal judge in Washington has struck down keys parts of President Trump’s executive orders that would have made it easier to fire federal employees. The ruling, seen as a victory for public-sector unions, follows the president’s signing of three executive orders in May that aimed to give agencies more …

Global equity markets rose on Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the US central bank’s policies are best to keep the economy humming, spurring new highs on Wall Street, while oil surged on signs Iran sanctions may crimp worldwide supply. The benchmark S&P 500 stock index notched its …

Dr. Thomas Frieden, the former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was arrested and charged on Friday after he was accused of groping a woman, law enforcement officials said. Detective Sophia Mason of the New York Police Department told NPR that the public health expert allegedly “grabbed …

Military officials are sounding the alarm inside the Trump administration about the sharp drop in admission to the United States of Iraqi refugees who have helped American troops in battle, said two US officials aware of the internal discussions. The Pentagon is concerned that not providing safe haven to more …

When President Trump tried to strong-arm Turkey into releasing a detained American pastor this month, he gambled that a barrage of punishing measures — market- rattling economic sanctions and humiliating public rebukes — would force President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to quickly relent. That has not happened. More than three weeks after the …

China has been quietly training its pilots for long-range bomber missions — and the Pentagon now fears that the country is “likely” practicing for World War III. “Over the last three years, the [People’s Liberation Army] has rapidly expanded its overwater bomber operating areas, gaining experience in critical maritime regions …

The Nord Stream II gas pipeline from Russia to Germany and into the European network seems to be on course despite US pressure and challenges from Ukraine and other European countries. While all this is going on, construction of another pipeline is underway to supply Turkey and Europe with gas. …

On the corner couch of a spacious room, a woman wearing a brightly patterned robe sits expectantly. The red hijab that covers her hair is reflected in a glass-fronted cabinet; inside, a framed photograph of her firstborn son takes pride of place between family heirlooms and valuables. A smiling, bearded …

The head of a Syrian research facility that western countries say was part of a chemical weapons programme has been killed in a car bombing, the pro-government Syrian newspaper al-Watan has said. Aziz Asber was the director of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Centre in Masyaf, near Hama, which …

It may seem counter-intuitive and head-scratchingly odd, but Congress nearly always approves defense spending bills before the armed services committees — which actually oversee the Pentagon — vote on how the money will be spent. Not this year. The John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 …

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard is expected to soon begin a major naval exercise that could demonstrate its ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial conduit for global energy supplies, US officials say. The exercise in the Persian Gulf could begin as soon as the next two days, …

More than 30 million people from the North Carolina coast to central New York could be impacted by flooding Wednesday. Numerous flash flood watches and warnings are in effect throughout the Mid-Atlantic after the accumulation of record rainfall in the last few weeks. “To repeat from earlier today, this is …

The Syrian government of President Bashar Assad on Monday blasted Israel, the United States and other nations for evacuating hundreds of Syrian Civil Defense “White Helmets” rescue workers and their families from Assad’s advancing forces. The rescue was organized by Israel, which has otherwise avoided direct intervention in the brutal civil war …

The spacecraft Boeing plans to use to fly NASA astronauts to the International Space Station suffered a significant setback when, during a test of its emergency abort system in June, officials discovered a propellant leak, the company confirmed. In a statement to The Washington Post, Boeing said it has “been …