The European Union must introduce a new, automatic system of taking in migrants saved from the Mediterranean, the leaders of Italy and France said on Wednesday, as they sought to patch up bruised bilateral relations. Italy has long complained that it has been left alone to deal with the hundreds ... Read More »
Trump threatens Iran after Saudi attack: ‘I don’t want war but US is more prepared than any country’
Iran denies being behind attacks and vows to defend itself Donald Trump has threatened Iran after accusing it of attacking oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, saying the US was “better prepared” than anyone in history if military action was needed. Two days after two facilities in Saudi Arabia were ... Read More »
US Warship Docks in Beirut Port as Sign of ‘Enduring Partnership’ with Lebanon
A US warship docked off the port of Beirut on Saturday in what American Ambassador Elizabeth Richard said was a sign of the “enduring partnership between the US and Lebanon”. Vice Admiral James Malloy, commander of the US Fifth Fleet, was aboard the USS Rampage, which hosted a reception for ... Read More »
Hariri hopes to maintain, lower 7.6 percent deficit in budget
Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Sunday it is important that the 2020 budget maintains or goes below the 7.6 percent deficit-to-GDP ratio and that state spending be directed towards investment. His words came days before he heads to France to meet President Emmanuel Macron. “We need to reach a time ... Read More »
How Tunisia’s presidential election could deliver a populist president
On Sunday, Tunisia is holding the second free presidential election in its history. The Tunisian democracy faces high uncertainty, with a populist candidate, Nabil Karoui, leading in the polls. Among other unprecedented circumstances, the presidential election will precede parliamentary elections set to take place next month. This is due to ... Read More »
Trump says US ‘locked and loaded’ after Saudi Arabia attack, as oil prices soar
US president says he has ‘reason to believe we know the culprit’ of the drone attacks on Aramco plant Donald Trump has said the US was “locked and loaded” and to ready respond to drone attacks on a petroleum processing facility in Saudi Arabia, saying the US knew who ... Read More »
EU Warns Netanyahu Annexation Pledge Undermines Peace Prospects
The EU warned Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pledge to annex the Jordan Valley in the occupied West Bank if he wins next week’s election undermines chances for peace in the region. Netanyahu’s vow was roundly condemned by the Palestinians as well as Arab League, Jordan and Turkey, ... Read More »
Trump ousts top adviser John Bolton: ‘I disagreed strongly with him’
Trump to name new national security adviser next week Bolton took hawkish positions on major foreign policy issues Donald Trump has fired his national security adviser, John Bolton, in a pair of tweets in which he laid bare searing internal divisions within his inner circle, saying he had “disagreed strongly” ... Read More »
Iran begins injecting uranium into advanced centrifuges, further threatening nuclear deal
‘Our stockpile is quickly increasing,’ head of country’s atomic agency warns. ‘We hope they will come to their senses’ Iran has begun injecting uranium gas into advanced centrifuges in violation of its nuclear deal with world powers, a spokesman has announced. Behrouz Kamalvandi of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran ... Read More »
Israeli Occupation Military Confirms Drone Downed in Lebanon
Israeli occupation military confirmed a drone was downed in southern Lebanon, shortly after Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the event. The occupation military, however, claimed the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was downed during “routine activity,” and that there “wasn’t any intelligence leak,” Israeli media reported. Anna Ahronheim, the military and defense ... Read More »