US defence secretary says no decision made to evacuate despite letter to contrary as thousands gather in General Qassem Suleimani’s home town The future of the US military presence in Iraq is in question amid scenes of confusion in Washington, as the Trump administration scrambled to respond to Iraqi ... Read More »
Algeria appoints new government amid worst political crisis in decades
Algeria appointed a new government on Thursday, as the country faces its biggest political crisis in decades and a raft of economic problems caused by falling energy revenues. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune was elected last month and appointed Abdelaziz Djerad as prime minister on Saturday. They have kept several important posts ... Read More »
Iran’s Khamenei says anti-U.S. resistance to increase after Soleimani death: TV
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday the assassination of Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani would double the motivation of the resistance against the United States and Israel, state television reported. “All Enemies should know that the jihad of resistance will continue with a doubled motivation, and a ... Read More »
Giant magnetic ropes seen in Whale Galaxy’s halo
Using the National Science Foundation’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array radio telescope, a team of astronomers has captured for the first time an image of large-scale, coherent, magnetic fields in the halo of a faraway spiral galaxy, confirming theoretical modeling of how galaxies generate magnetic fields and potentially increasing ... Read More »
North Korea’s Kim urges ‘positive and offensive’ security ahead of nuclear talk deadline
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called at a ruling party meeting for “positive and offensive measures” to ensure security ahead of a year-end deadline he has set for denuclearization talks with the United States, state media KCNA said on Monday. Kim convened a weekend meeting of top Workers’ Party ... Read More »
Christmas in Hong Kong marked by demonstrations and tear gas
Anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Hong Kong over the Christmas holiday, clashing with riot police in malls and busy shopping districts across the semiautonomous Chinese territory. The city’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, accused the demonstrators of ruining the holiday. Her critics say the government and police used unnecessarily ... Read More »
Russia and Turkey extended talks on Syria-Libya in quest for compromise: Vedomosti
Talks in Moscow between a Turkish government delegation and Russian diplomats lasted for three days, much longer than expected, as the two sides tried to find compromises on Syria and Libya, the Vedomosti daily reported on Thursday. A Turkish delegation traveled to Russia on Monday for talks on Syria, following ... Read More »
New satellite images show expansion of North Korea long-range missile plant
Images released as Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton warns Pyongyang poses ‘imminent’ threat A new satellite image of a factory where North Korea makes military equipment used to launch long-range missiles shows the construction of a new structure. It comes as former Trump security adviser, John Bolton, ... Read More »
Syrian Air Defenses Repel Israeli Missile Attack
Syrian air defense forces have repelled an attack launched from “the occupied territories”, according to Syrian state media. Syria’s SANA news agency reported that the attack took place late on Sunday, with reports indicating that one of the four “hostile targets” was downed in the Aqrabah suburb near the capital ... Read More »
Erdogan says Turkey cannot handle new migrant wave from Syria, warns Europe
Turkey cannot handle a fresh wave of migrants from Syria, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, warning that European countries will feel the impact of such an influx if violence in Syria’s northwest is not stopped. Turkey currently hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, the largest refugee population in the ... Read More »
Lebanese Ministry of Information