France says Middle East is ‘explosive,’ criticizes U.S. policy and unjustified Israeli violence
May 15th, 20180 PARIS - French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday described the situation in the Middle East as “explosive” and criticized the United States for unilateral acts in the region and Israel for what he said was an unjustified level of violence. Thousands of Gaza residents turned out on Tuesday for the funerals of...
Palestinians hold protest in Cannes against Israeli killing in Gaza
May 15th, 20180 CANNES, France - Hollywood actor Benicio del Toro joined Palestinians at the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday in a demonstration against the Israeli army’s killing of Palestinians on the Gaza border. Sixty people were killed on Monday, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, by Israeli gunfire or tear gas, in what Palestinian...
Shi’a cleric’s election win puts Iran to the test in Iraq
May 15th, 20180 BAGHDAD — Already pressured by the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran faces a major test in managing Shi'a cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a formidable opponent who beat Tehran’s longtime allies to achieve a shock victory in Iraq’s parliamentary election. But If Tehran overplays its hand by squeezing Sadr out of a coalition...
Pro-Trump pastor who claims Islam is a “cult” picked to lead prayer at opening of U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem
May 14th, 20180 WASHINGTON - An anti-gay, pro-Trump pastor from Dallas will give the opening prayer Monday night at the introduction ceremony of the new US embassy in Jerusalem. Pastor Robert Jeffress, a Fox News contributor and supporter of President Donald Trump, will add to the controversy surrounding the diplomatically awkward event. Jeffress,...
Israeli occupation forces kill dozens, injure hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza
May 14th, 20180 GAZA - Israeli occupation forces killed dozens of Palestinians taking part in mass protests on the Gaza border on Monday as the United States opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem. The U.S. move fulfilled a pledge by President Donald Trump, who has recognized the holy city as the Israeli capital, but it has fired Palestinian anger...
Israeli forces kill dozens in Gaza as U.S. Embassy opens in Jerusalem
May 14th, 20180 GAZA — Israeli troops shot dead dozens of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza border on Monday as the United States opened its embassy to Israel in Jerusalem, a move that has fueled Palestinian anger and drawn foreign criticism for undermining peace efforts. It was the bloodiest single day for Palestinians since the Gaza conflict in...
World and national leaders slam Trump for abandoning Iran nuclear deal
May 11th, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump pulled the United States out of an international nuclear deal with Iran on Tuesday, raising the risk of conflict in the Middle East, upsetting European allies and casting uncertainty over global oil supplies. Trump said in a televised address from the White House that he would reimpose U.S....
Hezbollah allies gain seats in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections
May 11th, 20180 BEIRUT — Hezbollah and its political allies won just over half the seats in Lebanon's parliamentary elections, unofficial results showed, boosting an Iranian-backed movement fiercely opposed to Israel and underlining Tehran's growing regional clout. Hezbollah's leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, called it a "political and moral...
Iraqis voting in first election since ISIS defeat
May 10th, 20180 BAGHDAD — For the first time since driving out ISIS, Iraqis go to the polls on Saturday in an election that will shape attempts to heal the country’s deep divisions and could shift the regional balance of power. Iraq’s three main ethnic and religious groups, the majority Shi’a Arabs and the minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds, have...
Obama: Trump’s decision on Iran nuclear deal ‘misguided’
May 8th, 20180 WASHINGTON - Former President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that President Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, struck during Obama’s presidency, was “misguided.” “I believe that the decision to put the JCPOA at risk without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake,” Obama said in a...
Americans overwhelmingly against Trump’s decision to pullout from Iran deal
May 8th, 20180 NEW YORK - Less than one third of Americans agrees with President Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of an agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program, according to a Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll released on Tuesday. The poll, conducted May 4-8, ahead of the Republican president’s announcement to end the deal,...
Michigan, world leaders slam Trump for abandoning Iran nuclear deal
May 8th, 20180 WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Trump on Tuesday pulled the United States out of an international nuclear deal with Iran, raising the risk of conflict in the Middle East, upsetting European allies and casting uncertainty over global oil supplies. Trump said in a televised address from the White House that he would reimpose U.S....
U.S. urges post-election Lebanon to uphold regional policy
May 8th, 20180 BEIRUT ― The United States urged Lebanon to uphold a policy of staying out of regional wars and a U.N. Security Council resolution that sought Hezbollah’s disarmament, after the Iran-backed group and its allies won more than half the seats in Sunday’s election. The United States views Hezbollah as a terrorist group and is...
Hezbollah allies gain seats in Lebanon parliamentary elections
May 7th, 20180 BEIRUT - Hezbollah and its political allies won just over half the seats in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections, unofficial results showed, boosting an Iranian-backed movement fiercely opposed to Israel and underlining Tehran’s growing regional clout. Hezbollah’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, called it a “political and moral...
Trump via Twitter: I will announce my decision on Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday
May 7th, 20180 WASHINGTON - President Trump said he would announce a decision on the future of the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday as European countries piled pressure on Washington to remain in the 2015 agreement. Trump has threatened to withdraw from the deal, which provided Iran with relief from economic sanctions in exchange for limiting its......
U.S. Embassy road signs go up in Jerusalem
May 7th, 20180 JERUSALEM ― U.S. Embassy road signs went up in Jerusalem on Monday ahead of next week’s opening of the mission in accordance with President Donald Trump’s recognition of the city as Israel’s capital. Trump says he is making good on U.S. legislation and presidential pledges dating back decades. Other world powers have not...
Mahmoud Abbas re-elected as chairman of PLO executive committee
May 4th, 20180 RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was re-elected as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) Executive Committee on Friday, as the veteran leader sought to renew his legitimacy while installing loyalists who he hopes will eventually continue his mission. The expected reappointment......
Yemen risks new cholera outbreak as rainy season begins
May 4th, 20180 SANAA — Yemen's rainy season will likely trigger another wave of cholera, putting millions at risk in the war-torn country, which is still reeling from one of the world's worst outbreaks of the killer disease, scientists warned on Thursday. Experts also called for a public health campaign during Ramadan, which begins mid-May, after...
Syria: Militants agree to withdraw from enclaves near Homs and Damascus
May 4th, 20180 BEIRUT — Syrian militants accepted a deal on Wednesday to quit their enclave near Homs city, a militant official said, as the Syrian army crushes the last two besieged insurgent pockets in the country. The agreement, which Russia brokered, would restore state rule, with fighters handing over their heavy weapons, the Syrian official...
Al-Ahram: Egypt says sending Arab troops to Syria a possibility
May 4th, 20180 CAIRO - Sending Arab troops to Syria is a possibility that is being discussed by officials from various countries, Egypt’s foreign minister was quoted as saying in a state newspaper on Friday. “In regards to the situation in Syria, Shoukry said that the idea of replacing forces with another that may be Arab is a possibility,”...
U.S. returns thousands of smuggled ancient artifacts to Iraq
May 2nd, 20180 WASHINGTON - About 3,800 artifacts, including Sumerian cuneiform tablets dating to 2100 B.C., that were illegally smuggled to retailer Hobby Lobby Stores Inc were returned to Iraqi officials in Washington on Wednesday, according to Reuters. U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement officials signed over the artifacts to Iraqi Ambassador......
Syria: Militants agree to withdraw from enclaves near Homs and Damascus
May 2nd, 20180 BEIRUT - Syrian militants accepted a deal on Wednesday to quit their enclave near Homs city, a militant official said, as the Syrian army crushes the last two besieged insurgent pockets in the country. The agreement, which Russia brokered, would restore state rule, with fighters handing over their heavy weapons, the Syrian official in...
Pushing to bury Iran deal, Israel insists nobody wants war with Tehran
May 1st, 20180 TEL AVIV — Israel said on Tuesday it does not seek war with Iran, a day after presenting purported evidence of past Iranian nuclear arms work, but suggested President Trump backed its latest attempt to kill a deal aimed at curbing Iran’s atomic ambitions. A senior Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had......
Syria donors fall short without U.S. aid, warn of cruel end-game
April 26th, 20180 BRUSSELS ― International donors raised $4.4 billion in emergency aid for Syria and its neighbors this year on Wednesday, but the total fell well short of the U.N. target for 2018 after the United States failed to submit a pledge. Humanitarian agencies also pleaded for peace before the Syrian military and its Russian and Iranian...
Toronto Police: Van driver kills nine, injures 16 plowing his rental vehicle into a crowd
April 23rd, 20180 TORONTO - A driver plowed his white Ryder rental van into a crowd, killing nine people and injuring 16 along a roughly mile-long stretch of busy Toronto sidewalk during lunch hour on a sunny Monday afternoon, police said. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) identified the suspect as Alek Minassian, 25, without identifying its......
