Iran’s state media claimed Monday that authorities arrested 17 spies recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency to spy on its nuclear and military sites. The semi-official Fars news agency said some of them have been sentenced to death. It was not immediately clear if all the alleged spies were Iranian nationals. The Fars news agency published images […]
Lebanon: Efforts to remove obstacles to cabinet sessions
President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri are expected to launch consultations on Monday to hold a cabinet session to place Lebanon on the right track to obtaining $11bn in loans pledged by international donors at the CEDRE conference following last week’s parliamentary approval of the 2019 budget, government sources said. “The Prime Minister […]
Hezbollah’s moves against Jumblatt flirts with a return to Lebanon’s dark days
A political crisis in Beirut following a deadly shooting last month has revived memories of one of the most controversial chapters in Lebanon’s post-war history, when a court imprisoned a prominent opponent of the Syrian regime. When Hezbollah-backed political foes of Druze leader Walid Joumblatt suggested he was somehow involved in a firefight last month […]
Trump doesn’t want to be the president anymore , says Cortez
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., disputed President Trump’s account of his Wednesday night rally in North Carolina, claiming that he “relished” the audience’s chant sabout sending Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., back to her native country. “He kind of presided over the situation, he relished it, he took it in,” she said at a town hall on […]
2 Southwest planes collide in Nashville airport gate area
No one was injured after two Southwest Airlines planes collided in the gate area at Nashville International Airport. While pushing back from the gates, one plane’s wing clipped the other around 8:15 p.m., according to the airline in statement obtained by CNN. The planes were able to return to the gates on their own, The […]
Hong Kong police launch tear gas in latest mass protest
HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong police launched tear gas at protesters Sunday after a massive pro-democracy march continued late into the evening. The action was the latest confrontation between police and demonstrators who have taken to the streets for over a month to protest a proposed extradition bill and call for electoral reforms in […]
“Corporate astronaut”: How billionaires are joining the space race
Millions of people watched in wonder as man first set foot upon the moon 50 years ago. But in the era of space travel now dawning, far more of us are destined to join them. In America’s new space age, NASA’s monopoly is over. The leaders are companies, not countries. And anyone with enough money […]
Is a new US-led war looming with Iran?
The United States is deploying troops in Saudi Arabia as tensions soar with its arch-rival Iran raising concerns over navigation in the Gulf’s strategic Strait of Hormuz. It will be the first deployment of its kind since 2003, when American forces withdrew from the kingdom after a 12-year presence and two US-led wars with Iraq […]
War with Iran ‘now more likely than not’ – expert
An international law expert fears war is “now more likely than not”, following Iran’s seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker. And New Zealand might be asked to help out. The oil-tanker Stena Impero had 23 crew on board, and all eyes are on the US and Britain’s next move. Professor Alexander Gillespie, international law expert […]
Lebanon’s parliament passes 2019 austerity budget
The parliament of Lebanon approved a 2019 austerity budget on Friday in an attempt to rescue an economy that is crumbling under massive debt and unlock billions of dollars in international aid, state media reported. The vote came nearly two months after the cabinet approved the budget, which is expected to trim Lebanon’s deficit to 7.59 percent […]