A Syrian peace conference in Russia was marred by discord on Tuesday after the Russian foreign minister was heckled, an opposition delegation refused to leave the airport on arrival, and delegates squabbled over who should preside over the event. Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, was hosting what it called a Syrian […]
For Russia, the sweet taste of Trump’s victory has turned sour
On the night of Donald Trump’s inauguration as US President, champagne corks popped in Moscow. Literally, on the floor of the Russian parliament, MPs cracked open bottles of sparkling wine and toasted his victory. The thing is, they saw Trump’s victory as their victory, too. And why wouldn’t they? As presidential candidate, Trump promised to […]
Top Iran prosecutor blames CIA for protests
Iran’s prosecutor general has directly named a CIA official as being the “main designer” of the protests that have shaken the country. The Trump administration has denied having any hand in the protests and the CIA declined to comment. Mohammad Jafar Montazeri’s comments Thursday, carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, said the CIA official […]
How Saudi effort to orchestrate Hariri’s fall failed and backfired
Lebanon’s prime minister, Saad Hariri, was summoned at 8:30 a.m. to the Saudi royal offices — unseemly early, by the kingdom’s standards — on the second day of a visit that was already far from what he had expected. Mr. Hariri, long an ally of the Saudis, dressed that morning in jeans and a T-shirt, […]
Indonesia’s constitutional court refuses to ban extramarital sex
A bid to make all sex outside marriage illegal was rejected by a top Indonesian court Thursday, in a ruling that surprised many as concerns grow about rising intolerance in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country. Five out of nine judges on the Constitutional Court in the capital Jakarta narrowly rejected the push to criminalise extramarital […]
Syrian rebels down regime helicopter near Lebanon border and occupied Golan
Syrian insurgents brought down an army helicopter in southwest Syria on Friday, near the border with Lebanon and the occupied Golan the Israel-occupied Golan Heights, a war monitoring group said. The Syrian military could not immediately be reached for comment. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the aircraft went down in government territory […]
On brink of bankruptcy, Venezuela faces day of reckoning
Locked in a deep economic crisis, Venezuela’s beleaguered government has summoned creditors for crisis talks on Monday as it lurches dangerously close to defaulting on its debt. The country with the world’s largest known oil reserves is on the brink of bankruptcy, and its embattled President Nicolas Maduro is fast running out of options. With […]
Saudi-Iran Tension Rattles Lebanese Bonds After PM Resignation
Lebanese bonds dropped on Monday after Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri unexpectedly resigned in a speech from Saudi Arabia, raising concerns that a renewed confrontation between the kingdom and regional rival Iran could destabilize the country. The yield on Lebanon’s $750 million Eurobonds due 2037 jumped 63 basis points, the most since they were issued in […]
Sacked Catalan leader Puigdemont, four others surrender to Belgian police
Sacked Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont and four associates turned themselves in to Belgian police on Sunday, the Brussels prosecutor’s office said, following Spain’s issuing of an arrest warrant. Puigdemont is wanted by Madrid for actions related to his push for the region’s secession from Spain. His move comes as two polls suggested pro-Catalonia independence parties […]
Ousted Catalan leader agrees to election, summoned to Madrid court
Catalonia’s ousted leader Carles Puigdemont agreed on Tuesday to a snap election called by Spain’s central government when it took control of the region to stop it breaking away, but he said the fight for independence would go on. Spain’s High Court issued a summons for Puigdemont and 13 members of his sacked administration to […]