On Monday the United States will officially move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This is, of course, a highly controversial move, but aside from the ways it upsets various international relationships, members of the Trump administration are drawing criticism over the religious leaders they’ve included in the celebrations. Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the Sephardi […]
Pompeo starts Mideast tour with call for new Iran sanctions
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday on a hastily-arranged visit to the Middle East as the United States aims to muster support for new sanctions against Iran. The visit to Riyadh, Jerusalem and Amman just two days after Pompeo was sworn-in comes as President Donald Trump is set to […]
Why US Speaker Ryan called it quits
By JAKE SHERMAN Paul Davis Ryan — once the Republican Party golden boy, now the speaker of the House who is leaving elective politics after two decades at just 48 years old — said the thing that bothers him the most in today’s political climate is “identity politics.” “I’m an old Jack Kemp guy that […]
Former Catalan leader Puigdemont detained in Germany
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont was detained on Sunday in Germany four months after he went into self-imposed exile from Spain, where he faces up to 25 years in prison for organizing an illegal referendum on secession last year. Puigdemont had entered Germany from Denmark after leaving Finland on Friday when it appeared police would arrest […]
‘Unacceptable’ to endanger lives of Russian soldiers in Syria: Moscow
Russia on Saturday called for “restraint” from all parties in Syria and said it considered risking the lives of Russian soldiers “absolutely unacceptable” following large-scale Israeli air strikes inside Syria. “We strongly call on all sides involved to show restraint and avoid all acts that could lead to complicating the situation further,” the Russian foreign […]
Scientists find massive Mayan society under Guatemala jungle
Researchers using a high-tech aerial mapping technique have found tens of thousands of previously undetected Mayan houses, buildings, defense works and pyramids in the dense jungle of Guatemala’s Peten region, suggesting that millions more people lived there than previously thought. The discoveries, which included industrial-sized agricultural fields and irrigation canals, were announced Thursday by an […]
Train carrying Republican lawmakers to retreat hits truck
A train carrying members of Congress — including House Speaker Paul Ryan — to their legislative retreat in West Virginia hit a truck Wednesday, multiple sources told CNN, leaving at least one person dead. Five patients were transported to UVA Medical Center, with one in critical condition, the hospital tweeted, though it was unclear among […]
Syria talks in Russia: Rocky day, opposition quits, Lavrov heckled
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 […]