Australia’s opposition Labor is the favorite to win a national election expected in May, two polls showed on Monday, but its lead has narrowed over the conservative coalition government which announced income tax cuts in its budget last week. A closely watched Newspoll done for The Australian newspaper showed Labor ... Read More »
Google satellite shows first Saudi nuclear reactor only one year from completion, expert says
Inspections by UN nuclear watchdog are required before kingdom can insert fuel into the reactor Saudi Arabia is about a year away from completing the building of its first nuclear reactor, according to Google satellite images identified by a nuclear expert who said Thursday the construction so far appears to ... Read More »
Iran vows to retaliate if US lists Revolutionary Guards as terror organisation
‘So the leaders of America, who themselves are the creators and supporters of terrorists in the region, will regret this inappropriate and idiotic action Iran has threatened to retaliate against the US if it designates its elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation. Washington is reportedly expected ... Read More »
Saudi Arabia threatens to ditch dollar oil trades to stop ‘NOPEC’
They said the option had been discussed internally by senior Saudi energy officials in recent months. Two of the sources said the plan had been discussed with OPEC members and one source briefed on Saudi oil policy said Riyadh had also communicated the threat to senior U.S. energy officials. The ... Read More »
Brexit to be delayed until next year after parties fail to break deadlock, attorney general warns
Geoffrey Cox admits Theresa May will be forced to accept Article 50 extension longer than ‘just a few weeks or months’ – paving way for new cabinet bust-up Brexit is on course to be delayed until next year, the attorney general has warned, as cross-party talks to end the crisis ... Read More »
High stakes for Turkey as Erdogan faces choice between US F-35 fighter jet and Russia’s S-400 missile system
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan now faces a choice that will have major consequences for both Turkey’s foreign relations and its economy. He can walk back pledges to buy a Russian missile defense system, the S-400, in favor of buying American weapons systems, or reject U.S. demands and forgo partaking ... Read More »
Abdelaziz Bouteflika: Algeria president resigns after 20 years in power, according to state news
Announcement comes hours after army chief of staff demanded action to remove him from office Algeria‘s long-serving president Abdelaziz Bouteflika submitted his resignation late Tuesday, ending two decades of rule following weeks of mass protests that prompted key allies to turn against him. The ailing 82-year-old leader stood down shortly ... Read More »
Erdoğan’s party loses Ankara in Turkish local elections blow
AKP defeat ends 25 years of dominance and sends shockwaves through country For the first time in his 16 years in office, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has been punished at the ballot box as his ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) lost control of the capital, Ankara, in fiercely ... Read More »
‘Reiwa’: Japan unveils name of new era as Emperor Naruhito ascends to the throne
Name means people ‘beautifully care about each other’, says PM Abe The Japanese government has unveiled “Reiwa” as the name of a new era that will dawn at the start of next month, with the ascension of emperor-in-waiting Naruhito. It comes after the historic abdication of Emperor Akihito, whose “Heisei” ... Read More »
President Aoun: Trump Golan Decision Threatens Lebanon Sovereignty
Lebanese President Michel Aoun told Arab leaders on Sunday that the recent US decision to recognize Israeli illegal annexation of the Syrian Golan Heights threatens Lebanon’s sovereignty. “This decision does not only threaten the sovereignty of a brotherly state [Syria], but rather threatens as well the sovereignty of the Lebanese ... Read More »