ABU DHABI // A former Russian diplomat said on Wednesday that dialogue was the key to strong international relations and that his country was capable of being good friends with GCC states and Iran. Veniamin Popov, a former Russian ambassador to Yemen, Libya and Tunisia, said in Abu Dhabi that president Vladimir Putin wanted to see an end to all conflict in the Middle East and hoped […]
By John Walcott and Andrea Shalal | WASHINGTON/BERLIN WASHINGTON/BERLIN U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officials said on Wednesday that they have been aware since the end of last year of a security breach at the CIA that led to anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks publishing agency documents on its hacking tools. The officials, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that they believed that the documents published by […]
VIENNA The U.N. nuclear agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors on Wednesday backed the agency’s chief, Yukiya Amano, for a third term as director general after he ran unopposed on a platform of continuity in dealing with issues like Iran’s nuclear programme. Amano, a 69-year-old career diplomat from Japan, has headed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) since 2009, including the years leading up to Iran’s nuclear agreement […]
And Mr. Trump’s conveniently timed call was a not-so-subtle reminder to Israel’s attorney general that indicting Mr. Netanyahu — a step that would precipitate his resignation as a prime minister — could harm Israel’s national security at a dangerous time. Continue reading the main story Mr. Netanyahu has survived past inquiries into his personal trips and home expenses without charges, and he has steadfastly denied wrongdoing in […]
UAE carrier Etihad Airways has advised passengers travelling to the United States from the six banned Muslim nations to check their travel status prior to boarding their flights from Abu Dhabi airport. The notice on its website was issued following the latest developments in the US, the revised executive order – which becomes effective on March 16 – implements a ban on nationals of Iran, Sudan, Somalia, […]
DUBAI // Etihad Airways is advising some passengers to check with United States diplomatic missions before travelling to the country. US president Donald Trump signed a revised executive order on Monday banning visits by travellers from six Muslim-majority countries. The order takes effect on March 16 and keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the US for citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It […]
March 8, 2017 by: Shawn Donnan and Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington ZTE has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges of violating US sanctions on North Korea and Iran and to pay up to $1.2bn in fines, the largest sanctions-busting penalty levied against a Chinese company by Washington. The Chinese telecommunications group also admitted to obstructing a federal investigation as part of a settlement announced on Tuesday […]
By David Morgan | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democrats, seeking to capitalise on growing disclosures about the Trump campaign’s contacts with Russia, urged a top Republican lawmaker on Tuesday to obtain President Donald Trump’s tax returns as a matter of national security. It was the second request for Trump’s returns by Senate Democrats in as many weeks, part of a Democratic campaign to pressure Republicans in Congress […]
Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday: HEALTHCARE Trump endorses a plan by Republican lawmakers to replace the Obamacare healthcare law but influential conservative groups come out strongly against it, complicating the proposal’s prospects for passage in Congress. Shares of large U.S. pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies are selling off after Trump says he is working on a system to reduce prices in […]
VIENNA U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration pledged on Tuesday to show “great strictness” over restrictions on Iran’s nuclear activities imposed by a deal with major powers, but gave little indication of what that might mean for the agreement. The 2015 deal between Iran and six major powers restricts Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Trump has called […]
Reuters (Adds comments from Saudi source) KUALA LUMPUR/DUBAI, March 7 (Reuters) – Malaysia said on Tuesday that suspected militants from Yemen arrested late last month ahead of a visit by Saudi King Salman had been planning an attack on Arab royalty. A senior Malaysian police source said the four suspects belonged to Yemen’sIran-allied Houthi movement, which hails from a Shi’ite Muslim sect and has been […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahrain’s justice ministry has filed a lawsuit intended to dissolve a major opposition group that it accuses of supporting terrorism, the state-run Bahrain News Agency reported on Monday. The group, the National Democratic Action Society, or Waad, was accused by the ministry of “serious violations targeting the principle of respecting the rule of law, supporting terrorism and sanctioning violence.” The secular organization […]
By Isabel Coles and John Davison | MOSUL, Iraq MOSUL, Iraq Iraqi forces on Tuesday recaptured the main government building in Mosul, the central bank branch and the museum where three years ago the militants filmed themselves destroying priceless statues. A Rapid Response team stormed the Nineveh governorate complex in an overnight raid that lasted more than an hour, killing dozens of Islamic State fighters, spokesman Lieutenant […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. When it comes to Russian hacking and other subterfuge, the obvious and unavoidable media and political talk involves either the Clinton presidential campaign or the Trump White House. As Bloomberg’s Michael Riley discloses, there’s more for the press to obsess […]
Photo A fighter in the Syrian Democratic Forces, an American-backed militia, in the outskirts of Deir al-Zour last month. The militia said it had seized the route linking Raqqa to Deir al-Zour Province on Monday. Credit Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The Islamic State appeared to suffer an important setback on Monday when American-backed militia fighters in Syria seized the main route that connects Raqqa, the […]
Yet in the other six countries still on Mr. Trump’s list, his decision to push ahead with the ban only stoked their sense of grievance and discrimination. Regional experts repeated earlier warnings that Mr. Trump’s order handed an easy propaganda victory to enemies and might ultimately weaken American security. Continue reading the main story “The idea that this is a Muslim ban has been reinforced even further,” […]
Bahrain’s justice ministry filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to dissolve a main opposition group on the grounds that it undermined security, state news agency BNA reported. The secular National Democratic Action Society, or Waad, had perpetrated “serious violations targeting the principle of respecting the rule of law, supporting terrorism and sanctioning violence by glorifying people convicted for terrorism cases,” the ministry said. Authorities have piled pressure […]
Mr. Trump signed the first ban with great fanfare, in front of reporters, at the Pentagon. “We don’t want them here,” Mr. Trump said of Islamist terrorists. “We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country, and love deeply our people.” Video […]
WASHINGTON Multiple fast-attack vessels from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps came close to a U.S. Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, forcing it to change direction, a U.S. official told Reuters on Monday. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the IRGCN boats came within 600 yards of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, and stopped. The Invincible was being accompanied by […]
But worry spans left and right, even if they disagree on exactly how much to blame Mr. Trump, who is seen here as growing more confusing by the day. What to make of a president who, on the same day, denounced the anti-Semitic attacks but also suggested — in remarks widely covered here — that they might have been carried out by his own enemies? Continue reading […]
DUBAI Bahrain’s justice ministry filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking to dissolve a main opposition group on the grounds that it undermined security, state news agency BNA reported. The secular National Democratic Action Society, or Waad, had perpetrated “serious violations targeting the principle of respecting the rule of law, supporting terrorism and sanctioning violence by glorifying people convicted for terrorism cases,” the ministry said. Authorities have piled […]
By Steve Holland | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump will remove Iraq from a list of countries targeted in a U.S. travel ban when he is expected to sign a new executive order on Monday after his controversial first attempt was blocked in the courts, a White House source said. The senior White House official said the new executive order would keep a 90-day ban on travel […]
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Bahrain’s Parliament approved a constitutional change on Sunday that will allow military courts to try civilians, the kingdom’s latest move in a mounting crackdown on dissent. Activists warned that the amendment would in effect place the island under an undeclared state of martial law. Loyalists to Bahrain’s monarchy called the change necessary to combat terrorism, and pointed to sporadic low-level unrest since […]
DUBAI Suspected U.S. drones fired missiles at al Qaeda targets in two separate attacks in Yemen on Monday, residents said, extending several days of U.S. strikes against the militants. Residents said an air strike hit the home of an al Qaeda suspect in the village of Noufan in central al-Bayda province, and another struck a mountainous area believed to house a training camp in al-Saeed in southern […]
