Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigned on Thursday after efforts to bring the country’s fractious parties to heel failed, kicking off a snap election campaign which could bring the hard right to power. The internationally respected 74-year-old fo…
For Palestinians, Biden is a false prophet
The last time he landed in the Middle East, he was President Obama’s advisor. But last week Joe Biden returned as President of the United States to a region that has since seen notable geopolitical shifts and new alliances. At Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airpo…
Syrian refugees frightened as Lebanon plans to deport them
Sitting outside her tent in a camp in eastern Lebanon, a 30-year-old Syrian refugee contemplated the sunset and her worsening options. Umm Jawad fled to Lebanon in 2011 to escape a Syrian regime siege of her hometown of Homs. She managed to survive ove…
Russia restores gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream
Russia on Thursday restored critical gas supplies to Europe through Germany via the Nord Stream pipeline after 10 days of maintenance, but uncertainty lingered over whether the Kremlin would still trigger an energy crisis on the continent this winter. …
15,000 Russians killed in Ukraine war: CIA director
The United States estimates that Russian casualties in Ukraine so far have reached around 15,000 killed and perhaps 45,000 wounded, CIA Director William Burns said on Wednesday, adding that Ukraine has also endured significant casualties. Nearly five m…
Mali expels spokesperson of UN peacekeeping mission
Mali is expelling the spokesperson of the UN’s peacekeeping force in the country over posts he made on Twitter, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. MINUSMA spokesperson Olivier Salgado has been given 72 hours to leave over “tendentious and unaccept…
Ukraine making China rethink when, not whether, to invade Taiwan: CIA chief
China appears determined on using force in Taiwan, with Russia’s experience in Ukraine affecting Beijing’s calculations on how, not whether, to invade, the head of the CIA said Wednesday. Appearing at the Aspen Security Forum, Central Intelligence Agen…
Death toll from Pakistan wedding boat accident rises to 50
The death toll from a boat that capsized while carrying a wedding party in Pakistan earlier this week is presumed to have surpassed 50 after officials said on Wednesday there was no hope of finding more survivors. The overcrowded vessel was carrying ar…
Biden unveils new measures to tackle climate change
President Joe Biden, thwarted by lawmakers and the Supreme Court, sought Wednesday to revive his ambitions to tackle climate change as heat waves batter the United States and Europe. Rocketing summer temperatures have highlighted the growing threat, wi…
Iran urges Argentina to lift plane crew’s exit ban ‘immediately’
Tehran said on Wednesday it summoned the Argentinian charge d’affaires to call for the “immediate” lifting of exit restrictions on five Iranian crew members of a plane seized by Argentina. The Boeing 747 cargo plane, which has been grounded since June,…