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Afghanistan: Family of murdered journalist Bismillah Aimaq attacked
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:00 P.M.) – Friday saw three Bismillah Aimaq family members shoot and killed in an attack on the family's home in Feroz Koh, the Ghor province's capital. "Bismillah Aimaq's brother and two other relatives, one underage girl was shot dead and another ten injured," said provincial police chief Abdul Qadir. The assailants also set...
Read moreNigeria president rules out amnesty for militant bandits
BEIRUT, LEBANON (2:30 P.M.) – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned against the ethnic profiling of criminals in the battle against insecurity, ruling out the possibility of granting amnesty to criminals. The president promised to deal decisively with bandits, kidnappers, and insurgents threatening national security. Buhari's stance comes after several northern leaders called for amnesty for...
Read moreUS launches heavy attack on Kataib Hezbollah in eastern Syria
BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:00 P.M.) - The U.S. Coalition carried out heavy strikes over eastern Syria on Thursday evening, targeting a number of Iraqi paramilitary personnel near the border city of Albukamal. According to reports from eastern Syria, the U.S. Coalition targeted the troops of Kata’ib Hezbollah at a base near the Iraqi border; this resulted in...
Read moreIs there a reason the U.S is trying to peddle the F35 to everyone?
There are voices in the U.S. Airforce's top echelons telling a story of fading glory for the F35 platform that was supposed to replace the hundreds of the aging F16 platform that is too old to upgrade with all the latest technology. The F35 platform cost is about $100M a piece and generally considered prohibitively costly,...
Read moreIraq calls on Arab League to restore Syria’s membership
BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:45 A.M.) - Iraqi Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, stressed the need to return Syria to its seat in the Arab League, while noting that this would achieve the principle of integration in Arab work and coordination. The Iraqi minister expressed, during a meeting with a group of Gulf officials on Monday, "his happiness with...
Read moreIranian forces arrest man carrying explosives near Tehran’s entrance: photos
BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:20 A.M.) - Tehran Police Chief, Major General Hossein Rahimi, announced the arrest of a person wearing an explosive belt at one of the entrances to the Iranian capital a few days ago. According to RT Arabic, Major General Rahimi said the person who was intending to carry out a suicide attack and shootings...
Read moreSaudi Arabia permits women to join military and hold combat roles
Sunday marked the first day both women and men were permitted to sign up and serve in the Saudi Arabian Army, Royal Saudi Navy, Royal Saudi Air Defense, Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force and Armed Forces Medical Services, according to a new Arab News report. Under new guidelines from the Saudi Ministry of Defense, male applicants...
Read moreIran accuses several Arab countries of playing role in Qassem Soleimani’s assassination
BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:00 P.M.) - On Tuesday, February 23, the Iranian army revealed for the first time, the bomb that was used in the assassination of the late commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Major General Qassem Soleimani. In addition to revealing the bomb used to assassinate Soleimani, Iran also accused three...
Read moreAfrica: Will Africa ever get the COVID vaccine?
FPA - Monrovia — With a reported death toll of more than one hundred thousand and more than three million reported cases, the African continent appears to be at the bottom of the pile of countries likely to receive vaccines for the deadly Coronavirus. Such disparity is driving concerns among regional stakeholders fearing the lack of...
Read moreViolence against civilians surges in Afghanistan after peace talks
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan escalated sharply after peace talks began last year, the United Nations said in a report released on Tuesday, calling for a ceasefire as negotiators met for the first time after weeks of inaction. US-brokered peace talks began in September but progress has since slowed and violence has risen with uncertainty over whether...
Read moreHamas launches Covid vaccinations in Gaza
GAZA CITY: A coronavirus vaccination campaign was launched in Gaza Monday using doses provided by the Palestinian Authority and the United Arab Emirates, with health workers set to be inoculated first. The first jab in the Israeli-blockaded territory controlled by Hamas Islamists since 2007 was symbolically given to former Palestinian health minister Riyad Zaanoun at a...
Read moreUS-Backed militants steal 140,000 barrels per day of Syrian oil in Hasakah: report
TEHRAN (FNA)- Militants of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is supported by Washington, steal 140,000 barrels of crude oil on a daily basis from oil fields in Syria's northeastern province of Hasakah, according to a report. Ghassan Halim Khalil, governor of Hasakah, announced the grim news in an interview with the Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper on...
Read moreIAEA & Iran Issues joint statement after reaching ‘Temporary Understanding’
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have issued a joint statement after reaching a “temporary bilateral technical understanding” during the visit of the IAEA chief to Tehran. According to the statement released on Sunday night, after bilateral talks between IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi and the AEOI Chief Ali...
Read moreSyria, Israeli prisoner swap completed in Golan Heights
BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:40 P.M.) - Thursday saw a Russian mediated prisoner swap with Muhammad Ahmad Hussein and Tariq Ghasab al-Obeidan, both natives of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights of Quneitra province, released. The exchange operation that began yesterday led to the two Syrian captives freed and returned to their hometown in the Quneitra province. Captive Nihal Al-Maqt,...
Read moreSomalia: Heavy gunfire in capital amid election protests
MOGADISHU Heavy gunfire has broken out in Somalia's capital as opposition leaders defied a ban on public gatherings to protest delayed elections. The president's term expired last week without selecting a successor, throwing Somalia into a crisis. Overnight, the government says militiamen attacked army positions in Mogadishu, close to the presidential palace. Most roads in the...
Read moreYemen Heads towards Worst Famine World has Seen in Decades
IPSNEWS Yemen is heading towards the worst famine the world has seen in decades, the United Nations Security Council was warned in a briefing yesterday. “Across Yemen, more than 16 million people are going hungry – including 5 million who are just one step away from famine,” Mark Lowcock, the UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs...
Read moreU.S., Israel building new system that can target missiles in space: reports
The Washington Times reports that the U.S. and Israel are collaborating on a groundbreaking missile defense system that can target and eliminate threats in the atmosphere and in space, officials from the two nations said Thursday. The Arrow 4 system represents the next generation of “endo-exoatmospheric interceptors and will be implemented gradually, officials said, ultimately replacing...
Read moreTurkey: ‘NATO must respect security concerns of each ally’
BRUSSELS Turkey's permanent representative to NATO Thursday said allies should handle the differences of opinion and respect the security concerns of one another. Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the 69th anniversary of Turkey’s NATO membership, Basat Ozturk said Turkey has been a valuable and important country for the alliance, adding: “Although we have different opinions with some...
Read moreTurkey: Anti-ISIS raid, eight Syrians and Iraqis arrested
ISTANBUL, 18 FEB - A new anti-ISIS raid took place in Turkey on Thursday morning, in which anti-terrorist police in the southern province of Adana near the Syrian border arrested eight suspected foreign jihadists, with a ninth person still being sought. The suspects are five Syrians and four Iraqis accused of spreading terrorist propaganda through...
Read moreDozens injured as earthquake hits southwestern Iran
TEHRAN At least 43 people in Iran have been injured and several properties destroyed in an earthquake that shook the country’s southwestern Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province on Wednesday night, local authorities said on Thursday. According to the Institute of Geophysics of Tehran University, the epicenter of the 5.6 magnitude earthquake, which occurred at 10:55 p.m. local...
Read moreWhat will your world be without social media?
Once the governments and the social media battle it out and social media will be banned or limited in your area, what will your daily life look like? Are you addicted to the likes and views and need the constant fix of pseudo fandom, or are you merely relying on the social giants to deliver your...
Read moreUAE-affiliated elements attack Hadi forces in southern Yemen
TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (MNA) –Armed elements affiliated with the UAE in southern Yemen attacked forces of the ousted president Hadi who were going towards the eastern Yemeni province of Marib. According to sources familiar with the matter armed elements affiliated with the so-called "Southern Transitional Council" attacked a convoy of military vehicles belonging to ousted president...
Read moreFacebook Has ‘Unfriended Australia’: Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has labeled Facebook’s decision to ban Australian users from viewing news content as “arrogant” and warned that he is in regular contact with world leaders, who are all contending with how to better regulate Big Tech. “Facebook’s actions to unfriend Australia today, cutting off essential information services on health and emergency services,...
Read moreRouhani urges US to abide by law, fulfill JCPOA obligations
TEHRAN, Feb. 18 (MNA) – Iranian President urged the US administration to fulfill its obligations under the Nuclear Deal and abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2231. Hassan Rouhani made the remarks at the inauguration ceremony of a number of industrial projects on Thursday. Referring to Washington’s pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran, he expressed...
Read moreRussia, Turkey, Iran to continue joint effort to combat terrorists in Syria
SOCHI, February 17. /TASS/. Russia, Turkey, and Iran have agreed to continue cooperation aimed at eliminating terrorists of the Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front groups (outlawed in Russia) in Syria. In their joint statement after the 15th international meeting on Syria in the Astana format, the sides "reiterated their determination to combat terrorism in all forms...
Read moreIsrael destroys Bedouin village for the ‘183rd time’
An Arab Bedouin village in the southern Negev region has been demolished by Israel for the 183rd time, a local Palestinian source said on Wednesday. The al-Araqib village, home to some 22 Palestinian families, has been destroyed eight times since last year, Aziz al-Touri, a member of the Committee for the Defense of al-Araqib, told Anadolu...
Read moreGunmen storm Nigerian school and kidnap students
KADUNA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Unidentified gunmen attacked a secondary school in Nigeria’s Niger state overnight and abducted many students, the state governor’s spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The attackers stormed the Government Science college in the Kagara district at around 2 a.m., overwhelming the school’s security detail, local residents said. The spokeswoman said a mass abduction of...
Read moreAfter delay, Israel allows vaccines into Hamas-run Gaza
AP, GAZA. The Palestinian Authority sent the first shipment of coronavirus vaccines to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Wednesday, two days after accusing Israel of preventing it from dispatching the doses amid objections from some Israeli lawmakers. Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila said in a statement that the PA sent 2,000 doses of the Russian Sputnik...
Read moreAfghan security forces free 42 hostages held by Taliban
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) – Afghan Special Forces released 42 persons who were taken hostage by the Taliban during a night operation. In an operation in Baghlan province, Afghan special forces were able to free 42 people held hostage by the Taliban, the Independent reported. In this regard, the Afghan Ministry of Defense announced that 42...
Read moreSouth Korean spy agency claims North Korean hackers tried stealing Pfizer vaccine know-how
Seoul: North Korea has attempted to steal COVID-19 vaccine technology by hacking Pfizer Inc according to South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), Yonhap news agency reported on Tuesday. South Korea's Yonhap did not report when the alleged hacking took place or whether it was successful. Last year suspected North Korean hackers tried to break into at least nine...
Read moreScientists baffled by plummeting levels of coronavirus infections in India
Scientists are baffled by the relatively low rate of coronavirus infections in India after at one point it looked as though it might surpass the US as the country with the biggest case toll. Infections began to plummet in September, and now the country is reporting about 11,000 new cases a day, compared to a peak...
Read moreUN reacts to Iran’s plan to limit IAEA inspection
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) – A UN spokesman has reacted to Iran's decision to limit the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspection of the country's nuclear facilities. The United Nations is calling on Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UN spokesman Farhan Haq said, commenting on Tehran's plan to limit IAEA inspections...
Read moreTurkey condemns rocket attack in northern Iraq’s Erbil
Turkey on Tuesday condemned Monday’s rocket attack near Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq, which left 1 civilian contractor dead, 5 other contractors, and 1 US service member wounded. "We strongly condemn the rocket attacks in Erbil, which are thought to have targeted civilian settlements," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We express our condolences...
Read moreBomb blast kills 7 police forces in Afghanistan’s Faryab
TEHRAN, Feb. 16 (MNA) – Seven Afghan police forces were killed in a car bomb in the northern province of Faryab on Tuesday. According to local sources, the explosion occurred while a police Humvee truck crashed into a roadside bomb in a market situated in the Almar district of Faryab province. No group or individual has...
Read moreIran says U.S. move to seize oil shipment is ‘act of piracy’
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran said on Monday that a U.S. move this month to seize a cargo of oil on the grounds that it came from Tehran was an act of piracy, adding that the shipment did not belong to the Iranian government. Washington filed a lawsuit earlier this month to seize the cargo, alleging that...
Read moreJournalists, activists, go on trial in Iraqi Kurdistan over ‘endangering’ national security
HEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan region,— A group of journalists and activists from Duhok who were arrested last year and accused of endangering national security, went on trial on Monday in Erbil. Activist Badal Barwari and journalists Sherwan Sherwani and Omed Baroshki are among those set to stand trial and are accused of serious charges of undermining state independence, unity, or...
Read morePhilippines says it wants more than ‘loose change’ for U.S. troops deal
MANILA (Reuters) - The United States is providing the Philippines with military aid that amounts to “loose change” compared to other Asian countries, a top official said on Monday, justifying demands by President Rodrigo Duterte for Washington to pay more. Duterte last week said the United States should fork out more if it wants to maintain...
Read moreGoogle & Facebook falling in line ‘very soon’ with Australian government media reform bill
Australian Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says that there has been "great progress" in talks between the tech giants and Australia in regards to the new Australia’s News Media Bargaining Code, which first emerged in 2019. The purpose of the bill is to establish reciprocity for news and media organizations mandating the tech companies to pay for content...
Read moreTurkish-backed forces fight one another in northwestern Syria
BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:40 P.M.) - Two Turkish-backed militant groups clashed in northwestern Syria this weekend, causing a new wave of violence in the western countryside of the Aleppo Governorate. According to local reports from the Aleppo Governorate, the clashes broke out between Jabhat Al-Shamiya (Levant Front) and Jaysh Al-Islam (Army of Islam) in the Afrin region,...
Read moreUS sells over 1 million barrels of oil allegedly seized from Iranian tanker
The US has finished selling the 1.2 million barrels of fuel it seized from tankers purportedly sent by Iran to Venezuela, spokesman for the Department of Justice, Marc Raimondi, said in an interview with Reuters. The US official did not mention the sale price of the petroleum, but if it was anywhere near the price tag...
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