Pentagon Chief in Mideast to Reaffirm US Support for Region
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin landed in Bahrain Friday at the start of a Middle East trip that will also take him to the United Arab Emirates.
Month: November 2021
Israel to begin vaccinating children aged 5-11 on Tuesday, Bennett says
Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced on Friday that the country’s vaccination campaign for children aged 5-11 will debut on Tuesday.
Report: Iran struck Syrian base in retaliation for Israeli raids
A drone strike last month targeting a US military base in southern Syria represented Iranian retaliation for Israeli airstrikes in Syria, the New York Times reported Friday citing several American and Israeli officials speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Thousands protest dried-up river in Iran’s Isfahan as water crisis swells
Thousands of protesters converged on Isfahan in central Iran on Friday to voice their anger after the city’s lifeblood river dried up due to drought and diversion.
Dutch Police Shoot During COVID Protests; Several Injured
The Dutch port city of Rotterdam turned into a war zone Friday with police firing warning shots, injuring several people, following protests against coronavirus restrictions.
U.S. Teen Shooter Rittenhouse Cleared Of Homicide
U.S. teenager Kyle Rittenhouse who shot and killed two men during racial justice protests has been acquitted on all counts.
Austria Announces Full COVID Lockdown, Vaccination Order
Austria has announced a full lockdown starting Monday and will force all its citizens to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Yellen Warns Dec. 15 New Estimated Date for U.S. Debt Default Unless Congress Acts
In just about a month’s time, the United States could be unable to pay its bills, according to a new warning from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
Christian florist pays gay couple denied wedding services $5,000, withdraws SCOTUS appeal
A Christian florist in Washington state is ending an eight-year legal battle to protect her religious beliefs and “artistic freedoms” from compulsion to participate in a same-sex wedding.
Mideast Quartet expresses concern over West Bank violence, PA financial crisis
The so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators urged Israel and the Palestinians on Thursday to address an array of challenges — ongoing violence in the West Bank, the advancement of new settlement units in Palestinian territories, and “the untenable fiscal crisis within the Palestinian Authority.”
Eyeing northern threats, IDF puts over a billion shekels into training for 2022
The Israel Defense Forces has been on a training spree over the past month, holding several large exercises for its Ground Forces in the Northern Command, with plans to continue doing so into next year, following two years of relative stagnation due to a combination of the coronavirus pandemic and the lack of a national budget.
Bennett thanks Erdogan for releasing Israeli couple, in first-ever call between them
In his first-ever phone call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett thanked the Turkish leader on Thursday for his “personal involvement” in bringing about the release of an Israeli couple arrested and held for over a week in Istanbul.
Gantz’s house cleaner, an ex-bank robber, accused of trying to spy on him for Iran
An Israeli man who worked as a house cleaner for Defense Minister Benny Gantz was arrested earlier this month for allegedly offering to spy on the minister on behalf of Iran, the Shin Bet security service said Thursday.
Palestinians fear ‘civil war’ amid growing anarchy
Charges that the Palestinian Authority was not doing enough to enforce law and order, amid increased scenes of anarchy and violence in some parts of the West Bank, emerged Wednesday.
Oklahoma Guard commander defends rejecting vaccine mandate as Pentagon warns troops who refuse
The Oklahoma National Guard’s commanding general Wednesday defended his directive countermanding federal requirements that all U.S. military personnel be vaccinated against the coronavirus, telling troops in a private town hall event that he was following orders from the state’s Republican governor and meant no disrespect to his superiors at the Pentagon.
Chinese military now set for invasion of Taiwan, says Hill commission
China‘s military now is capable of a full-scale invasion of Taiwan and has added new missiles and amphibious ships to the People’s Liberation Army for an attack on the island democracy, according to the latest annual report of a congressional China commission.
Europe imposes lockdown restrictions as fourth wave of coronavirus surges
Across Europe, sweeping COVID-19 restrictions are being imposed in a bid to tackle a fourth wave of the virus currently surging across the continent.
Two Iranian hackers charged with stealing voter data, intimidating GOP lawmakers and Dem voters
Federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment Thursday in New York accusing two Iranian hackers of successfully hacking into a state computer election system, stealing voter registration data and using it to carry out a cyber-intimidation campaign that targeted GOP members of Congress, Trump campaign officials and Democrat voters in the November 2020 election.
FDA Says It Needs Until Year 2076 To Reveal Data Pertaining To Pfizer Vaccine Approval
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requested Monday for the courts to give them until 2076 to review and fully release the documents pertaining to the approval of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Putin accuses NATO of ignoring Russian ‘warnings about red lines’
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused NATO of ignoring Russian “red lines” in Ukraine and Eastern Europe, a habit that he blamed for raising the risk of a new crisis “tomorrow.”