Oman, Yemen prepare for hurricane-strength Cyclone Mekunu
Cyclone Mekunu is intensifying to hurricane-level strength in the Arabian Sea and is expected to hit Oman and Yemen later this week, forecasters said Wednesday.
World Headlines
Report: Strong Evidence of Iran Developing Long-Range Missile Technology at Secret Facility
A team of California-based weapons researchers has uncovered evidence suggesting Iran is developing long-range missile technology at a secret facility in the Iranian desert.
Trump to cut aid to countries refusing to cooperate on immigration
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he is working on plans to reduce U.S. aid to countries that refuse to cooperate with U.S. immigration authorities.
Mike Pompeo focused on North Korea denuclearization
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said North Korean denuclearization is the ‘top national security priority,’ but the Trump administration is also focused on ‘appropriate countermeasures’ to anticipated Russian meddling in the 2018 midterms, knuckling down against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s power grab in Caracas and much, much more.
Google, Facebook’s new policy benefits pro-abortion side ahead of Irish vote, critics say
A move by Facebook and Google to restrict political advertising ahead of Ireland’s fiercely contested abortion referendum Friday has outraged critics, who call it the latest example of the social media giants’ power to put a heavy digital thumb on the electoral scales — even when they strive not to get involved.
UN chief urges Lebanon’s Hezbollah to halt military action
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly criticized Hezbollah for operating as the most heavily armed militia and a political party in Lebanon and urged the militant group to halt military activities inside and outside the country, including in Syria.
U.S. warplanes take out ISIS sleeper cell in Iraq
U.S. and allied warplanes destroyed an Islamic State sleeper cell near the terror group’s former stronghold of Mosul Tuesday, ending with roughly 12 jihadists dead, military officials in Baghdad say.
US, South Korea work to keep North Korea summit on track
The United States and South Korea are laboring to keep the highly anticipated U.S. summit with North Korea on track, even after President Donald Trump abruptly said ‘there’s a very substantial chance’ it won’t happen as scheduled.
Syria war: Army takes full control of Damascus after ousting IS
The Syrian military has declared that it has taken full control of all areas around the capital, Damascus, for the first time in six years.
US denounces ‘sham’ Venezuela election and imposes new sanctions
The US ratcheted up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday by further tightening economic sanctions against the cash-starved leftist regime.
Indonesia’s most volatile volcano erupts again
Indonesia’s most volatile volcano has spewed smoke and ash in the latest of several eruptions in less than two weeks.
Lead for Repeal of Ireland’s Pro-Life Amendment Narrows
The number of Irish voters who favor repealing that nation’s Eighth Amendment versus those who want to keep it has narrowed, according to polling.
US, China Putting Trade War on Hold After Progress in Talks
The United States and China are pulling back from the brink of a trade war after the world’s two biggest economies reported progress in talks aimed at bringing down America’s massive trade deficit with Beijing.
Congressional Report: Iran’s Economy Could Collapse
The U.S. decision to drop out of the Iran nuclear agreement could cause the Iranian economy to decline and ultimately collapse, a report from the Congressional Research Service affirms.
Turkey probed over shipment of Israeli-made electronic equipment to Iran
Turkey is reportedly under investigation by the United Nations over a shipment of Israeli-made electronic equipment to Iran in violation of a Security Council resolution which prohibits the transfer of nuclear-related products to the Islamic Republic.
Google’s Selfish Ledger is an Unsettling Vision of Silicon Valley Social Engineering
Google has built a multibillion-dollar business out of knowing everything about its users. Now, a video produced within Google and obtained by The Verge offers a stunningly ambitious and unsettling look at how some at the company envision using that information in the future.
Pentagon stands firm: No talk of scaling back U.S.-South Korean military drills
Despite threats from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to cancel a planned summit with President Trump set for next month, the Pentagon on Thursday insisted there’s absolutely no discussion of scaling back the joint U.S.-South Korean military drills that have put that landmark meeting in jeopardy.
E.U. leaders struggle to save Iran economic ties from U.S. sanctions
European Union leaders agreed on Wednesday to try to keep the Iran nuclear deal alive and maintain their reviving economic cooperation with Tehran after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact.
Gulf states put Hezbollah leadership on their terror lists
Saudi Arabia and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, placed 10 leaders of Lebanon’s Hezbollah on their terrorism lists on Wednesday, including Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy Naim Qassem, Saudi state news agency SPA said.
‘I gave the US trucks and ammunition to Al Qaeda’: The chaotic US effort to arm Syrian rebels
U.S. military equipment and ammunition, sent to Syria as part of a failed Obama administration plan to find and arm moderate forces to defeat ISIS, were instead simply handed over to an Al Qaeda group, according to the man who said he himself brokered the deal.