Even the new coronavirus can’t stop President Vladimir Putin when his power is on the line. As rumors abound that Russia’s capital is about to be locked down to prevent an outbreak of COVID-19, Mr. Putin said this week that an April 22 nationwide vote on constitutional amendments that could keep him in power until 2036 will proceed as planned.
The European Central Bank (ECB) announced an economic stimulus program worth €750 billion Wednesday night.
From Jerusalem’s Western Wall to Saudi Arabia’s Mecca, the coronavirus is changing the Middle East and people in the region are adjusting to a new normal.
An ‘unprecedented’ locust swarm is forming in the Horn of Africa, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and is expected to cause major food shortages across Africa and the Middle East later this summer.
The European Union announced that member nations will close the EU’s external borders for the next 30 days to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
The International Monetary Fund on Monday said it ‘stands ready’ to use its $1 trillion lending capacity to help countries around the world that are struggling with the humanitarian and economic impact of the novel coronavirus.
Vladimir Putin has formally signed off on constitutional amendments that would allow the Russian leader to run again for president in 2024, the Interfax news agency reported on March 14.
The World Health Organization says Europe has replaced China as the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
The regime in Tehran is in lots of trouble these days. As U.S. sanctions tighten, at least a quarter of Iran’s oil rigs are now out of action, ‘dealing a potentially long-term blow to its oil industry.’ The coronavirus ‘has now spread to every province in the country and people are fearful that the true scale of the outbreak is even worse than is being disclosed.’
The United States is conducting retaliatory airstrikes against an Iran-backed militia group operating in Iraq following a deadly attack a day earlier against a base hosting Western forces near Baghdad, the Pentagon says.
Russian President Vladimir Putin could stay leader of Russia for many years to come.
The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic Wednesday, after weeks of resisting the label in light of a nearly worldwide spread of the virus.
A US General has warned that US counter-terrorism efforts and the efforts of national governments in Africa are not curtailing the spread of the Islamic State and al-Qaeda there, and that a new caliphate may soon be established.
The Trump administration this week disclosed plans to seek an extension of the 2010 New START agreement to limit China’s growing nuclear arsenal and restrict exotic new weapons not covered by the treaty.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday backed a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow him to seek re-election after his current term ends in 2024, ending uncertainty about his future.
A UN ‘special expert on freedom of religion’ is calling on states to regulate religion to suit modern ideologies of gender and sexuality.
Iran’s leadership has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus, as the Islamic Republic predicts that 40% of residents in its capital of Tehran will be infected by the spreading virus within two weeks.
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has demanded that Iran stop blocking its investigation into three possible nuclear sites.
Oil futures tumbled 31% in a matter of seconds overnight on Sunday, their sharpest decline since the Gulf War in 1991. The losses are being fueled by sinking demand due to coronavirus concerns, which has in turn sparked a series of price cuts.
The Saudi crown prince has arrested two former rivals in a move that many see as an attempt to position himself to seize the throne from his 84-year-old father.