EU agrees to extend sanctions against Russia
The European Union agreed Thursday to extend sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine.
UK
Two EU states break ranks on Jerusalem
Two EU states have broken ranks on the US decision to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Russia Banned from 2018 Winter Olympics
The International Olympic Committee banned Russia on Tuesday from competing as a country in the upcoming Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, but said that individual Russians could compete as an ‘Olympic Athlete from Russia.’
UK Politician: Christians Seen as ‘Dangerous and Offensive’
Tim Farron resigned his post at the helm of the left wing party in July, saying, ‘To be a political leader and to live as a committed Christian, to hold faithfully to the Bible’s teaching, has felt impossible to me.’
Kerry: Israel, Egypt, Saudis pushed US to bomb Iran before nuke deal
Former Secretary of State John Kerry said both Israel and Egypt pushed the United States to ‘bomb Iran’ before the 2015 nuclear deal was struck.
Russian fighter makes ‘unsafe’ interception of U.S. Navy plane over Black Sea
A Russian fighter jet flew within 50 feet of an American reconnaissance plane in an ‘unsafe’ maneuver that caused ‘violent turbulence’ for the U.S. aircraft, the military said late Monday.
UK has 10 days to make Brexit progress
The UK has ten days to make progress in Brexit negotiations for the EU leaders to unlock the next phase of talks on trade and future relations.
Trump Revealed Israel’s Secret Raid to Russian Diplomats
The intelligence that President Donald Trump leaked to top Russian officials in an Oval Office meeting in May concerned a highly sensitive Israeli special forces mission, it has been revealed. The operation, which took place in February 2017, involved commandos infiltrating an area under the control of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), to place a surveilance device. The intelligence obtained through the device prompted a short-term ban on laptops on flights from several majority-Muslim countries to the US and the UK.
Sanctuary cities cooperate after Sessions threatens to withhold grant funding
The Justice Department is battling in the courts to preserve President Trump’s anti-sanctuary city agenda, but it’s already notched some successes just by raising the issue.
Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump discuss Syria, Ukraine, North Korea in hour-plus call
US President Donald Trump described the conversation with the Kremlin chief as a ‘great call’ and said the two leaders spoke ‘very strongly about bringing peace to Syria.’
Lebanon’s Saad Hariri returns to Beirut amid Saudi resignation saga
Saad Hariri returned to Lebanon late Tuesday for the first time since he stunned his country by announcing from Saudi Arabia that he was quitting as prime minister more than two weeks ago.
Fukushima Melted Uranium Discovered 6 Years After Nuclear Disaster
More than six years after the nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi power plant, workers finally discovered the location of melted uranium fuel rods inside of one of the reactors. The rods melted during the 2011 disaster, making it near-impossible to determine where the liquefied material ended up.
7.0 earthquake triggers tsunami warnings for New Caledonia and Vanuatu
An undersea earthquake of magnitude 7.0 struck in the South Pacific on Monday, sending small tsunami waves towards New Caledonia and Vanuatu.
‘The disaster is biblical’: Athens floods kill 15 after ‘unprecedented’ storm
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday declared a state of mourning after a freak overnight downpour with the force of a “waterfall” flooded three towns near Athens, killing at least 15 people.
Richest 1% own half the world’s wealth, study finds
The globe’s richest 1% own half the world’s wealth, according to a new report highlighting the growing gap between the super-rich and everyone else.
Britain woos Saudi Aramco IPO with $2bn loan guarantee
Britain on Thursday confirmed it has offered Saudi Aramco a $2 billion (1.71 billion euros) loan guarantee as the oil giant considers whether to launch possibly the world’s largest ever stock market listing in London.
Saudi Arabia orders citizens to leave Lebanon as tensions rise
Saudi Arabia has ordered its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately, escalating a regional standoff with Iran centred on the fragile state, which it claims is being run by Tehran’s proxy, Hezbollah.
Rouhani warns Saudi Arabia against befriending Israel, US
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned rival Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that it was making a mistake in aligning with Israel and the United States over Tehran.
German army ‘plans for break up of the European Union’ in war game scenario
The German army has war-gamed the break up of the European Union in study of security crises that could face the country by 2040.
Saudi Arabia intercepts ‘missile’ fired from Yemen
Saudi Arabia intercepted and destroyed a “ballistic missile” north-east of the capital, Riyadh, on Saturday after it was launched from Yemen, Saudi state media reported. ‘Saudi air defence intercepts ballistic missile northeast of Riyadh,’ it said.