The United States has announced new restrictions concerning engagement with the Myanmar military over the violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority in Rakhine State. Washington is also weighing economic measures against those involved in the reported atrocities.“We express our gravest concern over recent events in Rakhine State and the violent, traumatic abuses Rohingya and other […]

Palestinians in the UK have welcomed Jeremy Corbyn’s decision not to attend events organized by a pro-Israel group celebrating the Balfour Declaration centenary.A long-term critic of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land, the leader of the opposition Labour Party has not yet explained his reasons for not attending “About Balfour 100”—a series of countrywide events in […]

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson got a frosty welcome to Pakistan Tuesday after Washington turned up the heat on Islamabad for allegedly providing “safe havens” for Taliban militants.America’s top diplomat was quietly greeted by a mid-level Pakistani Foreign Office official at the military airport in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, an AFP photographer saw—a […]

The emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, warned of the collapse of the (Persian) Gulf Cooperation Council—an alliance of Persian Gulf countries—should the crisis with Qatar remain unresolved.In a statement at a Kuwaiti Parliament session on Tuesday, the emir warned (P)GCC leaders of the potential dangerous military and political intervention that may […]

Xi Jinping was elevated to the pantheon of China’s most powerful leaders Tuesday as his name was enshrined in the Communist Party Constitution alongside Chairman Mao.The inclusion of Xi’s eponymous guiding philosophy for the nation at the end of a weeklong congress could lay the foundation for him to remain China’s paramount leader far beyond […]

The Italian government is ready to open negotiations with Lombardy and Veneto after the two wealthy regions voted overwhelmingly for greater autonomy, Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Tuesday.Unlike a recent referendum on independence in Catalonia, which sparked a political crisis in Spain, the Italian votes this weekend were legal, but not binding on Rome, […]

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that his country’s armed forces had largely completed their military mission in Syria’s northwestern Idlib Province.As he was hailing its completion, he pointed out that control of Syria’s Afrin region remained an issue, TRT reported.Afrin is under the control of YPG, which is the armed wing of   […]

Leaders of India and Afghanistan on Tuesday expressed “firm resolve” to jointly fight against terrorism for the sake of regional peace and stability. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is on a daylong official visit to capital New Delhi on the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Anadolu reported. Modi and Ghani held bilateral talks and discussed […]

Catalonia’s ousted separatist president on Saturday called on Catalans to peacefully oppose Spain’s imposition of direct rule in the region, in a veiled refusal to accept his cabinet’s dismissal as ordered by central authorities. Spain took formal direct control of Catalonia on Saturday, dismissing the region’s defiant separatist government, including Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, a […]

A federal grand jury in Washington on Friday approved the first charges in the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, according to sources briefed on the matter.The charges are still sealed under orders from a federal judge. Plans were prepared Friday for anyone charged to be taken into custody as soon as Monday, the […]