A “hellish” gun battle erupted at a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu after militants rammed a car bomb into the gates and stormed the building.A second car bomb targeted the former parliament house nearby, and a third blast was reported when an attacker detonated a suicide vest at the hotel, Sky News reported.At least […]

Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani on Sunday confirmed his intention to step down on Nov. 1 and asked parliament to take measures to fill the presidential power vacuum.Meeting in the Kurdish capital Erbil, parliament was informed of a letter sent by Barzani seeking not to extend his term beyond Nov. 1, Reuters reported.“I refuse to […]

Political parties opposing a split by Catalonia from Spain had a small lead in an opinion poll published on Sunday, the first since Madrid called a regional election to try to resolve the crisis over Catalan demands for independence.The poll of 1,000 people by Sigma Dos for newspaper El Mundo, which opposes independence for the […]

Should one welcome or worry about the new string of bold announcements by Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman about his plans to remake the country in his image concerning what it requires to thrive into the coming generations? I think a bit of both is the answer, because there is…

Iraqi premier Haider al-Abadi has called for calm and avoiding chaos in Kurdistan Region as violence was reported following declaration by the region’s president that he rejects a renewed tenure.“We are closely watching developments in Kurdistan region and the assaults on political parties’ offices and media workers, as well as attempts to induce chaos and […]

Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday that China, Japan, South Korea and the United States should consider sending an envoy to North Korea to avoid a nuclear war, which the Philippine president said would be “totally unacceptable.”“All world leaders agree that he [Kim Jong Un] is a dangerous man,” Duterte told a press conference before leaving for […]

Work resumed normally in Catalonia and calm reigned on the streets on Monday despite calls for civil disobedience from secessionist politicians, in early signs the direct rule imposed to stop an independence bid from Spain was taking hold.Although some public sector workers have yet to tell their new bosses whether they will accept orders, the […]

A mass trial resumed in Turkey on Monday of more than 220 suspects, including former generals, accused of being among the ringleaders of last year’s coup bid to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.The suspects face life sentences if convicted of charges ranging from using violence to try to overthrow the government and parliament, to killing […]

Paul Manafort, a former campaign manager for US President Donald Trump, and an associate were indicted by a federal grand jury on 12 counts including conspiracy against the United States and money laundering, the federal special counsel’s office said on Monday.The charges were the first arising from the investigation by Justice Department special counsel Robert […]

Russia is reportedly considering a partial reduction of its military presence in Syria amid successes of the Syrian government forces in the fight against terrorists. The plan prescribes that only military police units and military advisers as well as a contingent necessary for the protection of facilities in Hmeymim and Tartus will remain in Syria, […]