German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to discuss the Catalan crisis and stressed her support for the unity of Spain while encouraging more dialogue, her spokesman said on Monday.Merkel also discussed the Catalan situation with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Reuters reported.“She spoke with both about the current situation in […]

Russia accused the United States on Tuesday of pretending to fight the self-styled Islamic State and of deliberately reducing its air strikes in Iraq to allow the group’s militants to stream into Syria to slow the Russian-backed advance of the Syrian army.In the latest sign of rising tensions between Moscow and Washington, the Russian Defense […]

The number of American airstrikes in Afghanistan hit a seven-year high in September as the military acted on US President Donald Trump’s new strategy for the country, according to the US Air Forces Central Command. The US used 751 bombs against the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group and Taliban targets during the period, according to […]

The World Health Organization (WHO) began distributing 900,000 doses of cholera vaccine on Tuesday in Bangladesh’s camps for Rohingya refugees fleeing from Myanmar, as authorities rush to prevent a major outbreak of the deadly disease.More than 10,000 cases of diarrhea have been reported in the past week alone, the WHO said, Reuters reported.Doctors in two […]

A new public opinion poll in the Persian Gulf Arab states reminds us again of a cardinal truth about political realities in the Arab region: make sure to listen to what ordinary people feel, more than you listen to what local or foreign governments say.I was reminded of this while reading the results of a […]

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Tuesday that new sanctions may be introduced by Ankara, Baghdad and Tehran against Iraqi Kurdistan in connection with the region’s recent referendum on independence.“An illegal referendum was held in northern Iraq. We are not opposing the Kurdish people, but we are against the irresponsible actions of the government of […]

More than a dozen fast-moving wildfires tearing through California have killed at least 11 people, destroying hundreds of homes, authorities said Monday.Fanned by winds of over 50 miles (80 kilometers) an hour, the blazes have forced more than 20,000 people to evacuate in the country’s heaviest populated state since they began Sunday night, AFP reported.California’s […]

Catalan police tightened their guard on the region’s parliament on Tuesday where secessionists have threatened to adopt a unilateral declaration of independence from Spain despite warnings from Madrid of swift counter-measures.Regional leader Carles Puigdemont held a meeting of his cabinet to decide how to press an independence drive that has stirred powerful emotions across Spain […]

Suicide bombers targeted police headquarters in the Syrian capital city, Damascus, SANA news agency reported, citing the interior ministry. One person was killed and six injured in the attack. The attack occurred in central Damascus on Wednesday, as the two suicide bombers reportedly tried to access the premises of the police headquarters. When confronted by […]

US President Donald Trump wanted to dramatically increase the country’s nuclear arsenal, he said in a meeting with his national security advisers in July, NBC News reported on Wednesday, citing three officials who were present in the room.Trump’s reported comments come as tensions remained high with North Korea and as Trump is expected to make […]