Month: May 2019

Both Caracas and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido have confirmed they sent their representatives to Oslo for talks scheduled to begin next week, a second such attempt at dialogue within two weeks. As the Venezuelan government and the opposition remain deadlocked, with Western-backed, self-proclaimed ‘interim president’ Guaido failing to enlist enough support from the military…

The visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Berlin, which was cancelled at short notice, has been rescheduled for May 31, a spokeswoman for the German government said on Friday. Pompeo had been due to visit Germany for talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier this month, but cancelled at the very last minute…

A US F-16 fighter jet has took to the skies for the first time since being repainted to resemble a cutting-edge Russian Su-57 aircraft. While the paint job unlikely affected actual performance, it certainly looked nice on the jet. The aircraft belongs to the US Air Force’s 64th Aggressor Squadron based at the Nellis Air…

Israel might be heading into another early election as Benjamin Netanyahu has so far failed to form an uneasy right-wing coalition in his last-ditch attempt just days before the deadline on Wednesday. Even though Netanyahu managed to overcome tough competition from the centrists to win his historic fifth term in office in April, it seems…

As the issues of the legality and morality of abortion consume the national debate in the US, Pope Francis has thrown his weight behind the pro-life side, comparing the procedure to hiring an assassin. The pontiff, who is known for his outspoken aversion to the practice, tore into the proponents of abortion as an inalienable…

US Attorney General William Barr is expected to seek advice from the intelligence community on how best to declassify data regarding what prompted the Russiagate probe – a prospect that has caused some panic among its proponents. The attorney general will “do everything” to protect sensitive intelligence data and would thus take suggestions from US…

While nuclear power plants in the US are retiring as they face stiff cost competition from cheap and abundant natural gas, America has also been struggling to keep its leadership on the global nuclear power market. The United States must protect its longstanding leadership on nuclear energy globally, Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Sheldon Whitehouse…

Talking with Washington is akin to talking with the devil, a senior official with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said, downplaying the US military presence in the region as the “weakest in history.” “Negotiating with the devil, the Quran says, bears no fruit,” the deputy commander of the IRGC, Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi, said,…

Liverpool’s James Milner revealed that he found himself on the receiving end of an irate Lionel Messi during the Reds’ incredible 4-0 win over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, Liverpool staged an incredible second-leg comeback at Anfield to defeat Barca 4-0 and book their place in the final…

Israel’s ultra-Orthodox party has called on former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman not to “drag Israel into civil war” by refusing to back down on a bill that would include Haredi men in the mandatory military draft. “We are calling on Lieberman not to drag Israel into civil war,” Shas said in a statement that accused…