Month: August 2018

Norwegian Fisheries Minister Per Sandberg has resigned amid a wave of criticism for not informing the government of his recent private trips to Iran and China. …

The leaders of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan signed a convention on the legal status and delimitation of the Caspian Sea. …

Five people have died in a helicopter accident in eastern Tajikistan, including three Russian mountaineers and two Tajik members of the helicopter crew, officials say. …

Members of Pakistan’s newly-elected parliament have been sworn in following general elections last month that were marred by allegations of fraud. …

The Turkish finance minister says his government has prepared an “action plan” to help ease market worries as the national currency continues to tumble in the face of planned U.S. sanctions. …

China’s state-run media claimed on August 13 that the country has prevented a “great tragedy” in the far-western Xinjiang region, the country’s first response to remarks by a United Nations panel saying it was “deeply concerned” about the flight of 1 million ethnic Uyghurs there. …

Planning is under way in South Korea to renew and expand tourism ties with North Korea, contingent upon the lifting of economic sanctions that the U.S. insists will remain in place until Pyongyang dismantles its nuclear arsenal. The South Korean Incheon Port Authority (IPA) on Monday announced plans to facilitate foreign cruise ship visits to …

Read more “Inter-Korean Tourism Surge Expected if Peace Prevails”

High-profile U.S. officials have visited South America in recent weeks to signal strength in inter-American alliances amid U.S. competitors’ increased interest in the region. Speaking to reporters while traveling to Brazil Sunday, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said Russian and Chinese involvement in South America has had “zero impact” on military-to-military relationships with America’s Latin …

Read more “US Wants to Remain ‘Partner of Choice’ in South America”

The people who attended dueling rallies in the nation’s capital Saturday and Sunday came to be heard, although their messages were vastly different. About two dozen white supremacists, some shielding their faces behind masks and unfurled American flags, rallied in a park across the street from the White House Sunday afternoon but the event ended …

Read more “‘Unite the Right’ Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype”

Israel’s prime minister has criticized the presence of Palestinian flags at a protest against a contentious new law defining the country as a Jewish state.   Benjamin Netanyahu told the Cabinet on Sunday that Palestinian flags “flying in the heart of Tel Aviv” was “conclusive evidence” that many protesters oppose Israel’s existence, and proves the …

Read more “Israel PM Defends Contentious Law in Face of Arab Protest”

German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier has sharply criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and sanctions policies, saying such measures were destroying jobs and growth and that Europe would not bow to U.S. pressure regarding Iran. The United States has triggered a bitter tit-for-tat trade dispute with import tariffs meant to protect American jobs against what …

Read more “Germany: Trump’s Tariffs, Sanctions Destroy Jobs and Growth”

Afghans recall life under the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in northern Afghanistan, where residents accuse the militants of rape, forced marriages, and using child soldiers. …

Burkina Faso State TV reports that five gendarmes and one civilian have been killed between the rural communes of Boungou and Ougarou in the nation’s far east.   It reports the vehicle hit an explosive device late Saturday while gendarmes were escorting mining workers to their extraction site.   This comes as Islamic extremists are …

Read more “Suspected Jihadis Kill 6 in East Burkina Faso”

The battle for the eastern Afghan city of Ghazni has entered its third day as government forces and Taliban fighters engage in intense clashes, reports say. …

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that Iranian officials are trying to head off a looming economic crisis with threats of “new rights-abusing policies,” including applying the death penalty for economic crimes. …

A wildfire in Southern California that began Monday grew to 85 square kilometers (33 square miles) in size Saturday as firefighters worked to keep the flames from engulfing residential areas in Holy Jim Canyon. Aircraft have been dumping pink fire retardant on homes in the Lake Elsinore area and other communities in the foothills of …

Read more “Crews Work to Protect S. California Homes from Holy Fire”

Clashes between Afghan government forces and the Taliban continue around the Afghan city of Ghazni on August 11, a day after Taliban militants stormed its center, officials said. …