U.S. lawmakers are set to hold a hearing into the attack last month on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which left the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans dead. Ahead of the hearing Wednesday by the Republican-led House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, senior State Department officials gave reporters a detailed account of the […]
Netanyahu Orders Early Elections in Israel
Posted October 9th, 2012 at 3:55 pm (UTC-5)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ordering early parliamentary elections to be held as soon as possible. Mr. Netanyahu said Tuesday he was being forced to form a new government because the current coalition was not able to agree on a budget for 2013. The next elections were scheduled for next October, but will now […]
Azerbaijan Jails 22 in Alleged Iran-Backed Terror Plot
Posted October 9th, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
A closed court in Azerbaijan has sentenced 22 Azerbaijani citizens to prison for assisting Iran in allegedly plotting terrorist attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets in the country. The defendants received sentences Tuesday ranging from three to 13 years imprisonment after authorities accused them of planning attacks in cooperation with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Targets for […]
Azerbaijan Jails 22 in Alleged Iran-Backed Terror Plot
Posted October 9th, 2012 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
A court in Azerbaijan has sentenced 22 people to lengthy prison terms for assisting Iran in allegedly plotting terrorist attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets in the country. The defendants received sentences Tuesday ranging from 10 to 15 years after authorities accused them of planning attacks in cooperation with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Targets for the […]
Iraq, Russia Sign Multi-Billion Dollar Arms Contracts
Posted October 9th, 2012 at 8:15 am (UTC-5)
Iraq has signed contracts pledging to buy more than $4.2 billion worth of weapons from Russia. The Russian government made the announcement in a statement issued Tuesday following a meeting between Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and his visiting Iraqi counterpart Nouri al-Maliki. The deals reportedly include the purchase of 30 Mi-28 attack helicopters and […]
UN Chief Calls for Syrian Ceasefire
Posted October 9th, 2012 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is continuing his calls for Syrian forces to halt their fighting in a bid to bring an end to almost 19 months of conflict. Mr. Ban on Tuesday urged President Bashar al-Assad’s government to institute a unilateral ceasefire, and further stressed the need for other nations to halt arms deliveries to […]
Egypt’s Morsi Issues General Pardon for Revolutionary Activists
Posted October 8th, 2012 at 8:50 pm (UTC-5)
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi has issued a decree granting a pardon to Egyptians who were detained or convicted for acts linked to the 2011 revolution that ousted his longtime predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. In the decree posted on his Facebook page late Monday, Mr. Morsi said the pardon covers crimes “committed with the aim of supporting […]
US Institute: Iran Could Produce Enough Uranium for Bomb in 2 Months
Posted October 8th, 2012 at 6:15 pm (UTC-5)
A U.S. security institute that advises Washington policy makers says Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium for a nuclear bomb in as little as two months from now, but would need additional time to make the device itself. In a report issued Monday, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said Iran has the […]
UN Chief Warns of Escalating Syria Conflict Dangers
Posted October 8th, 2012 at 1:45 pm (UTC-5)
Turkey launched a new retaliatory strike Monday after a mortar bomb fired from Syria hit the Turkish countryside as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned of “extremely dangerous” fallout from the escalating border conflict. Mr. Ban also said he is “deeply concerned” about the continuing flow of weapons to the Syrian government and opposition forces and […]
UN Chief Warns of Escalating Syria Conflict Dangers
Posted October 8th, 2012 at 11:20 am (UTC-5)
Turkey launched a new retaliatory strike Monday after a mortar bomb fired from Syria hit the Turkish countryside as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned of “extremely dangerous” fallout from the escalating border conflict. Mr. Ban also said he is “deeply concerned” about the continuing flow of weapons to the Syrian government and opposition forces and […]
