Truth or Fake - Was Donald Trump 'blocked' from using the nuclear codes against Iran?
Former CIA analyst Larry Johnson alleged on a podcast this week that President Donald Trump wanted to use the nuclear codes against Iran during an emergency White House meeting, but that he was stopped by General Dan Caine, Chairman of his Joint Chiefs of Staff. He described the interaction as "qui»»»
Saudi ambassador presents credentials to Kyrgyz President
BISHKEK: Saudi Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan Iyad Hakim presented his credentials as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to President Sadyr Japarov of the Kyrgyz Republic. During the reception, Iyad Hakim conveyed the greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and their wishe»»»
Lebanon’s Christians support displaced amid ceasefire uncertainty
As Lebanese authorities work to extend the ceasefire, many people on the ground continue to live in deep uncertainty. The country’s Christian community is supporting those displaced by the conflict while also coping with its own grief and disappointment. Serge Berberi and Renee Davis report for Fra»»»
Top Lebanese official makes warning
Israel carried out an airstrike in the Wadi Houjeir valley in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, according to local outlet L’Orient-Le Jour, despite a truce that came into effect on Friday. The Israeli army has also accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire, while the Iran-backed group says it is hold»»»
Iran's participation in US talks unclear
Mediator Pakistan has yet to receive a formal response from Iran on whether it would send a delegation for a second round of talks with the United States, Islamabad's information minister said."Formal response from Iranian side about confirmation of delegation to attend Islamabad Peace Talks is sti»»»
US-Iran talks are in doubt as ceasefire nears an end
US officials have announced that Vice President JD Vance's trip to Pakistan for peace talks with Iran is on hold, as a two-week truce was set to expire and both countries warned that, without a deal, they were prepared to resume fighting. Iran said on Tuesday it had still yet to decide whether to a»»»
Macron to host Lebanon's PM Nawaf Salam
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is set to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace late on Tuesday, with the president expected to reaffirm his support for the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, three days after the death of a French peacekeeper in southern Lebanon.»»»
More than $71 billion needed over next decade to rebuild Gaza: UN, EU
More than $71 billion will be needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction in war-ravaged Gaza, according to an EU-UN assessment published Monday. In their final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), the United Nations and the European Union said that more than two years of »»»
A propos - More than $71 billion needed over next decade to rebuild Gaza: UN, EU
More than $71 billion will be needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction in war-ravaged Gaza, according to an EU-UN assessment published Monday. In their final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), the United Nations and the European Union said that more than two years of »»»
Nigeria charges six people with treason for plan to overthrow president
Nigeria on Tuesday charged six people with terrorism and treason over an alleged coup attempt intended to overthrow President Bola Tinubu. The six, including a retired major general and a serving police inspector, are all in custody. Nigerian authorities have charged six people, including a retired»»»
Why supporters of Burkina Faso’s junta leader are campaigning against a Sky News journalist
Yousra Elbagir, a journalist with British TV channel Sky News, has become the target of a smear campaign by supporters of Burkina Faso's junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré after she raised questions about security in the country and the repression of free speech. Supporters of Burkina Faso's»»»
Why France’s far right is dining with the country’s business elite
France’s far-right National Rally party president Jordan Bardella sat down for lunch Monday with the country’s leading employer federation, marking the latest step in a years-long campaign to woo business leaders in the lead-up to next year’s presidential election – and once again revealing th»»»
France is ready to help Lebanon prepare negociations with Israel, Macron says
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam met with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace late on Tuesday, with the president reaffirming his support for the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, three days after a French peacekeeper was killed in southern Lebanon. French President Emmanue»»»
Press Review - 'Lame excuse': British papers not convinced by PM Starmer's Mandelson defence
PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, April 21: British broadsheets and tabloids mock Prime Minister Keir Starmer's address to the House of Commons, in which he defended himself over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal. In France, former PM Gabriel Attal talks about "the love of his life", but a conflict of inte»»»
EU court finds Hungary's anti-LGBTQ legislation violates bloc's rules
The European Court of Justice on Tuesday found that Hungary's 2021 anti-LGBTQ law breached EU rules. The judgment provides a test for Hungary's new leader Peter Magyar, who ended Prime Minister Viktor Orban's 16-year domination with a landslide victory in an April 12 election. Hungary's outgoing g»»»
Jet fuel prices flying sky high
The war in Iran is having wider consequences for the aviation sector, with rising jet fuel prices putting pressure on airlines and even raising concerns about possible shortages. France and Europe more broadly are looking for solutions to prevent such a scenario. Bryan Quinn reports.»»»
Significant 'overlap' between auto industry and arms manufacturing, expert says
The European automobile industry is pivoting from car production to manufacturing combat drones and defense systems as the continent seeks to rearm in the face of Russia's continued threats. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Rico Luman, Senior Economist for Transport and Logistics at ING Bank, e»»»
Ukraine reopens damaged Druzhba pipeline to unlock €90 billion EU loan
Kyiv said Tuesday it has repaired the damaged Druzhba oil pipeline, clearing the last obstacle to a long-delayed €90 billion EU loan. The move forces Ukraine into the uncomfortable position of resuming Russian oil flows to Hungary and Slovakia even as Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky presses al»»»
Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting Palestinians to force them from West Bank homes – report
Israeli soldiers and settlers are systematically using sexual violence and harassment to force Palestinians from their homes in the occupied West Bank, according to a report by the West Bank Protection Consortium – a group of international humanitarian organizations. The report, published on Sunday»»»
Iran war drives fuel theft surge as gas prices soar globally
A wave of “fill up and flee” crime is sweeping petrol stations across the UK, while American drivers are waking up to drilled-through tanks and drained fuel as the US-Israeli war on Iran has sparked a spike in oil and gas prices across the globe, according to media reports and industry watchdogs. T»»»
Frangieh to Aoun: Even Bashir Gemayyel Failed to Impose “Peace” When Israeli Tanks Were in Beirut
The head of the Marada Movement in Lebanon, Suleiman Frangieh, affirmed that the Resistance is a result of occupation, and what is happening today in the South — the “yellow line” and other matters — gives it full legitimacy to continue. Frangieh added during an interview with Al-Mayadeen channel t»»»
Reports: Two CIA officers die in Mexico car crash after drug raid - UPI.com
John Ratcliffe, director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, looks on as President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing on Iran on April 6 in the James S. Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, D.C. Multiple sources reported Tuesday that two U.S. officials killed in a car crash»»»
Historic Great Lakes flooding shoves ice chunks into Michigan homes - UPI.com
Flooding sent giant chunks of ice into Michigan homes this week after record snowfall melt and rounds of heavy rain created dangerous flooding around the Great Lakes. The statewide flooding dashboard from the Michigan Police showed 40 counties under a state of emergency (red) and road closures due »»»
Panama Canal auction prices quadruple as Hormuz closure reshapes global energy flows
A Chinese-controlled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker paying $4mn to jump a queue is not the sort of detail that ordinarily surfaces in shipping intelligence reports. Yet the transit of the Gas Virgo, a Singapore-flagged vessel operated by Wanhua Chemical, through the Panama Canal on April 15 h»»»
Europeans fear Washington more than Beijing for the first time, Politico reports
For the first time in the history of transatlantic polling, more Europeans view the United States as a threat to their continent than view China in the same light, a seismic shift in public sentiment. A Politico Europ»»»
UAE warns it could sell oil in yuan if dollar liquidity crunch hits
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned Washington it could switch to Chinese yuan or other currencies to settle oil sales if it faces a severe shortage of US dollars, Russian oil industry publication Neft i Kapital reported on April 21. »»»
US and Cuba talk in Havana but cannot agree on what was said
Cuba has confirmed that senior officials from Havana and Washington held face-to-face talks on the island in early April, in the highest-level diplomatic encounter between the two governments in nearly a decade, as the Trump administration's pressure campaign against the communist-run island shows »»»
COMMENT: Rising pressures on Iranians in the UAE
For over a century, the geographical gap between the southern coast of Iran and the bustling ports of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was less a barrier and more a bridge. However, the recent war on Iran by the US and Israel and Iran's response to GCC neighbours has all but burnt that bridge. »»»
Russia expects resumption of Gulf diplomacy, Lavrov says
Russia expects positive news on the resumption of diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation around Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, state news agency TASS reported on April 21. Moscow has emerged a»»»
IDF soldier recieves 30-day military detention after smashing Jesus statue in Lebanon
An Israeli soldier has been sentenced to 30 days of military detention after being photographed destroying a statue of Jesus in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon, the IDF confirmed on April 21. The inciden»»»
Russia expects resumption of Gulf diplomacy, Lavrov says
Russia expects positive news on the resumption of diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation around Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, state news agency TASS reported on April 21. Moscow has emerged a»»»
COMMENT: Is Iran the fourth superpower?
For 30 years, analysts warned that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz. For 30 years, Iran did not. It threatened to close the Strait, but it never pulled the trigger. The US and its Gulf allies assumed Iran was jive-talking. That changed on February 28 when the US and Israel thought they could b»»»
COMMENT: Rising pressures on Iranians in the UAE
For over a century, the geographical gap between the southern coast of Iran and the bustling ports of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was less a barrier and more a bridge. However, the recent war on Iran by the US and Israel and Iran's response to GCC neighbours has all but burnt that bridge. »»»
IDF soldier recieves 30-day military detention after smashing Jesus statue in Lebanon
An Israeli soldier has been sentenced to 30 days of military detention after being photographed destroying a statue of Jesus in the Christian village of Debel in southern Lebanon, the IDF confirmed on April 21. The inciden»»»
Panama Canal auction prices quadruple as Hormuz closure reshapes global energy flows
A Chinese-controlled liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker paying $4mn to jump a queue is not the sort of detail that ordinarily surfaces in shipping intelligence reports. Yet the transit of the Gas Virgo, a Singapore-flagged vessel operated by Wanhua Chemical, through the Panama Canal on April 15 h»»»
COMMENT: Is Iran the fourth superpower?
For 30 years, analysts warned that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz. For 30 years, Iran did not. It threatened to close the Strait, but it never pulled the trigger. The US and its Gulf allies assumed Iran was jive-talking. That changed on February 28 when the US and Israel thought they could b»»»
COMMENT: Rising pressures on Iranians in the UAE
For over a century, the geographical gap between the southern coast of Iran and the bustling ports of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was less a barrier and more a bridge. However, the recent war on Iran by the US and Israel and Iran's response to GCC neighbours has all but burnt that bridge. »»»
Russia expects resumption of Gulf diplomacy, Lavrov says
Russia expects positive news on the resumption of diplomatic efforts to resolve the situation around Iran, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, state news agency TASS reported on April 21. Moscow has emerged a»»»
UAE warns it could sell oil in yuan if dollar liquidity crunch hits
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has warned Washington it could switch to Chinese yuan or other currencies to settle oil sales if it faces a severe shortage of US dollars, Russian oil industry publication Neft i Kapital reported on April 21. »»»
COMMENT: Is Iran the fourth superpower?
For 30 years, analysts warned that Iran could close the Strait of Hormuz. For 30 years, Iran did not. It threatened to close the Strait, but it never pulled the trigger. The US and its Gulf allies assumed Iran was jive-talking. That changed on February 28 when the US and Israel thought they could b»»»
The Kazakh fintech Freedom Holding sets its sights on the world
Freedom Holding Corp has undergone a transformation that few could have predicted. It listed on Nasdaq in 2019 as a mid-sized Kazakh brokerage, the first Kazakh brokerage ever to list in the US, yet today it is a $9.6bn fintech platform with operations spanning Central Asia, Europe, the US and the »»»
Western Balkans risk losing €700mn in EU funds over delayed reforms
The European Union has warned Western Balkan countries they risk losing more than €700mn in growth package funding unless stalled reforms are accelerated, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported on April 20. European Commissioner»»»
Western Balkans risk losing €700mn in EU funds over delayed reforms
The European Union has warned Western Balkan countries they risk losing more than €700mn in growth package funding unless stalled reforms are accelerated, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported on April 20. European Commissioner»»»
Western Balkans risk losing €700mn in EU funds over delayed reforms
The European Union has warned Western Balkan countries they risk losing more than €700mn in growth package funding unless stalled reforms are accelerated, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported on April 20. European Commissioner»»»
Western Balkans risk losing €700mn in EU funds over delayed reforms
The European Union has warned Western Balkan countries they risk losing more than €700mn in growth package funding unless stalled reforms are accelerated, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported on April 20. European Commissioner»»»
Western Balkans risk losing €700mn in EU funds over delayed reforms
The European Union has warned Western Balkan countries they risk losing more than €700mn in growth package funding unless stalled reforms are accelerated, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported on April 20. European Commissioner»»»
Western Balkans risk losing €700mn in EU funds over delayed reforms
The European Union has warned Western Balkan countries they risk losing more than €700mn in growth package funding unless stalled reforms are accelerated, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reported on April 20. European Commissioner»»»
Putin says Russia "knows how it will end" in Ukraine but will not announce war goals publicly
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow already knew how the war in Ukraine would end but would not make public statements on the outcome, state news agency TASS reported on April 21. The remarks, delivered at a domes»»»
Russian computer gamers face payment and access after crackdown
Russian video game players are facing growing difficulties accessing and paying for domestic and foreign gaming services as a result of telecoms regulator Roskomnadzor's crackdown on connectivity, National News Service (NSN) reported on April 21. »»»
Putin says Russia "knows how it will end" in Ukraine but will not announce war goals publicly
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow already knew how the war in Ukraine would end but would not make public statements on the outcome, state news agency TASS reported on April 21. The remarks, delivered at a domes»»»