No sign of progress as U.S.-China trade talks wrap up
Trade talks between the U.S. and China failed to produce any visible sign of progress, reducing the prospects of a deal soon, people closely tracking the talks said.
World Headlines
Top Iranian cleric threatens Tehran will target Israel if US attacks
A senior Iranian cleric on Wednesday warned that Tehran would target Israel if the United States harmed the Islamic Republic, continuing an escalating war of words over sanctions reimposed by Washington.
U.S. and China officials meet as Thursday tariff deadline looms
U.S. and Chinese officials met for the first time in more than two months to try find a way out of their deepening trade conflict, but there was no evidence that the low-key discussions would halt a new round of U.S. tariffs due on Thursday.
China Shifts to Iranian Tankers to Keep Oil Flowing Amid US Sanctions
Chinese buyers of Iranian oil are starting to shift their cargoes to vessels owned by National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC) for nearly all of their imports to keep supply flowing amid the re-imposition of economic sanctions by the United States.
‘Big One’ talk swirls as 69 massive earthquakes hit the Pacific’s Ring of Fire in 48 hours
A large swath of earthquakes hit the Pacific’s so-called Ring of Fire earlier this week, prompting some to wonder if it is a precursor to the oft-discussed massive earthquake, colloquially known as ‘the Big One.’
US, China impose further tariffs, escalating trade war
The United States and China escalated their acrimonious trade war on Thursday (Aug 23), implementing punitive 25 percent tariffs on US$16 billion worth of the other’s goods.
2 typhoons target Japan, South Korea
The Japan Meteorological Agency issued advisories throughout the country Wednesday as two typhoons bore down on the island nation.
Russian military braces for massive war games in the east
Russia’s military forces in the country’s east were put on high alert Monday ahead of massive war games that also involve China and Mongolia, the largest show of power in nearly 40 years, the Russian defense minister said.
Iran’s New Line of “Indigenously” Made Jets is Comparable to 1950’s F-5 Fighter Jets
Iran unveiled the fighter jet at a defense show in Tehran on Tuesday, calling the Kowsar a ‘fourth-generation’ fighter, with ‘advanced avionics’ and multi-purpose radar, the Iranian news agency Tasnim said, adding that it was ‘100-percent indigenously made.’
Bolton: Putin said he can’t force Iran out of Syria, but wants it gone
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the United States that his country would like Iranian forces to withdraw from Syria but cannot force them out, US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said on Wednesday, despite Israeli calls for Iran to leave immediately.
Facebook takes down 652 accounts linked to Russia, Iran
Facebook has identified and banned hundreds of accounts, groups and pages engaged in misleading political behavior, a far larger discovery than a ‘sophisticated’ effort it reported three weeks ago with great fanfare.
South Africa begins seizing white-owned farms in land redistribution program
The South African government has begun the process of seizing white-owned farmland, reportedly filing legal papers seeking to expropriate two farms for one-tenth of their estimated value.
Al Qaeda bomb maker killed in Yemen drone strike last year, US official confirms
A top Al Qaeda bomb maker who masterminded a plot to bring down an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009 was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen last year, a senior U.S. official told Fox News Monday.
An earthquake swarm jolts Indonesian islands, killing at least 12 people
Multiple strong earthquakes killed at least a dozen people on the Indonesian islands of Lombok and Sumbawa as the region was trying to recover from a temblor earlier this month that killed hundreds of people.
7.3-magnitude earthquake strikes Venezuela
A magnitude-7.3 earthquake struck off the coast of Venezuela on Tuesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Iraq’s neighbors siphon Fertile Crescent water supply for their own agriculture, power projects
The Islamic State hold on territory has been broken, but Iraq now faces another existential threat as it battles neighboring Iran and Turkey for access to an increasingly scarce flow of water to the once-flourishing Fertile Crescent running down the spine of the country.
US security adviser: Our goal is to get Iran out of Syria
White House National Security Adviser John Bolton arrived in Israel Sunday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks focused mainly on Iran.
Erdogan vows Turkey will not be cowed by US
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared Saturday that his country would not be cowed by the United States, his latest broadside in the bitter feud between Ankara and Washington.
White House: U.S. Will Pay ‘Nothing’ for Pastor’s Release
Key advocates pressing Turkey for the release of a U.S. pastor and several other U.S. diplomats are praising the Trump administration for refusing to negotiate with Ankara about U.S. sanctions relief even as they acknowledge an impasse in the efforts to win the Americans’ freedom.
Britain urges US, Europe to ‘go further’ in countering Russia
New British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday (Aug 21) will urge the United States and European countries to do more to call out Russia’s ‘malign behavior’ and keep Vladimir Putin in check, notably by implementing tough sanctions.