Pompeo: Al-Qaeda has new home base in Iran, threatening region, Abraham Accords
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of harboring al-Qaeda, saying the country has become a “home base” for the terror group.
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Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan hold talks on reopening regional transportation routes
Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the Kremlin Monday, to discuss the reopening of transportation routes that were shut down amid the decades-long regional conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, the Associated Press reports. The meeting follows the November 10, 2020 peace deal brokered by Russia which ended 44 days of renewed hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Facebook shuts down “fake accounts” allegedly linked to Ugandan Ministry of Information
Facebook has closed the accounts of a network connected to Uganda’s Ministry of Information on the grounds that the network has been using fake accounts to promote Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) ahead of the country’s December 14 presidential elections, Voice of America (VOA) reports.
WHO team set to arrive in Wuhan to investigate origins of pandemic
A World Health Organization (WHO) team of international experts will fly from Singapore to Wuhan, China on Thursday in order to try and investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports. This mission has been relaunched following a setback last month when China denied entry to two investigators who were then forced to return home.
Iranian nuclear deal must be restored soon, UN atomic watchdog warns
The United Nations’ atomic watchdog chief stressed urgency Monday in reviving an Obama-era nuclear deal aimed at thwarting Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, a report says.
Pompeo, in Tuesday speech, to accuse Iran of al Qaeda links
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to use newly declassified U.S. intelligence on Tuesday to publicly accuse Iran of ties to al Qaeda, two people familiar with the matter said, as part of his last-minute offensive against Tehran before handing over to the incoming Biden administration.
Cuba re-added to U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism
The outgoing Trump administration, in one of its last foreign policy acts, is putting Cuba back on the official list of state sponsors of terrorism, reversing an Obama-era decision that aimed to normalize diplomatic relations between the U.S. and the communist island.
Some 80 Die In Indonesian Plane Crash and Landslides
Indonesia was dealing with the aftermath of two significant disasters, including a plane crash and two landslides in which at least nearly 80 people perished.
Thousands of Refugees Stuck in Bitter Balkan Winter
The United Nations says thousands of migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty urgently need proper shelter and care in Bosnia-Herzegovina after weeks outdoors in the freezing cold. With authorities declining to open more adequate facilities, many are now sleeping in unheated tents or rough near the northern town of Bihac.
Iran threatens to start enriching uranium to 90 percent: report
Iran warned Thursday that the country could ramp up its uranium enrichment to 90 percent — just around the weapons-grade level.
Indonesia Plane Carrying Dozens Plunges Into Sea
A passenger plane carrying dozens of passengers plunged into the Java Sea after leaving the Indonesian capital, investigators suggested.
China: New defense law increases military control of war powers, makes it easier to deploy against U.S.
China has amended a defense law to give increased control for its military to the Central Military Commission (CMC) which oversees the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and is chaired by President Xi Jinping, Anti-War reports. The Chinese military can now deploy much more quickly if it wants to challenge US warships that frequently patrol near the Chinese coast.
China builds 135 factories inside Xinjiang detention camps; Rights advocate says ‘stop producing and sourcing from Xinjiang’
A new report by Buzzfeed News reveals that among hundreds of detention camps recently built by China in Xinjiang, at least 135 compounds hold factories where prisoners can be forced to produce goods for export into major supply chains around the world. The report is based on government records, interviews, and hundreds of satellite images, Buzzfeed News said.
WHO Concerned About New COVID Variant
In a controversial move, the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to do more to curb the new COVID-19 variant. The WHO has expressed concern about the rapidly spreading mutation new of the novel coronavirus.
Pompeo angers China with Hong Kong threat, plan to send envoy to Taiwan
Washington may sanction those involved in the arrest of over 50 people in Hong Kong and will send the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations to visit Taiwan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday, drawing anger and the threat of retaliation from Beijing.
U.S. Government Says Russia ‘Likely’ Behind Massive ‘Intelligence-Gathering’ Hack
The U.S. government said January 5 that Russia was “likely” behind a massive hack of government and private company networks discovered last month and the intrusion was an “intelligence-gathering effort.”
China has not authorized WHO experts to enter and investigation pandemic origin
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday that he is “very disappointed” China has not authorized a team of international experts to enter the country and investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports.
Iran says it is rolling out 1,000 additional centrifuges
Having just announced it plans to enrich uranium at a level far above that allowed by the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the Iranian regime said Tuesday that it is installing 1,000 additional centrifuges and increasing its supply of yellowcake, a uranium concentrate powder used for enrichment.
Hong Kong police arrest dozens of pro-democracy activists for “subversion”
Acting under a national security law imposed by China last year, Hong Kong police arrested 53 pro-democracy activists Wednesday, citing “subversion” for participation in unofficial election primaries, the Associated Press reports. Former Hong Kong lawmakers were among those arrested.
Portugal: ‘Woman Dies After COVID-19 Vaccine’ Amid Global Concerns (Worthy News Investigation)
Portugal’s authorities investigate the death of a Portuguese health worker who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the novel coronavirus following similar reported incidents in other countries.