Top Israeli defense and political leaders are scheduled to meet on February 28 to discuss a response to what Israel’s defense minister says was likely an attack by Iran against an Israeli-owned cargo vessel in the Gulf of Oman.
European Union leaders will agree on Thursday to work on certificates of vaccination for EU citizens who have had an anti-COVID shot, with southern EU countries that depend heavily on tourism desperate to rescue this summer’s holiday season.
Executives of U.S. technology companies told lawmakers on February 23 that a recent breach of corporate and government networks was so sophisticated that a nation had to be behind it and said all the evidence points to Russia.
Britain, France and Germany on Tuesday said they “deeply regret” Iran’s decision to restrict site inspections by the UN’s nuclear watchdog after a US refusal to lift existing sanctions.
A State Department spokesman has said the United States will hold Iran “responsible” for a rocket barrage on February 22 that targeted the U.S. Embassy in the Iraqi capital.
In a scathing attack on Israel and its supporters, Rev. Frank Chikane, a leader of the World Council of Churches (WCC) told activists on a zoom call this month that “blood will be sought” from people who “support Israel to brutalize Palestinians,” Algemeiner reports. The list of participants to the February 6 call included highly influential activists such as Naim Ateek, founder of Sabeel, anti-Zionist authors Gary Burge and Don Wagner, Brian Grieves formerly a staffer with the Episcopal Church and Tom Getman, formerly of World Vision.
Russia’s prominent opposition leader Alexei Navalny lost an appeal against his jailing Saturday but said he believes God will help him face challenges. Hours later, he was also convicted in a defamation case.
The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East says the U.S. military is looking for so-called “fallback” bases in Saudi Arabia to protect forces in the event of raised tensions with Iran.
The Biden administration said Thursday it’s ready to join talks with Iran and world powers to discuss a return to the 2015 nuclear deal. It’s also reversed the Trump administration’s determination that all UN sanctions against Iran had been restored and eased stringent restrictions on the domestic US travel of Iranian diplomats posted to the United Nations.
According to new economic data, China dethroned the US as Europe’s top trade partner in 2020, likely buoyed by strong demand in China for European goods, and Chinese medical products in Europe.
The European Union has urged Hungary to allow one of the nation’s last independent radio stations to continue after it was forced off-air on Monday.
Europe’s top rights court has been asked to support a Canadian-American pastor who was reportedly deported from Turkey after 19 years for evangelism.
Kosovo held parliamentary elections to form a new government amid concerns that the popularity of an anti-establishment party could undermine talks on normalizing relations with neighboring Serbia. Adding to problems is the coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis in what is the Western Balkan’s most impoverished nation.
The former head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, has been sworn-in as Italy’s prime minister after political turmoil over coronavirus policies.
Iran has begun producing small amounts of uranium metal, the UN atomic watchdog said on February 10, in the latest breach of Tehran’s 2015 deal with world powers as it seeks to ramp up pressure on U.S. President Joe Biden’s new administration.
Germany’s Interior Ministry hired scientists to help create an atmosphere of fear to justify government-imposed lockdowns and other restrictive measures during the coronavirus pandemic, internal documents show, prompting outrage among opposition leaders.
Denmark may introduce a new law requiring all sermons given in a different language to be translated into Danish and submitted to the government for approval, Christian Headlines reports. Although the proposed legislation is intended to deal with radical Islamist groups in the country, it has caused concern among Christians across the country.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday that the United States must lift all sanctions before Tehran reverses any nuclear production steps.
Amid mounting international pressure over its perceived crackdown on dissent, Russia has expelled three diplomats from Germany, Sweden, and Poland, prompting an angry response from the European Union. Moscow says the diplomats joined unauthorized protests supporting opposition activist Alexei Navalny, who was jailed earlier this week.
The US, British, French and German foreign ministers are expected to have a conversation soon to discuss how to revive the Iran nuclear deal abandoned by former US President Donald Trump, four sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.