2018

By Rim Haddad | – Nassib (Syrie) (AFP) – Syrian army soldiers burned a rebel flag Saturday after they and Russian military police took over the crucial Nassib post on the border with Jordan. “The government has got its hands on a major economic hub that links Syria with other countries, above all Jordan and […]

Iran

World powers back Iran oil exports despite US sanctions threat

AFP

By Frank ZELLER Vienna (AFP) – Iran’s remaining partners in the 2015 nuclear deal vowed Friday to keep the energy exporter plugged into the global economy despite the US withdrawal and sanctions threat. Tehran’s top diplomat Mohammad Javad Zarif praised them for their “will to resist” US pressure, two months after President Donald Trump walked […]

Syria

In Syria’s Douma, UN finds likely Chlorine use, but not by Rebels

Brian Whitaker

London ( al-Bab.com) – The OPCW has now issued an interim report on the alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria, last April. Although the investigation is not yet complete, laboratory tests so far have found possible evidence of chlorine use but no evidence of sarin or a similar nerve agent. The OPCW also visited two […]

Pakistan

Pakistan ex-PM Sharif sentenced to 10 years for corruption

AFP

Islamabad (AFP) – Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison by a corruption court in Islamabad Friday, lawyers said, dealing a serious blow to his party’s troubled campaign ahead of July 25 elections. Sharif was ousted from his third term as prime minister by the Supreme Court […]

Pollution

Scandal-Ridden EPA Chief who favored Polluters Resigns in Favor of Coal Baron

Jerome Cartillier

Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the departure of his environment chief, Scott Pruitt, who faced ever-growing ethics scandals over his spending and conduct in office. “I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,” tweeted the president, ending months of speculation about the […]

Green Energy

Even Oil Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds Sign Macron’s Green Investment Pledge

AFP

Paris (AFP) – Six sovereign wealth funds including four Gulf states have pledged to boost efforts to fight climate change at a Paris meeting called by Emmanuel Macron, the French presidential office announced Friday. The state funds of Kuwait, Norway, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — global finance heavyweights mainly […]

Featured

Syria: Reports of Rebel Collapse in Deraa as al-Assad and Putin win Yet Again

Juan Cole

Rebel sources are saying that they have reached a framework for surrender in Deraa with Russia and the al-Assad government. If these reports are true, it is another step toward complete victory. The rebels say they have declared a ceasefire and have put down their arms after they negotiated through the Russians. Regime troops have […]

Iran

Sudden Shift in Iran as Hardliners back Centrist President Rouhani

Marc Jourdier

Tehran (AFP) – Frequently a target of attack by hardliners, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is benefiting from a sudden surge in support from his former critics, a week after he called for national unity. The apparent sea-change in conservative rhetoric follows hawkish comments by the president himself following Washington’s unilateral May withdrawal from a landmark […]

Immigration

Contrary to Trump, Americans back Citizenship Path for Undocumented Immigrants

The Conversation

By Deborah Schildkraut | – – Medford, Ma.(The Conversation) – – Lawmakers in Washington, from the president down to first-term members of Congress, may be misjudging how the public feels about immigration. President Donald Trump appears to believe the country needs and wants hard-line policies. Members of Congress haven’t stopped him from carrying out those […]

Archives for 2018

Syrian Government Recovers Economic Hub linking to Jordan, Gulf Oil States