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Deliberate internet shutdowns by governments across the world in 2019 have cost economies over $8 billion, according to a new report by Top10VPN. Shutting down the internet as a tactic to stifle dissent came to prominence during the 2011 Egyptian uprising when the government cut off access for several days …

Adel Abdul Mahdi said he had spoken to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to request that a delegation be sent to prepare for the pulling out of forces. Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi of Iraq said on Friday that he had asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to send a …

Israel has launched several airstrikes on eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, killing at least eight fighters of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a key player in the fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups in the region. The air raids struck trucks and weapons depots in Albu Kamal in …

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake hit the border areas between the Iraqi Kurdistan Region and Iran on Thursday. According to United States Geological Survey (USGC) live map, the earthquake center was near the Iranian town of Sar Pole Zahab, with a depth of 7.7 kilometers. People in Kurdistan’s Soleimaniyah province and …

President Donald Trump has claimed that the United States no longer needs Middle Eastern oil, but according to a Bloomberg report, American refineries still use the kind of oil the Middle East region produces. “We are now the number-one producer of oil and natural gas anywhere in the world. We …

A Lebanese prosecutor imposed a travel ban on former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, judicial sources said, after he was questioned over an Interpol warrant issued by Japan seeking his arrest on financial misconduct charges. Ghosn fled Japan to Lebanon, his childhood home, last month as he was awaiting …

The catastrophic bushfires continue to scorch large swathes of Australian territory, prompting authorities to issue new warnings and evacuation notices as the number of confirmed fatalities exceed two dozen. Scott Morrison, the Australian prime minister, announced in a news conference on Thursday that 27 people have lost their lives as …

What’s the travel document that opens more doors around the world than any other? It’s a Japanese passport. The Henley Passport Index, which periodically measures the world’s most travel-friendly passports, has released its first report of the new decade. Japan is now top of the leaderboard, offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival …

Satellite photos show the extensive damage caused by a series of precision missile strikes by Iran at Ain al-Assad airbase in Iraq, which hosts US forces. US National Public Radio (NPR) released the photos, taken by the commercial company Planet, show hangars and buildings hit hard by a barrage of …

64% of people worldwide said they do not have confidence in President Trump to do the right thing on the global stage, while only 29% said they trust him, according to a Pew survey of 36,923 respondents conducted in 33 countries. Why it matters: The world is watching as tensions …

A Ukrainian passenger jet carrying 176 people crashed on Wednesday, just minutes after taking off from the Iranian capital’s main airport, turning farmland on the outskirts of Tehran into fields of flaming debris and killing all on board. The crash of Ukraine International Airlines came hours after Iran launched a …

Markets are stabilizing in early trading on Wall Street after being roiled overnight following an Iranian missile attack on U.S. bases in Iraq. The strike was in retaliation for the killing of an Iranian general last week. Stocks opened mostly higher and oil prices retreated after spiking overnight on the …

A senior commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) says it is time for an Iraqi response to the recent US assassination operation on the Arab country’s soil, and that the reaction will be “no less than in size” than Tehran’s missile strikes on two American bases in Iraq. Qais …

Hours after Iran’s missile attack on American bases in Iraq, Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami says Tehran’s next responses to the US assassination of a top Iranian general will be proportionate to what Washington will do. “Our next measure will naturally be proportionate to the ones the Americans will …

The US-led military coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh terrorist group has reportedly relocated its headquarters in Iraq to Kuwait in the wake of recent assassination of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and the second-in-command of Iraqi Popular Mobilization …

Iran’s top security official says Tehran is considering 13 revenge scenarios against the US for the targeted killing of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. “Even the weakest of the 13 revenge scenarios will be a historic nightmare for America,” said Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), …

Mercedes-Benz managed to make a car that looks even more ridiculously futuristic than Tesla’s Cybertruck. At CES on Monday Mercedes-Benz revealed a new concept car called the AVTR. The acronym stands for advance vision transportation, but it is also a reference to the 2009 film “Avatar,” which features blue-skinned characters …

A 6.4-magnitude earthquake rocked Puerto Rico early Tuesday morning, just one day after a 5.8 magnitude quake shook the island, according to the US Geological Survey. The 6.4 quakes struck at 3:24 a.m. local time about 6 miles south of Indios, Puerto Rico, the USGS said. The mayor of Guayanilla, …

A stampede has erupted during the funeral procession for Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in his hometown Kerman, leaving an unspecified number of casualties. Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of Iran’s Emergency Medical Services, confirmed that at least 35 of mourners have lost their lives while several others have been transferred …

Germany says it is reducing its military presence in Iraq, in the latest fallout from the United States’ assassination of Iranian commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani. The German government told parliament in a letter on Monday that about 30 soldiers stationed in Baghdad and Taji would be moved to Jordan …