Iraq and Oman signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the oil and gas sector, including the possibility of building a shared refinery in Oman for processing imported Iraqi crude, the Iraqi oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday. Iraq will aim to export crude to Oman, according …
Read More »Iran summons British envoy for “illegal seizure” of an Iranian oil tanker: TV
Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran over the “illegal seizure” of an Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday, Iranian state TV quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying. British Royal Marines seized an oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday accused of bringing oil to Syria in violation …
Read More »Islamic State claims responsibility for suicide bomb blast in Tunis.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb blast in the Tunisian capital earlier this week, the militant group’s Amaq news agency said on Thursday. A wanted militant wearing an explosives belt blew himself up in Tunis on Tuesday after being surrounded by police, the government said, but there …
Read More »China to Britain: Keep your ‘colonial’ hands off Hong Kong.
China told Britain to keep its hands off Hong Kong on Wednesday while London called for Beijing to honor the agreements made when the city was handed over in 1997, escalating a diplomatic spat over the former British colony. Beijing denounced British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt as “shameless” and said …
Read More »Bitcoin’s energy consumption ‘equals that of Switzerland’
Bitcoin uses as much energy as the whole of Switzerland, a new online tool from the University of Cambridge shows. The tool makes it easier to see how the crypto-currency network’s energy usage compares with other entities. However, one expert argued that it was the cryptocurrency’s carbon footprint that really …
Read More »For First Time Ever, Scientists Have Cured Living Creatures of HIV.
A group of scientists has, for the first time, eliminated HIV DNA from the genomes of living animals, in what is being described as a critical step towards developing a cure for the AIDS virus. The groundbreaking study, published in the journal Nature Communications, revealed that treatment to suppress HIV …
Read More »Tourists flee as volcano rocks Italian island of Stromboli.
A huge volcanic eruption has rocked the small Italian island of Stromboli, near Sicily, reportedly sending tourists fleeing in fear for their lives. Columns of black smoke continue to billow from the volcano in the wake of the sudden activity, which alarmed some island visitors so much that they fled …
Read More »Fire put out at Iraqi pipeline linking Kirkuk to Turkey.
Firefighters have successfully put out a fire at a strategic oil pipeline in northern Iraq that links oil-rich Kirkuk to the Turkish port of Ceyhan, a security source said. The pipeline is currently not operational, the source said. The fire started after six improvised explosive devices went off in succession …
Read More »Popular Mobilization Forces kills 4 terrorists in Tal Afar.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMS) on Wednesday killed four members of Daesh terrorists and destroyed two launchers in pre-emptive operations south of Tal Afar, Iraq. “A force of the 53rd, 40th, intelligence, and operations brigade of Nineveh, carried out a pre-emptive operation in the area of Jabal Sheikh Ibrahim, south …
Read More »Trump’s military parade is now estimated to cost $92 million.
US President Donald Trump’s military parade is shaping up to cost $80 million more than initially estimated. The Department of Defense and it’s interagency partners have updated their prospective cost estimates for the parade, according to a U.S. defense official with firsthand knowledge of the assessment. The official spoke on …
Read More »Rouhani: Iran will start enriching uranium at higher levels after this weekend.
Iran will begin enriching uranium at a higher level than what is allowed under the 2015 nuclear deal within days, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday. The announcement comes two days after Iran announced it had exceeded limits on its low-enriched uranium stockpiles. Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to …
Read More »Airstrikes on migrant center kill at least 40.
At least 40 people have been killed and another 80 injured after an airstrike hit a migrant center east of the Libyan capital of Tripoli early Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry’s emergency service Field Medicine and Support Center. Images from the ground showed piles of rubble left where the …
Read More »Dozens dead as Indian state hit by monsoon
At least 43 people are dead and another 17 are still missing as heavy monsoon rains continue to pummel the western Indian state of Maharashtra, washing away houses and flooding transport hubs. Seven people were killed after water gushed from a burst dam late Tuesday, washing away houses in Ratnagiri, …
Read More »Trump orders tanks for Independence Day Parade.
US President Donald Trump’s plans to host a military parade on US Independence Day this week have left critics seeing red, rather than red, white and blue. At his “Salute to America” on Thursday, Trump will address the nation from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC amid a parade of …
Read More »Princess Haya: Dubai ruler’s wife in UK ‘in fear of her life’
Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein, a wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, is in hiding in London and said to be in fear for her life after fleeing her husband. Sheikh Mohammed, 69, who is a billionaire racehorse owner and has often been seen conversing with the …
Read More »Singapore has gardens on bus roofs.
In Singapore, buses have been given the green light to find new ways to reduce emissions and improve the air quality of their services. Last month, GWS Living Art, a company specialized in urban green structures installed green roofs on 10 public buses. While a bus might not seem like …
Read More »World’s most powerful passports revealed.
It’s been a three-horse race this year to be named the world’s most powerful passport, with all top three contenders in Asia. Now, as we enter the second half of 2019, Japan and Singapore have held onto their position as the world’s most travel-friendly passports, with South Korea dropping into …
Read More »Oil tanker blast kills at least 50 people.
At least 50 people died, and 101 people were injured after they rushed to scoop fuel from an overturned tanker and the vehicle exploded in central Nigeria, officials said Tuesday. The incident happened on Monday afternoon after a fuel tanker trying to avoid a pothole overturned and fell off the …
Read More »Drone attack on Saudi airport hurts 9.
The second attack in two months on an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia has wounded nine people, according to a Saudi-led coalition statement. Yemen’s Houthi forces claimed responsibility for a drone attack Tuesday on Abha International Airport, according to the Al-Masirah news agency. The Saudi-led coalition confirmed the drone attack. …
Read More »Fire kills 14 sailors on Russian Deep Sea Submersible.
A fire aboard a Russian navy research submersible has killed 14 crew members, the Russian defense ministry says. It says the crew members were poisoned by fumes when the vessel caught fire while taking biometric measurements in Russian territorial waters on Monday. The fire was later put out and the …
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