The benchmark oil price settled largely unchanged on Monday, holding above the $90 a barrel reached last week for the first time in 10 months following fresh Saudi and Russian crude output cuts. Brent crude settled down 1 cent to $90.64 a barrel while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude settled …

Pakistan has accused the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan of “indiscriminate firing” and constructing “unlawful structures” at a key border crossing that has been closed for nearly a week. In a statement on Monday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said “unprovoked and indiscriminate firing” by the Afghan Taliban forces led to the …

On Monday, the Iraqi National Intelligence Council gave its unanimous approval to all proposals related to the first phase of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Directorate of Military Intelligence and the Saudi Intelligence Agency. This pivotal decision was reached during the tenth session of 2023, chaired by Iraq’s …

The US Food and Drug Administration on Monday gave the green light to updated Covid-19 vaccine booster shots from Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech. The updated vaccines are each approved for people 12 and older and are authorized under emergency use for individuals 6 months through 11 years old. As part of …

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Monday urged Berlin to supply Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles during a surprise visit to Kyiv by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. She promised unwavering support and praised Ukraine’s progress towards EU membership, but Kuleba said Germany should speed up a decision on missile deliveries. …

Everyone came together in the days after the attacks, but in hindsight 9/11 looks like the moment when everything started to fall apart. Was 9/11 the beginning of the end for America? In the 22 years since the attacks, I’ve begun to worry that the answer to that question is …

The Iraqi Minister of Oil, Hayan Abdul-Ghani, stated on Sunday that Iraq’s average oil production is 4.23 million barrels per day and its oil exports are 3.35 million barrels per day. Abdul-Ghani mentioned that an agreement has not yet been reached with Turkey regarding the resumption of oil exports from …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s trip to Russia and meeting with President Vladimir Putin will be a full-scale visit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Kim has set off for Russia aboard a special train, a South Korean source said, as Pyongyang and Moscow on Monday confirmed a summit with …

A strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s remote North Maluku province on Monday, the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) said, but there were no immediate reports of heavy damage or deaths. The Indonesian geological agency pegged the magnitude at 5.9 with no threat of tsunami. North Maluku covers the …

Deadly storm winds and heavy floods hit Libya over the past two days, with estimates of fatalities ranging from hundreds to thousands of people, senior officials said on Monday. The head of Libya’s eastern government, Osama Hamad, said more than 2,000 people had died in the coastal city of Derna …

At least 10 people have been reportedly killed and dozens of others injured in renewed clashes between rival groups in a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon over the past days. After a month-long shaky ceasefire, the violence broke out on Thursday between affiliated members of Fatah movement and armed …

Rescuers raced against time on Monday to find survivors in the rubble more than 48 hours after Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in over six decades, with nearly 2,500 killed in a disaster that devastated villages in the High Atlas Mountains. Search teams from Spain, Britain and Qatar were joining efforts to …

The prime minister of Gabon’s transitional government, which came to power following last month’s coup, says a two-year period before holding the free elections promised by the country’s new military rulers is “reasonable.” “It’s good to set off with a reasonable objective by saying we have the desire to see the …

Russia has concluded regional and municipal elections, including in regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia which formally joined the Russian Federation last year, delivering strong support for President Vladimir Putin. The week-long polls which were wrapped up on Sunday, took place amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive to reclaim territories under Russian …

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has “apparently” departed for Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, according to South Korean media reports. On Monday South Korea’s YTN TV, citing an unnamed government source, reported Kim appears to be headed to North Korea’s northeastern border on a special train. It said …

China has rejected as “pure fabrication” allegations that an espionage suspect arrested in the United Kingdom was gathering information for Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks during a press conference on Monday, following the arrest of a parliamentary researcher for spying at the weekend. “The so-called claim …

Leading Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about US President Joe Biden’s ability to win reelection in 2024 after polls showed him behind several potential Republican 2024 candidates. They acknowledged the primary challenge faced by the soon-to-be 81-year-old president is his age, which has a negative impact on how voters view …