Greenlighting War: Iran and Yemen
Charles Pierson | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-14
On May 7, Republicans proved yet again that most of them are perfectly happy allowing President Donald Trump unchecked discretion to make war. Senate Joint Resolution 68, introduced on January 9 by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Hillary Clinton's 2016 running mate, invoked the 1973 War Powers Resolution in an attempt to prohibit President Trump from…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/14/greenlighting-war-iran-and-yemen/
Greenlighting War: Iran and Yemen
Charles Pierson | counterpunch.org | 2020-05-14
On May 7, Republicans proved yet again that most of them are perfectly happy allowing President Donald Trump unchecked discretion to make war. Senate Joint Resolution 68, introduced on January 9 by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Hillary Clinton's 2016 running mate, invoked the 1973 War Powers Resolution in an attempt to prohibit President Trump from…
counterpunch.org/2020/05/14/greenlighting-war-iran-and-yemen/
Africa: Lesotho Reports First COVID-19 Case
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-14
Lesotho Health Minister Nkaku Kabi announced on May 13 the first COVID-19 positive case in his nation. Lesotho is the latest African country to report the virus outbreak. | RELATED: | Cuba Rejects US Terrorism Accusations, as Habana Blacklisted | According to Kabi, 81 people were tested given their recent traveling chart. The positive patient is a Lesothan student who returned from Saudi Arabia via South Africa, with no visible symptoms. The health authorities decided to isolate…
telesurenglish.net/news/africa-lesotho-reports-first-covid19-case-20200514-0003.html
Iraq in the balance between Iran and the USA
Elijah Magnier | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-13
Iran and the US have been at war since 1979, when the "Islamic Republic" took power. This war will continue as long as the US seeks to defeat Iran, which in turn seeks to force the US out of the Middle East. Occasionally, the war manifests as direct clashes between the two countries, but usually it takes place on the territory of Iran's allies. These allies are becoming stronger and powerful enough to be reckoned with. This growth is imposing Iran as a regional power with influence in several countries around the Middle East–from Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen to Iraq, where direct US-Iran confrontati…
thealtworld.com/elijah_magnier/iraq-in-the-balance-between-iran-and-the-usa
Russia, S Arabia agree to stabilize oil market
en.mehrnews.com | 2020-05-13
TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA)
Oops! FBI accidentally reveals name of Saudi diplomat who helped 9/11 hijackers after years of 'national security' stonewalling
rt.com | 2020-05-13
The FBI has accidentally revealed the name of a Saudi official believed to have aided two Al-Qaeda hijackers involved in the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon, after going to absurd lengths to keep it secret for years. | The name was unintentionally left unredacted in a court filing unsealed last week in the ongoing lawsuit by 9/11 victims' families against the Saudi government, which they accuse of complicity in the terrorist attacks. The 'error' was reported by Yahoo News on Tuesday
SND Live with Vanessa Beeley
Vanessa Beeley | thealtworld.com | 2020-05-12
Independent journalist and complete badass, Vanessa Beeley, joins us from Damascus to discuss her recent work shedding light on how the West's response to Covid is providing cover for further atrocities in Syria. We also discussed the continuing genocide in Yemen and the UN's role in facilitating it, what hybrid warfare is, and who is determining the roll out of the UK's "new normal".
thealtworld.com/vanessa_beeley/snd-live-with-vanessa-beeley
Yemen govt forces 'to confront armed rebellion' in south after separatists declared self-rule
rt.com | 2020-05-12
Yemen's forces will confront an "armed rebellion" by separatists in the south, the government said Tuesday. it said that the group had refused to de-escalate the situation after declaring self-rule last month. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) declared self-rule in Aden and nearby areas on April 25, threatening to renew a conflict with the Saudi-backed government, its nominal ally in a coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis. | Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hadhrami said the STC had refused calls from the government and the international community to reverse its declaration. The army will do "everything necess…
rt.com/newsline/488432-yemen-armed-rebellion-separatists/
Oil giant Saudi Aramco profits crash amid coronavirus-driven energy market rout
rt.com | 2020-05-12
Falling crude prices amid an unprecedented global demand slump have taken a big bite out of Saudi Aramco's net income in the first three months of this year, according to the financial results released by the oil giant. | In a release published Tuesday, Saudi Aramco reported that its net income plunged to 62.5 billion riyals ($16.6 billion) in the first quarter of 2020 from 83.3 billion riyals ($22 billion) a year earlier. The results are below analysts' estimates, who expected the company to report a $17.8 billion profit. | Aramco said the drop was mainly caused by lower crude oil prices, "as well as declinin…
rt.com/business/488417-saudi-aramco-profit-falls/
Saudi Arabia Takes Austere Economic Measures Amid COVID-19
telesurenglish.net | 2020-05-12
Saudi Arabia will triple its value-added tax rate and suspend the cost-of-living allowance for state employees, the country's Finance Ministry said Monday, seeking to shore up finances affected by low oil prices. | RELATED: | COVID-19 Mideast Updates: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel | The cost-of-living allowance will be suspended as of June 1, and the value-added tax will be increased to 15 percent as of July 1, according to Finance Minister Mohammed al-Khanadaan. | "These measu…
telesurenglish.net/news/saudi-arabia-takes-austere-economic-measures-amid-covid19-20200512-0007.html
US lowers threat perception on Iran
M. K. Bhadrakumar | iranian.com | 2020-05-12
The drawdown of US military presence in the Middle East, especially from Saudi Arabia, may not be an automatic open sesame