Charles Pierson (2020-05-14). Greenlighting War: Iran and Yemen. counterpunch.org 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
teleSUR (2020-05-14). Africa: Lesotho Reports First COVID-19 Case. telesurenglish.net 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: | 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…
RT (2020-05-13). Oops! FBI accidentally reveals name of Saudi diplomat who helped 9/11 hijackers after years of 'national security' stonewalling. rt.com 
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 — at which point the Justice Department withdrew the filing, refusing to comment on how the mistake had been made. | Also on rt.
en.mehrnews (2020-05-13). Russia, S Arabia agree to stabilize oil market. en.mehrnews.com TEHRAN, May 13 (MNA) — Russia and Saudi Arabia's energy ministers agreed to stabilize the oil market.
RT (2020-05-12). Yemen govt forces 'to confront armed rebellion' in south after separatists declared self-rule. rt.com 
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 (2020-05-12). Oil giant Saudi Aramco profits crash amid coronavirus-driven energy market rout. rt.com 
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…
Vanessa Beeley (2020-05-12). SND Live with Vanessa Beeley. thealtworld.com 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".
teleSUR (2020-05-12). Saudi Arabia Takes Austere Economic Measures Amid COVID-19. telesurenglish.net 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: | 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…
news.un (2020-05-11). Battle 'not yet over' against locust invasions in East Africa and Yemen. news.un.org Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, significant gains have been made against Desert Locust encroachment in East Africa and Yemen, with an estimated 720,000 tonnes of cereal saved from the swarms of migratory pests across 10 countries: enough to feed five million people a year, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday.
teleSUR (2020-05-11). Yemen's Aden Declared 'Infested' as COVID-19 Cases Jump. telesurenglish.net The interim seat of Yemen's United Nations-recognized and Saudi-backed government, Aden, was declared Monday an "infested" city by authorities after new cases of coronavirus were reported in the war-ravaged country. | RELATED: | The Aden-based national coronavirus committee announced Sunday that the southern port city had 10 of the 17 new Covid-19 cases registered, bringing the total number in areas under the control of th…
M. K. Bhadrakumar (2020-05-12). US lowers threat perception on Iran. iranian.com The drawdown of US military presence in the Middle East, especially from Saudi Arabia, may not be an automatic open sesame — to borrow the magical phrase in the story of "Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves"— leading to the hidden treasure of regional peace and stability, but it does open up a tantalising vista that is …