Iran Releases Footage of U.S. Sailor Apologizing After Capture
Iranian state-controlled news outlet Tasnim released video Wednesday afternoon that shows a U.S. sailor apologizing for purportedly infringing upon Tehran’s sovereignty.
Images of U.S. Sailors on Their Knees Before Iran Surface as Biden Denies Apology
Iran Has Released Captured U.S. Sailors
Islamic State Looting of Middle East Worst Cultural Devastation Since World War II
Turkish Airlines Kick ‘Unruly’ Russian Women off Flight to Bahrain
Venezuela: Chavista Supreme Court Declares Opposition Legislature Void
Earnest: Destabilizing Behavior Being ‘A Hallmark of Iranian Behavior’ Is Why We Pursued the Nuclear Deal
Tom Cotton: Obama ‘Seems Intent on Protecting Iran and the Nuclear Deal Than Getting Our Sailors Back’
Psaki: ‘No Plans’ To Address Iran Capturing Sailors, Revoking Deal Over This Isn’t ‘What We Want To See’
Featured Contributors
SOTU: Obama Defends Muslims, Silence for Persecuted Christians and Jews
Nigeria Declares Defeat of Boko Haram Despite String of Recent Attacks
North Korea: Scientists ‘in High Spirits’ to Destroy U.S. ‘All at Once’ with H-Bombs
Afghanistan: Faulty USAID GPS Data May Expose U.S.-Funded Hospitals to Attack
National Security
Women Banned from Iran Marathon to ‘Unite Humanity’
Iran will hold its first ever “limited edition” running marathon on April 9 in an attempt to “unite humanity” and improve the Islamic Republic’s image in the West. Women are forbidden from participating.
Catholic Vespers to Be Prayed in Henry VIII’s Chapel for First Time in 450 Years
For the first time since the Church of England split from the Roman Catholic Church nearly half a millennium ago, Catholic vespers will be celebrated in the chapel of King Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace next month.
Congress Defies Obama on Iran Missile Sanctions
President Barack Obama strategically backpedalled from his vows to impose sanctions against Iran after they violated international law by conducting two missile tests, thus failing to deliver on his promise to work with Congress on this issue.
D.C. Imam: Jews Are Causing Anti-Islamic Attitudes!
The Jews are behind a rising tide of anti-Islamic sentiment in America, the director of a Washington, D.C. mosque told an Iranian state-controlled media outlet on Thursday.
Japan Considers Immigration to Halt Demographic Death Spiral
Japan’s demographic decline has grown so pronounced that large-scale immigration may be on the table, after generations of resistance.
Russia, Iran-Backed Assad Starving Residents of Besieged Syrian Town
Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, who is being supported by Russia and Iran, is reportedly starving the residents of a besieged mountain town located northwest of Syria’s capital, Damascus, as the freezing and hungry townspeople prepare to endure a cold winter.
‘Where Are You?’: Iranians Mock African Nation of Djibouti for Cutting Ties
Iranians took to social media to mock Djibouti after the small country located in the Horn of Africa cut ties with Tehran.
Iran Accused of Backing Terror Cell in Bahrain
Officials in the tiny Gulf nation of Bahrain said Wednesday they busted an Iran-backed “terror” cell that was planning imminent attacks inside of the country. Bahrain is ruled by a Sunni monarchy but is populated with a Shiite majority.
U.S. Releases Two Al-Qaeda-Linked Detainees from Guantánamo Bay
Two Guantánamo detainees from Yemen have been transferred from the detention center and relocated to Ghana, marking the beginning of an expected 17 imminent departures from the naval base. Now, just 105 detainees remain at Guantánamo Bay.
Vietnam Deploys Submarines to Scare Off China in South China Sea
Vietnam is preparing to deploy the first of six Kilo-class submarines purchased from Russia in the South China Sea, as a deterrent to China’s seemingly endless expansionism in the region.
Islamic State Threatens to Destroy Jihadi-Holding Saudi Prison
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), prompted by the mass execution of members of its rival group al Qaeda, threatened to destroy the Saudi Arabian prison where the jihadists were killed, Reuters reports.
U.S., Japan Deploy Planes to Check for Radiation After North Korean Bomb Test
The U.S. Air Force and Japanese Defense Ministry have both dispatched nuclear-sniffer planes to investigate North Korea’s latest nuclear test.
China: Camouflaged Gang Bulldozes Hospital with Patients, Staff Still Inside
A group of about 30 men in camouflage bulldozed an active hospital in China this morning, destroying an estimated $600,000 worth of medical equipment and trapping doctors and patients inside.
As Taliban Surges, Pentagon Insists It’s ‘On Right Course’ in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of Defense Ash Carter “is confident” that President Obama’s Afghanistan plan “is on the right course,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook recently told reporters.
Greek Christians Celebrate End of Christmas with Frigid Swim in Istanbul
Greek Orthodox Christians celebrated the end of the Christmas season in Turkey with a spectacular display, retrieving a wooden cross from the frigid waters of the Golden Horn.
Cyber-Attack May Have Taken Down Ukraine’s Power Grid
Security experts across the world are increasingly worried about the possibility of a cyber-attack that would target infrastructure – anything from communications and traffic control to electric power or utility services. Just such an attack is believed to have occurred on December 23 in Ukraine.
Revenge: South Korea Will Ruin Kim Jong-Un’s Birthday with K-Pop Broadcast
South Korea will resume propaganda broadcasts into North Korea on noon Friday – dictator Kim Jong-un’s birthday – likely to feature both criticism of the Kim regime and the South Korean genre of electro-pop known as K-pop.
TransCanada Suing Obama Administration over Keystone Pipeline Rejection
HOUSTON (AP) — The Canadian company that proposed the Keystone XL oil pipeline filed a lawsuit over the U.S. government’s rejection of the project and announced it plans to file a second legal challenge that will seek more than $15 billion in damages.
China Stock Market Crash Goes Global
With China in the midst of a foreign exchange and currency crisis, investors around the world are hitting the “sell” button in a scramble for cash liquidity.
At Least 50 Dead in Libya Police School Suicide Truck Bombing
(AFP) — A suicide truck bombing on a police training centre in Libya’s western city of Zliten killed at least 50 people Thursday, in one of the deadliest attacks yet to hit the strife-torn country.
Iran Accuses Saudi Arabia of ‘Deliberately’ Bombing its Embassy in Yemen
The Iranian government has accused Saudi Arabia of “deliberately” bombing its embassy in Yemen’s capital of Sana’a in an air raid Wednesday night, leaving buildings damaged and a number of staff wounded. The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Hossein Jaberi Ansari,
World View: German ‘Code of Conduct’ for Women Shows Pendulum Swing on Gender Issues
Contents: String of New Year’s Eve sexual assaults in Cologne Germany; Cologne mayor attracts backlash for advising women to adopt Code of Conduct; The pendulum swings back on gender issues; China halts stock market trading to prevent crash; Merry Christmas!
UK Says South China Sea Air Freedoms Over Disputed Islands ‘Non-Negotiable’
MANILA (AFP) – British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Thursday on a visit to the Philippines that any attempt to restrict air and sea travel in the disputed South China Sea would be viewed as a “red flag”. China said it
Qatar Joins Saudis in Breaking Diplomatic Ties with Iran
In a deepening regional rift, the nation of Qatar has severed diplomatic relations with Iran, joining Bahrain, Kuwait and Sudan in backing Saudi Arabia. Qatar is the latest country to recall its ambassador to Iran following the attacks on Saudi
Obama’s Middle East Approach Favors Iran over Saudi Arabia
The notion that the Obama administration’s talking points increasingly sound like they are coming out of Tehran was further solidified this week, culminating with an op-ed published by Bloomberg confirming that the State Department acquiesced to Iran’s demand to reject new missile sanctions.
