For Iranians whose icons since the Islamic Revolution have been hardline clerics, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani widely represented a figure of national resilience in the face of four decades of U.S. pressure. For the U.S. and Israel, he was a shadowy figure in command of Iran’s proxy forces, responsible for fighters in Syria backing President […] Read more
Boris Johnson’s government has pledged that its post-Brexit immigration policy will end free movement and preferential treatment for EU citizens coming to live in the UK. The Conservative Party and ministers have vowed to make entry requirements subject to skills and job offers, as well as restrict benefits and increase charges for future EU migrants. […] Read more
Catalan leader Quim Torra could be stripped of his mandate on Monday if a Spanish court finds him guilty of disobedience after pro-separatist banners were flown from state buildings earlier this year. His sentencing — expected at 18:00 CET — comes less than a month after Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine other Catalan separatist leaders […] Read more
Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick is joining the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, expanding an already jammed field less than three months before nominating contests start. Patrick announced his candidacy Thursday morning in a video posted to YouTube. “So in a spirit of profound gratitude for all the country has given to me, and with a […] Read more
The leader of the U.K. Brexit Party and Donald Trump-ally Nigel Farage kicked off his election campaign on Friday with both an offer and a warning to U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The starting gun has been fired on campaigning toward a U.K. general election on December 12 in a bid by different parties to […] Read more
The timing of Moscow’s announcement over the weekend that President Vladimir Putin has accepted an invitation to visit Manila has raised eyebrows, as it comes on the eve of crucial bilateral talks between the Philippines and China on joint oil exploration in the South China Sea. In a statement immediately welcomed by the Philippine presidential […] Read more
Carlos Ghosn’s lawyers have asked the Tokyo District Court to dismiss all charges against the former Nissan Motor Co Ltd chairman, saying prosecutors colluded with government officials and Nissan executives to oust him from his post. Ghosn’s legal team in a press release on Thursday said they had submitted two court filings ahead of a […] Read more
The co-creator of Facebook-backed libra defended the cryptocurrency on Wednesday after a number of recent high-profile companies abandoned the effort. Libra ran into issues Friday after Visa, Mastercard, Stripe, eBay and Mercado Pago bolted. Booking Holdings, formerly Priceline, left Monday. Each of the companies would have potentially invested $10 million each into the project. The […] Read more
Sterling rose sharply against the dollar Tuesday after optimistic comments on Brexit from European negotiator Michel Barnier were backed up by reports that a draft legal text over the divorce was being drawn up. “Our team(s) are working hard, and work has just started now today, this work has been intense over the weekend and […] Read more
The Republican National Committee paid over $160,000 to a law firm that is defending former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. The payment was made a month before his testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee. The RNC paid $166,390 to the office of Mintz Levin for “legal and compliance services,” according to the committee’s […] Read more
