Group provided major funds to NPR to sell Iran deal to wary public

Group provided major funds to NPR to sell Iran deal to wary public

by WorldTribune Staff, May 23, 2016 A group the White House said played a “critical role” in securing the Iran nuclear deal doled out large amounts of cash to National Public Radio (NPR) and Jewish lobby J Street to sell the deal to a wary public. The Ploughshares Fund group gave National Public Radio $100,000 […]

Afghan intel confirms U.S. drone strike killed Taliban leader

Afghan intel confirms U.S. drone strike killed Taliban leader

by WorldTribune Staff, May 22, 2016 The leader of the Afghan Taliban was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan, Afghanistan intelligence sources have confirmed. The May 21 attack killed Mullah Akhtar Mansour, the sources said. U.S. officials said the drone strike was authorized by President Barack Obama and “showed the United States was […]

Conflicting reports continue to emerge about doomed EgyptAir flight

Conflicting reports continue to emerge about doomed EgyptAir flight

by WorldTribune Staff, May 22, 2016 Reports have emerged of threats to EgyptAir Flight 804 and the detection of smoke prior to the airliner disappearing, but there has yet to be a claim of responsibility by any terrorist organization. According to a report on May 21, the words “we will bring this plane down” were […]

Gen. Haftar refuses to work with Libya’s unity government

Gen. Haftar refuses to work with Libya’s unity government

by WorldTribune Staff, May 22, 2016 The commander of Libya’s military in the east said the unity government’s reliance on militias is “unthinkable” and he refuses to work with the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA). Fayaz Sarraj arrived in Tripoli in late March to head up the unity government and is still trying to […]

Iranian women cut hair, dress as men to dodge ‘morality police’

Iranian women cut hair, dress as men to dodge ‘morality police’

by WorldTribune Staff, May 22, 2016 Defiant women in Iran are cutting their hair and dressing as men to avoid wearing the mandatory hijab and the long arm of the morality police. “Although the Government arrests women who post their photos without headscarves, women are not afraid and they are following their own lifestyle,” said […]

Publicity stunt? Struggling ISIL reportedly executes 25 in acid bath

Publicity stunt? Struggling ISIL reportedly executes 25 in acid bath

by WorldTribune Staff, May 22, 2016 As it continues to lose territory in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) is looking to sustain it relevance by turning to increasingly heinous methods of execution. According to the Iraqi News website, ISIL recently killed 25 people in its Iraqi stronghold at Mosul 25 […]

U.S. to Iraq: Keep ‘foot on the gas’, don’t be distracted by suicide attacks in Baghdad

U.S. to Iraq: Keep ‘foot on the gas’, don’t be distracted by suicide attacks in Baghdad

by WorldTribune Staff, May 20, 2016 Iraqi forces should remain on the front-lines to “keep the pressure” on Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) rather than redeploy to Baghdad to deal with an uptick in suicide bombings, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said. “Our advice to the Iraqi government is to keep the […]

Saudi weighs paying contractors with IOUs as oil slump continues

Saudi weighs paying contractors with IOUs as oil slump continues

by WorldTribune Staff, May 20, 2016 Saudi Arabia continues to suffer from a massive cash-flow problem amid the ongoing slump in oil prices and has been forced to consider handing out IOUs to contractors. Bloomberg reports that contractors “may receive financial instruments similar to a treasury bond which they could hold until maturity or sell on […]

French intel warned of new ISIL attack prior to EgyptAir crash

French intel warned of new ISIL attack prior to EgyptAir crash

by WorldTribune Staff, May 20, 2016 The head of France’s DGSI intelligence agency warned that France was “clearly targeted” by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) a week before EgyptAir Flight 840 crashed into the Mediterranean. The Airbus A320 carrying 56 passengers, seven crew and three security officers disappeared early on May 19 as […]

Israel replaces pro-U.S. defense minister with pro-Moscow Lieberman

Israel replaces pro-U.S. defense minister with pro-Moscow Lieberman

by WorldTribune Staff, May 19, 2016 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu solidified his power base on May 18 by replacing moderate pro-U.S. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon with nationalist pro-Russia former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. The move came amid increasingly toxic relations between Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama who is seen as likely to make […]