This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe U.S. government is weighing a request to declare Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman immune from a federal lawsuit a former top intelligence officer who could disclose damaging secrets about the prince’s to power, according to legal documents related to the case.The Saudi government has asked that the prince be shielded from liability in response to a complaint brought by Saad Aljabri, a former Saudi counterterrorism leader and longtime U.S. intelligence ally now living in in Canada.A State Department recommendation...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe U.S. government is weighing a request to declare Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman immune from a federal lawsuit a former top intelligence officer who could disclose damaging secrets about the prince’s to power, according to legal documents related to the case.The Saudi government has asked that the prince be shielded from liability in response to a complaint brought by Saad Aljabri, a former Saudi counterterrorism leader and longtime U.S. intelligence ally now living in in Canada.A State Department recommendation...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareBEIRUT — Lebanese authorities on Thursday took halting steps toward accountability for the devastating explosions in Beirut, but the measures, including the interrogation of port officials, look unlikely to stem a torrent of calls for the punishment of the country's leaders.The fury spilled out during a visit to Lebanon by French President Emmanuel Macron, who toured the destruction Thursday, followed by a boiling crowd that demanded that any emergency aid bypass corrupt government officials. By nightfall, after a day of...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareBEIRUT — Lebanese authorities on Thursday took halting steps toward accountability for the devastating explosions in Beirut, but the measures, including the interrogation of port officials, look unlikely to stem a torrent of calls for the punishment of the country's leaders.The fury spilled out during a visit to Lebanon by French President Emmanuel Macron, who toured the destruction Thursday, followed by a boiling crowd that demanded that any emergency aid bypass corrupt government officials. By nightfall, after a day of...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe fiancee of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a human rights organization he founded shortly before his death have accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering Khashoggi’s killing to “permanently silence” his advocacy for democratic reform in the Arab world.In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Hatice Cengiz and Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) alleged that Khashoggi was tortured, murdered and dismembered “pursuant to a directive of Defendant Mohammed bin Salman.”The crown prince and...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe fiancee of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a human rights organization he founded shortly before his death have accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of ordering Khashoggi’s killing to “permanently silence” his advocacy for democratic reform in the Arab world.In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Hatice Cengiz and Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) alleged that Khashoggi was tortured, murdered and dismembered “pursuant to a directive of Defendant Mohammed bin Salman.”The crown prince and...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Syrian fighter was a teenager when he joined his first militia and a veteran of two armed groups by age 25, a close relative said. He posted brooding photos of himself on Facebook wearing fatigues and posing with guns, proud to share his battlefield exploits.But there are no posts about Mamdouh’s most recent assignment, in Libya, where he joined a Russian-backed security force, according to the relative. The mission was supposed to be secret, but it also carried a whiff of shame. It transformed Mamdouh from fighter to...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe Syrian fighter was a teenager when he joined his first militia and a veteran of two armed groups by age 25, a close relative said. He posted brooding photos of himself on Facebook wearing fatigues and posing with guns, proud to share his battlefield exploits.But there are no posts about Mamdouh’s most recent assignment, in Libya, where he joined a Russian-backed security force, according to the relative. The mission was supposed to be secret, but it also carried a whiff of shame. It transformed Mamdouh from fighter to...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift SharePresident Biden recognized the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as a genocide Saturday, a designation that U.S. presidents long avoided for fear of damaging the U.S.-Turkey relationship.The decision follows a lengthy lobbying campaign by members of Congress and Armenian American groups eager to see the White House use a term embraced by many scholars of early 20th century history.“The American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,” Biden said in a...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift SharePresident Biden recognized the massacre of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire as a genocide Saturday, a designation that U.S. presidents long avoided for fear of damaging the U.S.-Turkey relationship.The decision follows a lengthy lobbying campaign by members of Congress and Armenian American groups eager to see the White House use a term embraced by many scholars of early 20th century history.“The American people honor all those Armenians who perished in the genocide that began 106 years ago today,” Biden said in a...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareISTANBUL — Thanks to Chinese-made vaccines, Turkey has mounted one of the fastest coronavirus vaccination campaigns in the world, administering at least one dose to almost 18 million people, more than a fifth of its population, according to the Health Ministry.But the vaccination drive has stumbled of late, after what Turkish doctors and officials said were delays in shipments from China’s Sinovac pharmaceutical company. Last week, parts of Turkey’s robust vaccination network all but ground to a halt as hospitals and...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareISTANBUL — Thanks to Chinese-made vaccines, Turkey has mounted one of the fastest coronavirus vaccination campaigns in the world, administering at least one dose to almost 18 million people, more than a fifth of its population, according to the Health Ministry.But the vaccination drive has stumbled of late, after what Turkish doctors and officials said were delays in shipments from China’s Sinovac pharmaceutical company. Last week, parts of Turkey’s robust vaccination network all but ground to a halt as hospitals and...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareISTANBUL — The Singapore-flagged ship, the BW Rhine, was conducting discharging operations when it was struck at 12:40 a.m. local time, which said it was possible that “some oil had escaped from the vessel.” A fire that broke out on board was extinguished and all 22 crew members were safe, the company said. from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said Jiddah’s port was closed after the explosion amid “unconfirmed reports of a second vessel being involved in an incident.”AdvertisementLater on Monday, the...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareISTANBUL — The Singapore-flagged ship, the BW Rhine, was conducting discharging operations when it was struck at 12:40 a.m. local time, which said it was possible that “some oil had escaped from the vessel.” A fire that broke out on board was extinguished and all 22 crew members were safe, the company said. from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said Jiddah’s port was closed after the explosion amid “unconfirmed reports of a second vessel being involved in an incident.”AdvertisementLater on Monday, the...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareISTANBUL — The State Department issued an unusually about new threats to U.S. citizens in Istanbul, saying that the U.S. Mission in Turkey has received "credible reports of potential terrorist attacks and kidnappings" targeting Americans and other foreign nationals.A brief statement also referred to unspecified threats against the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul and said services there and at other U.S. missions around Turkey would be suspended. It advised U.S. citizens to “exercise heightened caution in locations where...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareISTANBUL — The State Department issued an unusually about new threats to U.S. citizens in Istanbul, saying that the U.S. Mission in Turkey has received "credible reports of potential terrorist attacks and kidnappings" targeting Americans and other foreign nationals.A brief statement also referred to unspecified threats against the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul and said services there and at other U.S. missions around Turkey would be suspended. It advised U.S. citizens to “exercise heightened caution in locations where...WW…

Middle East The scale of suffering in one of the world’s largest outbreaks has largely been obscured People wearing protective clothing carry the body of a victim who died after being infected with the coronavirus at a cemetery outside Tehran. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP) By ISTANBUL — Iran has been struck by one of the most severe coronavirus outbreaks in the world, but the voices of Iranians affected by the pandemic have remained largely unheard outside the country’s borders. The scale of their suffering has been obscured by often upbeat stories about survivors in Iran’s official media and by an...…Middle East The scale of suffering in one of the world’s largest outbreaks has largely been obscured People wearing protective clothing carry the body of a victim who died after being infected with the coronavirus at a cemetery outside Tehran. (Ebrahim Noroozi/AP) By ISTANBUL — Iran has been struck by one of the most severe coronavirus outbreaks in the world, but the voices of Iranians affected by the pandemic have remained largely unheard outside the country’s borders. The scale of their suffering has been obscured by often upbeat stories about survivors in Iran’s official media and by an...WW…