Europe

Iran Summons EU Ambassadors After IRGC Terrorist Designation

Iran announced on Monday that it had summoned European ambassadors based in Tehran in response to the European Union’s decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that on Sunday and Monday, representatives of all EU member states with embassies in ...

Iran Says Europe to 'Suffer Consequences of Foolish Act' After Guards Terror Listing

Iran's judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei warned on Friday that European countries would face consequences after the EU listed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation. "There is no doubt that the hostile action of the Europeans, who labelled the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, will not ...

The Transatlantic Alliance Will Survive Just Fine

Media and politicians on both sides of the Atlantic are hyping the idea that President Trump's attempt to gain sovereign control of Greenland has caused unprecedented and irreparable damage to the over 75 year-old Transatlantic Alliance.  This "analysis" stems from multiple sources.  On both sides of the ocean, there are those who pounce on any ...

U.S. Strike in Venezuela a Blow to Hezbollah’s Revival Efforts

The United States dealt Iran and its proxy Hezbollah a strategic blow over the weekend by seizing key ally, Venezuela’s strongman Nicolás Maduro. While the dominant narrative of the complex military strike has focused on its framing as a counternarcotics operation and aggressive energy politics, coverage has largely missed a critical strategic ...

German Chancellor Says Iranian Regime Likely Living its ‘Last Days’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday said he believes Iran’s regime is living out its last days, as pressure grows on the Islamic Republic over protests that have reportedly killed hundreds of people. “When a regime can only hold on to power through violence, then it is effectively finished,” Merz tells reporters in Bengaluru, during ...

Fresh Clashes Kill Six in Iran Cost-of-Living Protests

Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with six reported killed, the first deaths since the cost-of-living demonstrations broke out. The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, where shopkeepers went on strike over high prices and economic stagnation, and have since spread to other parts of the country. On ...

Three Turkish Police, 6 Islamic State Militants Killed in Clash: Minister

Three Turkish police were killed and nine other people wounded in an operation Monday against the Islamic State group in the northwest of the country, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The fighting took place at Yalova on the Sea of Marmara during one of scores of raids against the militant group, the minister said, adding that six Islamic ...

Israel Reveals Details About Hezbollah's Secret Maritime Unit

Israel on Friday disclosed new details about its “Behind the Back” operation, a November 2, 2024 raid in northern Lebanon that led to the capture of Imad Amhaz, whom the Israeli army described as a senior figure in Hezbollah’s secret maritime apparatus and a member of the coastal missile unit (Unit 7900). Training and Expertise During his ...

​​​​​​​Foot-and-Mouth Disease: Lebanon’s Livestock Under Pressure as a Health Emergency Takes Hold

Nearly two-thirds of the country’s cattle are believed to be infected with a fast-spreading viral fever that slashes milk production and devastates farmers. Veterinarians describe the outbreak as “extremely dangerous but not transmissible to humans”, yet it lays bare the weaknesses of Lebanon’s preventive systems—at a time when another ...

“Advent:” Another Kind of Waiting

Just ten days to go before Christmas! December seems to accelerate: candles are lit, calendars are opened, and houses fill with quiet rituals marking the slow march toward the holiday. This stretch of days, with its familiar traditions and its particular rhythm, bears a name rooted in centuries of language and custom: Advent. A word that carries ...

From Porcelain to Tweed, EU Opens Protected Label to Crafts

Traditional crafts, from French Limoges porcelain to Irish Donegal tweed, became entitled to EU protected status as of Monday, placing them on par with agricultural products such as Champagne and Parma ham. Europe’s glassblowers, potters, jewellers, and other artisans will now be able to register their product names under the bloc’s new ...