David Shadrach

Iran: Chabahar Port promise and nuclear deal threat NEWS / PAKISTAN IAEA chief: Iran is living up to the nuclear deal Iran Pakistan United States Afghanistan Asia SIGN UP President Hassan Rouhani poses during the inauguration of a newly built extension of the port of Chabahar on Sunday [Ebrahim Noroozi/AP] Iran has launched one of its major post- nuclear deal projects - the port of Chabahar - pushing further for engagement with the global community, days before the US Congress' expected decision on whether Washington will pull out of the landmark international accord. On Sunday, President Hassan Rouhani officially inaugurated the southeastern port in Iran's Sistan-Baluchestan province with great fanfare as officials from 17 countries attended a ceremony marking the opening of a new extension of the strategic trade corridor. The Chabahar port's development was accelerated after Tehran signed the nuclear pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, with Was...

Kushner: Trump still weighing embassy move to Jerusalem NEWS / UNITED STATES What a US embassy in Jerusalem means to Palestinians Politics United States Israel US & Canada SIGN UP White House senior adviser Jared Kushner delivers remarks on the Trump administration's approach to the Middle East region at the Saban Forum [James Lawler Duggan/Reuters] US President Donald Trump is still weighing a decision on whether to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem , according to White House senior adviser Jared Kushner. The president is "still looking at a lot of different facts", Kushner, who is also Trump's son-in-law, said during the keynote address at the annual Saban Forum in Washington on Sunday. "When he makes his decision, he'll be the one who will want to tell you," he added. Kushner's comments come just days before Trump is expected to make an announcement on the contentious issue. Trump pledged during his campaign that he would move the...

Kuwait's emir meets GCC chief ahead of Gulf summit NEWS / KUWAIT GCC Kuwait Qatar Middle East Saudi Arabia SIGN UP The emir of Kuwait has hosted the chief of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to discuss the bloc's crucial upcoming summit, six months after a Saudi-led group of counties imposed a blockade against Qatar . Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani on Sunday briefed Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah about the two-day event starting in Kuwait City on December 5, according to KUNA, Kuwait's state-run news agency. KUNA did not give any other details about the meeting. Last week, Kuwait sent out invitations to all six GCC member states, but there is still no certainty about who will attend. The GCC is a political and economic alliance of countries in the Arabian Peninsula, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since the beginning of the blockade by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain - as well as Egypt - on Qatar on June 5, She...

UAE denies nuclear plant targeted by Houthi missile NEWS / MIDDLE EAST Yemen Middle East The UAE is a member of the Saudi-led coalition that has been waging war against the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015 [Khaled Abdullah/ Reuters] The United Arab Emirates (UAE ) has denied a report that Yemen's Houthi rebels fired a cruise missile towards its airspace. The National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) said in a statement on Sunday that "the UAE's air defence system is capable of dealing with any threats". Houthi rebels, who control vast swaths of Yemeni territory, earlier said they had launched a cruise missile towards a nuclear plant in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE. According to a report in the Houthi-run Saba news agency, the missile hit the Barakah nuclear power station, which is under construction. A website for the Houthi-owned television network al- Masirah also reported the attack. "The missile force announces the launching of...

North Korea: US in race to address threat, says HR McMaster White House national security adviser HR McMaster says the US is "in a race" to address the threat from North Korea. The potential for war is increasing every day but armed conflict is not the only solution, he told a defence forum. His comments came three days after North Korea carried out its first ballistic missile test in two months, in defiance of UN resolutions. The latest missile flew higher than any others previously tested, before falling into Japanese waters. Tensions have heated up in recent months over the north's continued development of its nuclear and missile programme, in spite of global condemnation and international sanctions. Pyongyang conducted its first nuclear test in September. What could tip the balance into full conflict? North Korean missile pictures and what they tell us What damage could North Korea do? The Pentagon was also reported to be scouting sites on the west coast of America to...

Saleh forces deny Houthi claims over control of Sanaa NEWS / SAUDI ARABIA WATCH: Yemen's Saleh ready for talks with Saudi-led coalition (2:21) WATCH: Former Yemeni president calls for ceasefire (2:29) Yemen Saudi Arabia Politics Middle East SIGN UP He also called for a joint ceasefire between his supporters and Houthi rebels, and the Saudi-led coalition [Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters] Forces loyal to Yemen's former President Ali Abdullah Saleh have denied claims by Houthi rebels who say they have gained control of most of the country's capital, Sanaa, according to an official in Saleh's Republican Guard. Iranian-backed Houthi fighters say they had regained control of three military bases, the diplomatic district and other neighbourhoods around the area. They also said they had taken over the city of Dhamar, south of Sanaa, as well as its surrounding regions. Sanaa has been shaken by escalating violence between Saleh's supporters and Houthi rebels. At least 40 people ha...