Author: Press Room

Chinese companies have reportedly delayed two major refinery projects, capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) combined, due to the shortage of crude oil from the Middle East after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. Reuters on Monday quoted sources who identified the two projects as a 300,000 bpd refinery in the northeastern Chinese city of Panjin and a 200,000 bpd in the southern city of Dalian. Both refineries were planned with a heavy flow of Middle Eastern crude oil in mind. The Panjin refinery is a joint venture between China’s state-owned Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group, China’s state-owned defense…

Monday on CNN’s “News Central,” Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) said he would support replacing Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) on the ballot in Maine. Co-host Kate Bolduan said, “You know, Graham Platner is — I had just had this conversation with Rahm Emanuel. Graham Platner is running for the Democratic nomination for Senate in Maine. He’s faced this string of controversies and other Democrats like Democrats in the House, like Ro Khanna, he just campaigned with them but called Platinum’s actions misogynistic and shameful, but then said he, Platner had taken accountability. Is that good enough for you? Do you think…

The Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Yemen declared “a complete and total ban on Israeli maritime navigation” through the Red Sea on Monday. “We consider all enemy movements to be legitimate military targets for our armed forces,” the Houthis warned. “Escalation will be met with escalation, and our operations will intensify in accordance with developments,” said Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, vowing to act “in coordination with the axis of jihad and resistance,” meaning Iran’s network of terrorist proxies across the Middle East. “Our operations will continue as long as the aggression and siege continue against us and against…

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared victory for himself and Civil Contract party on Monday, apparently winning a close race with a surprisingly strong showing over several pro-Russia parties and alliances. “This is a historic victory that will definitely ensure the permanence and development of Armenia, and, of course, we will have lasting and institutional peace,” Pashinyan declared in a press conference on Monday. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party wound up with 50.1 percent of the vote, with about 91 percent of the ballots counted as of Monday. The Russia-leaning Strong Armenia and Armenia Alliance finished in distant second and third…

The Trump administration and congressional Democrats are locked in a high-stakes stalemate that’s dramatically increasing the likelihood that a major government surveillance program will expire. Democrats have coalesced behind an ultimatum: They won’t support a reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as long as Bill Pulte, an ally of President Donald Trump with no national security experience, remains acting director of national intelligence. The White House is standing by Pulte, at least publicly, while accusing Democrats of holding the spy power “hostage” and putting the country’s “national security at risk.” Congressional Republicans are largely leaving it…

The Hague-based International Criminal Court has taken action against British lawyer Karim Khan pending a wider vote by member states The International Criminal Court has suspended its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, pending further proceedings over allegations of sexual misconduct.In a statement on Monday, the Hague-based court said Khan had been suspended with immediate effect pending a final decision by the Assembly of States Parties.The court said the decision was based on a report by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the underlying evidence, written submissions, and advice from an ad hoc panel of experts.While the court said related…

Police in Northern Ireland have arrested a man after what appears to have been an attempted beheading on the streets of Belfast on Monday evening. One man has been hospitalised with “serious injuries”, and another was arrested following a stabbing incident in the Kinnaird Avenue area of Belfast at around 10:30 pm local time. Alleged footage shared on social media appeared to show a man repeatedly stabbing at another man’s neck and head in an apparent beheading attempt. The man was then subdued by multiple men on the scene. At the time of this reporting, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI)…

Monday, during an appearance on FNC’s “Fox & Friends,” Trump border czar Tom Homan dismissed efforts by New York State and New York City officials to thwart Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts. Despite pledges of “zero cooperation,” Homan said there would be an influx of agents in New York City. “So New York is saying abolish ICE and zero cooperation,” “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade said. “The governor and mayor are teaming up to make sure that the progress you were making with Eric Adams is going to just disappear. So what’s going to be your approach to…

Rep. Jay Obernolte has an aggressive timeline for getting his new bipartisan Artificial Intelligence proposal taken up in the House — and a path for getting a congressional hearing on a major part of the plan. In an interview Monday night, the California Republican said he hoped to turn the draft framework he unveiled last Thursday into multiple bills, with the first expected to be introduced in the coming weeks. Each bill would be considered by its committee of jurisdiction. “One of the challenges that we have is that the bill crosses so many different policy committee jurisdictions,” he said.…

The US president reportedly urged the Israeli leader not to restart a full-blown war with Iran US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw support for Israel during a tense phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios reported on Monday.Trump has held several heated phone conversations with the Israeli leader after Iran announced last week that it was suspending talks with the US over repeated Israeli strikes in Lebanon.Iran’s conditions for a peace agreement include the cessation of hostilities on “all fronts,” including Lebanon, where nearly 3,700 people have been killed since early March, when Israel resumed strikes in response…