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Middle East

Lebanon 2019 budget deficit 'much bigger' than expected

A sharp fall-off in revenues means Lebanon’s 2019 budget deficit will be much bigger than expected, caretaker finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil said on Wednesday, as the country struggles with its worst financial crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Speaking to reporters, Khalil did not...

US hopeful for Iran prisoner talks but imposes new sanctions

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he hoped for further dialogue with Iran to free prisoners but announced new sanctions as he vowed no let-up in pressure. Iran has also voiced a willingness for more prisoner swaps after the exchange Saturday of Xiyue Wang, a US scholar...

From Baghdad to Basra, the faces of Iraq's 'October Revolution'

They hail from Basra's poorest slums and Baghdad's best universities and count among their ranks artists, tribal dignitaries and desperate young men. Iraq's "October Revolution" reflects a diverse society. But the people hitting Iraq's streets since October 1 have one thing in common: they...

Iran says it foiled "very big" foreign cyber attack

Iran has foiled a major cyber attack on its infrastructure that was launched by a foreign government, the Iranian telecoms minister said on Wednesday, two months after reports of a U.S. cyber operation against the country. U.S. officials told Reuters in October that the United States had...