Iran have banned its pilgrims from travelling to Saudi Arabia to take part in the annual Muslim Hajj pilgrimage, accusing the country of failing to guarantee the safety of Iranian citizens. Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia remain high after the countries cut off diplomatic ties with each other following the execution of a Shia Cleric in Saudi Arabia.
South Korea have warned that North Korea may be about to launch a ballistic missile, as Japanese intelligence suggest a launch is imminent. “We are tracking any missile-related signs and maintain a high state of readiness,” the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. Japan have put its military on high alert amid signs that North Korea are making the necessary preparations for the ballistic missile launch. Msn.com reports: UN resolutions ban North Korea from any use of ballistic missile technology, although it regularly fires short-range missiles into the sea off its east coast.
In his op-ed in the Washington Post, Chris Grayling, leader of the House of Commons, made the case for British withdrawal from the European Union—in terms Americans can understand.
Would you accept, Grayling asks, an American Union of North and South America, its parliament sitting in Panama, with power to impose laws on the United States, and a high court whose decisions overruled those of the U.S. Supreme Court?
Submitted by Roberty Parry via ConsortiumNews.com (h/t Contra Corner blog),
When Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed recently in a US drone strike, we noted that experts cautioned that it would make local insurgents even less likely to participate in long-stalled peace efforts, and it would likely lead to an escalation of Taliban retaliation efforts.
Mullah Akhtar Mansour, Taliban militants' leader