World

Air Serbia flight JU134 from Belgrade to Moscow on November 3 was already deep in Lithuanian airspace when the crew received instructions to return to the Serbian capital. Among the passengers were three senior figures from the regime of former President Aleksandar Vucic: Aleksandar Vulin, former defense and interior minister and former head of Serbia's Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), Dusan Bajatovic, long-serving director of state-owned gas company Srbijagas, and Nenad Popovic, a minister without portfolio. All three are well known in Serbia for their close ties to Moscow and for controversies, including allegations of corruption and abuse of public office. According to unofficial reports published by several media outlets, the plane was ordered back because of a security breach: V...

After his party's resounding defeat in the US midterm elections this week, President Donald Trump conceded that the war with Iran had likely played a part. "I think a part of it was Iran, but, at the same time, people understood the importance of what I've done with Iran," Trump told Fox News, conceding that US voters were unwilling to accept the impact of the war on gas prices. Observers say the United States and Israel had been holding off on major attacks on Iran until after both had held elections. At the end of October, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was already warning Gulf state governments to brace for a short, intense military campaign after the midterms. Could conflict escalate again? While foreign policy is a US president's purview, analysts ...

After his party's resounding defeat in the US midterm elections this week, President Donald Trump conceded that the war with Iran had likely played a part. "I think a part of it was Iran, but, at the same time, people understood the importance of what I've done with Iran," Trump told Fox News, conceding that US voters were unwilling to accept the impact of the war on gas prices. Observers say the United States and Israel had been holding off on major attacks on Iran until after both had held elections. At the end of October, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was already warning Gulf state governments to brace for a short, intense military campaign after the midterms. Could conflict escalate again? While foreign policy is a US president's purview, analysts ...

Air Serbia flight JU134 from Belgrade to Moscow on November 3 was already deep in Lithuanian airspace when the crew received instructions to return to the Serbian capital. Among the passengers were three senior figures from the regime of former President Aleksandar Vucic: Aleksandar Vulin, former defense and interior minister and former head of Serbia's Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), Dusan Bajatovic, long-serving director of state-owned gas company Srbijagas, and Nenad Popovic, a minister without portfolio. All three are well known in Serbia for their close ties to Moscow and for controversies, including allegations of corruption and abuse of public office. According to unofficial reports published by several media outlets, the plane was ordered back because of a security breach: V...

Iran's leadership has downplayed the significance of Republican setbacks in the US midterm elections, insisting that the Democratic takeover of Congress is unlikely to alter Washington's policy toward the Islamic Republic. "If there are still those who believe that America can be persuaded to abandon its hostility toward the Iranian nation through concessions or partisan changes in the US political system, they are gravely mistaken," Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement after the vote. Khamenei also warned that Tehran would respond more forcefully to any future US military action. The elections took place after months of military confrontation between Tehran and Washington, which disrupted global energy markets and raised fears of a broader regional conflict. What defeat...

With the US Democrats scoring a resounding midterm victory and taking control of both chambers of Congress, the Republican administration led by Donald Trump is set for a new level of scrutiny until the end of Trump's term. Trump is likely to face pushback on his controversial foreign policy, which saw the US alienate most of its allies and get entangled in yet another unpopular war in the Middle East. At the same time, the Trump administration has also taken a slew of less conspicuous but still highly controversial moves on the global stage, including a series of confrontations with India. The ties between New Delhi and Washington are still strained by a stalled trade agreement, restrictions on immigration, and disagreement over India buying Russian oil and weapons, despite the US grant...