FAQ: Middle East Safety Alert September 2026 Has the US State Department issued a new warning for travel to the Middle East? Yes. The State Department issued a new regional security alert on September 19, 2026, warning Americans that tensions in the Middle East could escalate unexpectedly. Americans currently in the region are advised to … Read more
Voters in two German states go to the polls with the political future of embattled Chancellor Friedrich Merz hanging in the balance and an emboldened far-right aiming for bigger gains. Two weeks after a seismic election in Saxony-Anhalt in which the anti-immigration and pro-Kremlin Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) scored its highest result in a regional … Read more
Israel’s president has pardoned a combat medic who shot dead a seriously wounded Palestinian attacker who had stabbed a soldier in the occupied West Bank, in a case that divided the country a decade ago. Elor Azaria’s 2017 conviction for involuntary manslaughter and his release after serving two-thirds of his 18-month sentence attracted enormous attention … Read more
JP Morgan says it is having difficulty predicting oil prices amid the war between the United States and Iran. Investment bank JP Morgan has admitted it is having difficulty modeling how oil prices will respond to the US-Iran war, saying: “we just don’t know how to model the end game.” Strait of Hormuz. “The market … Read more
In 1981, as Iran’s new government persecuted its political opponents, a KGB officer sneaked into a bathroom at the British embassy compound in Tehran. Vladimir Kuzichkin, 6-foot-4 and broad-shouldered, sat on a wicker laundry basket that rustled beneath him. Across from him, MI6 officer Ian McCredie sat on the toilet. McCredie poured the Russian another … Read more
U.S. Central Command commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in a video message Saturday that “momentum is building” in the Strait of Hormuz as “the volume of crude oil, cargo and liquefied natural gas over the past two weeks is greater than at any time in the past six months.” “CENTCOM forces have supported more than … Read more
Smoke seen near Riyadh airport after airstrike warnings in Saudi capital BBCReported explosions put Saudi capital on edge amid conflict with Houthis The New York TimesAirstrike sets fire to fuel depot at Saudi capital’s airport WSJFlames and smoke seen near Riyadh airport after Saudi warning of threatened airstrike ReutersFlames reported near Saudi capital’s airport as … Read more
Turkey’s banking watchdog BDDK revoked the operating license of Iranian lender Mellat Bank’s Istanbul branch, according to a notice published in the Official Gazette on Saturday, as the United States pressures other countries to increase economic pressure on Tehran. “It has been decided to revoke the operating license of Bank Mellat, head office in Tehran, … Read more
By Dimitri Kavalerov Published on 09/19/2026 – 7:00 GMT+2 Russians, fearing new military mobilization, are leaving the country ahead of possible exit restrictions, according to the Ark anti-war project, after requests for emergency assistance and emigration advice from Russia have almost quadrupled since the start of summer. The increase coincides with elections to Russia’s State … Read more
The war in Yemen intensifies with increasing clashes and mutual attacks between Saudi forces and the Houthis. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have said Saudi Arabia carried out 26 attacks on areas under the group’s control in the past 24 hours, as the two sides continue to exchange fire amid an escalating war in Yemen, according to … Read more