International news of note on 16 May 2017
Meanwhile, a handful of international stories worth noting in brief this morning:
- US President Donald Trump is under attack for allegedly having revealed to Moscow “highly classified intelligence” about a planned operation against Daesh. Trump is said to have made the remarks during a meeting in the Oval Office with Russia’s foreign minister. (Reuters | New York Times | Wall Street Journal)
- Mass executions in Syria: The US is accusing the government of Bashar Al-Asad in Syria of running a crematorium to destroy evidence of mass executions. (Wall Street Journal | New York Times)
- GCC willing to recognize Israel? The GCC countries are offering to upgrade relations with Israel “if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will make a significant overture aimed at restarting the Middle East peace process.” The jockeying comes ahead of Trump’s planned tour of the region this month. (Wall Street Journal)
- Hardliners in Iran are closing ranks around Ebrahim Raisi against moderate Hassan Rouhani, the presumptive frontrunner in the polls. Conservative Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf pulled out of the race yesterday and threw his supporters behind Raisi. (Associated Press)