Saudi Arabia is burning through foreign reserves at an unprecedented pace as the new king’s generosity toward state workers and conflict in the region further strain public finances already damaged by the slump in oil prices. The kingdom spent $36 billion of the central bank’s net foreign assets – …

By ERIC EDELMAN and TZVI KAHN n a major speech on Thursday, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued what amounted to a warning of things to come. He called the U.S. account of Iranian obligations under the nuclear framework agreement “faulty, incorrect and contrary to the substance …

By Michael Deacon The Telegraph According to a preliminary estimate, GDP growth in the UK slowed to 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2015, with output in the construction sector falling for the second consecutive quarter. My question to the panel is: what do you think …

Exclusive: Jim Sillars, who was Alex Salmond’s number two, says party members will insist another referendum is ‘first line’ of 2016 Holyrood manifesto By Ben Riley-Smith The Telegraph The SNP will propose another independence referendum in its Scottish election manifesto, the former deputy leader has said amid fears …

The Islamic State is no mere collection of psychopaths. It is a religious group with carefully considered beliefs, among them that it is a key agent of the coming apocalypse. Here’s what that means for its strategy—and for how to stop it. By Graeme Wood The Atlantic Where …

By Gilad Shiloach The Vocativ ISIS is urging its fighters in Syria to move to the front-lines of its battle in Iraq, where the extremist organization has been losing intense battles against Iraqi security forces, according to documents obtained by Syrian groups fighting the terrorists. “The crusader, the …

Russia and China will for the first time hold joint naval drills in the Mediterranean Sea next month, according to a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense. Chinese National Defense Ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng said that Moscow and Beijing will for the first time hold joint naval …

By Finian Cunningham The claims that Merkel’s government knew about German state intelligence spying on behalf of the Americans against the country’s own industrial interests raise disturbing questions about the integrity of German government leaders. The apparent betrayal of German national interests by Chancellor Angela Merkel is not only evident over the …

Daily Signal interviewed Elin Suleymanov, the Azerbaijani ambassador to the U.S. Most of the world has a stake in a potential U.S.-led nuclear deal with Iran. But some places are uniquely positioned to evaluate it. Take Azerbaijan, a small country that borders Iran and Russia and is friends with …