By ZEINA KARAM

BEIRUT (AP) — In the event of war with the United States, Iran “will not be alone.”

That message was delivered by the leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group to a mass rally in Beirut in February marking the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. “If America launches war on Iran, it will not be alone in the confrontation, because the fate of our region is tied to the Islamic Republic,” Hassan Nasrallah said.

16 May 2019; AFP: India's election watchdog says it has forced Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to take down hundreds of posts during the country's election but experts say it is just a drop in an ocean of misinformation that has engulfed voters.

The ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition Congress party have thrown armies of "cyber warriors" into a bitter social media war for the six weeks of voting that ends Sunday.

16 May 2019; DW: Chinese exports to the US have been subject to the Trump tariffs since last July. According to the US President, this is wrecking the Chinese economy but does the Asian power ultimately have more stomach for this fight?

Growth in the Chinese economy has been slowing steadily for much of the last decade. From a rate of 12% annual GDP growth in 2010, the figure is now little more than half that.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Murky claims of sabotage to oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. A drone attack on a pipeline in Saudi Arabia. A U.S. aircraft carrier strike group steaming toward an unspecified threat.

The events roiling the Persian Gulf in recent days have the potential to affect everything from the price of a gallon of gas to the fate of nations.

And for those feeling confused by it all, don’t worry: Everyone else seems to be puzzled too, only raising the possibility of a miscalculation.

by Mohammad Ayesh

14 May 2019; MEMO: Some Gulf States like to hide behind the US and Israel and claim that Washington and Tel Aviv can confront the threat to the region posed by Iran. They cite the fact that the US rescued them from Iraqi militarism in the 1990s. However, the truth of the matter is that the US will not fight Iran this time, and the government in Tehran does not actually pose a threat to the region at all. The whole “Iranian threat” theory is false.

By AW Siddiqui

A comment was made on the article ‘How myth-making is defining India’s election’, published in UMMnews on 8 May 2019. Following is my response to that comment. For privacy reasons, comments are withheld, but the commenter (a friend) admits to be a Modi supporter.

8 May 2019; DW: The US has announced that it will deploy an aircraft carrier to the Middle East to give a "clear message" to Iran that it is prepared to defend its interests. Crisis Group's Ali Vaez says the move could lead to a war.

On Sunday, national security adviser John Bolton said the US was deploying an aircraft carrier and bombers to the Middle East as a signal to Iran.

by Iqbal Jassat

by Ashutosh Pandey

7 May 2019; DW: US President Donald Trump threatened on Sunday to ramp up tariffs on Chinese imports, citing the slow pace of trade talks with Beijing.

Trump wrote on Twitter that he planned to more than double tariffs on $200 billion (€178.6 billion) of Chinese goods on Friday and eventually raise tariffs on all imports from China to 25%.

By KATHY GANNON

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan may not be ready for peace unless it finds a way to reintegrate Taliban fighters into society, combat corruption and rein in the country’s runaway narcotics problem, a U.S. watchdog said Wednesday.

The warning by Washington’s Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, which monitors billions of dollars in U.S. aid to the country, came in the group’s new quarterly report that also discusses Afghan needs for the “day after” — once there is a peace deal with the Taliban.

by Sitaram Yechury

by Prabhat Patnaik

NUMEROUS agencies from the Labour Bureau of Shimla to the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy to Oxfam have been drawing attention to the grim unemployment situation in India at present.