China’s Central Bank and 10 other government bodies announced on Sept. 24 that all transactions involving cryptocurrencies are now illegal, effectively banning the use of Bitcoin in the country. The move is the latest in a series of measures aimed at curbing the use of cryptocurrencies that goes back years. …

In 1997, after his longtime Western backers, Belgium and the United States, had abandoned him, Mobutu Sese Seko, the ruler of the country then known as Zaire, turned to mercenaries from Serbia and Ukraine in a desperate bid to beat back an accelerating insurgency. In the middle of that war, …

Iran’s chief diplomat, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said his country will “not tolerate geopolitical change” in the region. Iran’s new foreign minister said Wednesday that Tehran has “serious concerns” about Israel’s actions in the Caucasus region. Iran’s chief diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the comments while in Moscow for talks with his Russian …

Iran’s posturing could further cement Baku’s defense ties with Israel. Azerbaijan is considering buying Israel’s Arrow-3 missile defense system amid tensions with Iran, according to Israel Hayom newspaper. The move would be a major step in typically quiet Israel-Azerbaijan defense ties. Tensions between the neighbors have flared in recent days …

Sudanese security services have arrested members of an Islamic State-affiliated terrorist cell led by an Egyptian national, while Cairo wants to extradite them as part of a broader effort to extradite members of the Muslim Brotherhood who fled to Khartoum in 2013. Sudanese security services have recently arrested members of …

The news comes at a time of high tension between Kurdish groups and the Islamic Republic. A Kurdish political party in Iran said Tuesday that its operatives killed an Iranian intelligence agent allegedly responsible for killing Kurdish activists. The Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) said that Khidir Pirotipenah was …

The men partook in the 2014 attack by the al-Qaeda-affiliated Jabhat al-Nusra on the Lebanese army in the town of Arsal, according to the Lebanese military. A Lebanese military court sentenced a group of Syrian Jabhat al-Nusra fighters to death Tuesday for the killing of Lebanese soldiers. The Permanent Military …

Iran’s oil minister said if sanctions targeting his country’s lifeline crude are lifted, the Islamic Republic will have every capability to tackle the world’s energy supply shortages. “Iran is ready to resolve the ongoing fuel crisis in the world and make up for the shortages,” declared Iranian Oil Minister Javad …

IDF chief of staff responds to Iran’s demand that Israel’s attacks on nuclear sites stop if UN wants full inspection access to resume. The Israeli military’s chief of staff said operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program will continue, rebuffing a demand by Tehran that they halt if the United States and …

Israel has warned Egyptian intelligence that Hamas operatives in the West Bank are fueling demonstrations and conducting lone-wolf operations there. Hamas operatives seem to have renewed their activity in the West Bank in response to Israeli raids in the wake of the recapturing of six Palestinians who escaped an Israeli …