Riot police fired tear gas and sprayed water cannon near parliament in Lebanon’s capital Saturday to disperse thousands of protesters after riots broke out during a march against the ruling elite amid a severe economic crisis. The riots began when some protesters started throwing stones at police deployed near the …
Read More »Pelosi to Trump: ‘You are impeached forever’
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said that Republican President Donald Trump is “impeached forever” regardless of the outcome of the Senate impeachment trial. In an interview on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” on Saturday, addressing Trump, Pelosi said, “You are impeached forever. No matter what the Senate …
Read More »Washington Post: Trump called top military brass in 2017 a ‘bunch of dopes and babies’
President Donald Trump reprimanded his top military brass in a 2017 meeting at the Pentagon, calling them a “bunch of dopes and babies” and telling them “you’re all losers,” according to a forthcoming book by two Washington Post reporters. The heated July 20, 2017 meeting has been previously reported — …
Read More »Iraq: Obese Daesh mufti who called for rape and genocide caught
A morbidly obese Daesh ‘mufti’ was caught in a raid yesterday by an elite Iraqi SWAT team, of the Nineveh regiment in the city of Mosul. Shifa Al-Nima, also known as Abu Abdul-Bari, was too overweight (reportedly weighing over 135 kilograms) to be taken into a police car, however, and …
Read More »France’s Louvre shut by pension strikes
The Louvre museum in Paris shut down Friday after striking workers blocked the entrance, management said, in the latest protest against plans to overhaul France’s pension system. Hundreds of disappointed visitors massed in front of the entrance to the world’s most visited museum, some hurling insults at the striking workers, …
Read More »Saudi Arabia pays $500mn to US to cover military presence: Report
Saudi Arabia has reportedly paid $500 million to begin to cover the cost of the US military operating in the Arab country, a US official says. The payment was made in December 2019, according to the CNN report. “Consistent with the President’s guidance to increase partner burden-sharing, the Department of …
Read More »Iran’s Supreme Leader Rebukes US in Friday Sermon
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the assassination of a top Iranian commander disgraced the US as it had to own up to the “terrorist” action and see its image dealt a blow by Iran’s retaliation. “The day the missiles of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps …
Read More »US admits 11 troops were injured in Iran attack
The US military said 11 troops were treated for a concussion after Iran launched a rocket attack at the Al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, despite initially saying no service members had been hurt. The attack took place on 8 January in retaliation for the US-launched drone strike in Baghdad that …
Read More »US and China sign ‘phase one’ deal
The US and China are signing an agreement aimed at easing a trade war that has rattled markets and weighed on the global economy. Speaking in Washington, US President Donald Trump hailed the pact as a “really momentous breakthrough”. China has pledged to boost US imports by $200bn above 2017 …
Read More »Russia’s PM and government resign as Putin proposes changes to the constitution
Russia’s government has resigned to allow President Vladimir Putin to make sweeping constitutional changes which could allow him to remain in power after his current term. The 67-year-old has been in the top job for 20 years, longer than any other Russian or Soviet leader since Josef Stalin. Prime Minister …
Read More »Pelosi Announces Schiff, Nadler and Others as Impeachment Trial Managers
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced Wednesday who will serve as the House Democrats’ impeachment managers in the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald Trump. Pelosi named House Intelligence Committee chairman Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Nadler, along with Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Val Demings …
Read More »Five ports blocked in France for a strike against pension reform
Strikers who reject the pension reform issued by the French government blocked on Wednesday the ports of Le Havre, Rouen, Nantes-Saint-Nazaire, La Rochelle and Marseille. This measure is part of the strike called by trade unions, political and social organizations against the government´s initiative, a demonstration that entered its forty-second …
Read More »German defense minister arrives in Baghdad on unannounced visit
German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer arrived on Wednesday in Iraq on an unannounced visit to meet with German troops deployed there, German Defense Ministry spokesperson told reporters at a press briefing. Prior to her visit to Iraq, Kramp-Karrenbauer toured Jordan where she met with German servicemen and held talks with …
Read More »Iran’s Rouhani Warns All Foreign Troops to Leave Middle East
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday warned all foreign countries to withdraw their troops from the Middle East or they will be put in danger. “Today, the American soldier is in danger, tomorrow the European soldier could be in danger,” Hassan Rouhani said without elaborating. Rouhani’s remarks come for the …
Read More »Ukraine willing to send 20 soldiers to Iraq for NATO mission
Ukraine has informed NATO that it is willing to partner with the alliance in Iraq, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Dmytro Kuleba said during a meeting with NATO Assistant Secretary-General for Operations John Manza at the NATO headquarters. “I informed the assistant secretary-general that Ukraine has …
Read More »Two Iraqi Soldiers Killed in IS Attack: Army
Two Iraqi soldiers were killed overnight on Tuesday in an attack by the Islamic State (IS) terrorists, Iraq’s War Media Cell, part, and parcel of the country’s army confirmed in a statement. At least five other soldiers were wounded by the IS terrorists who managed to escape after the attack. …
Read More »Missile strike in Iraq hits base with 200 British personnel
A US army base in Iraq which was targeted in a missile strike last night is also where 200 British personnel are based. No group has as of yet claimed responsibility for the Katyusha rocket attack on Camp Taji, north of Baghdad. Unlike the ballistic missiles which Iran fired at …
Read More »Davos 2020: de-escalation in Iraq high on agenda
The de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, will be high on the agenda at next week’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, which is the organization’s 50th yearly gathering in Davos, Switzerland. Taking part in these efforts will be regional leaders including Barham Salih, Iraq’s President, and …
Read More »Scottish independence referendum? Johnson says No.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson rejected an official demand for a second referendum on Scottish independence in a formal letter on Tuesday. Responding to a request from Scotland’s first minister and leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, to hold a vote later this year, Johnson said Scotland …
Read More »European Powers Trigger Dispute Mechanism with Iran over Nuclear Deal.
Britain, France, and Germany, collectively known as the EU3, have formally triggered a dispute settlement mechanism featured in a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, a step that could lead to the restoration of UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic. On Tuesday, the three European signatories to the Iran deal released …
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