As Donald Trump takes over as the 45th president of the United States, speculation is rife regarding what he might do with the power that history, via the American electorate, has put at his disposal. As a student of American politics since the 1960s I don’t recall any US president to have started h
Beirut – Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said that the Syrian refugee influx was one of the “severest crises faced in Lebanon”. The crisis was “complicated and destructive” Hariri said, “pressure on the Lebanese economy due to the conflict in Syria is tremendous and unprecedented” he added. Hariri’s r
Ankara- Abdulkadir Masharipov, murderer of New Year’s Eve, continued to unveil exciting details on the armed attack executed by him in Reina Club, only 75 minutes after the beginning of 2017. Masharipov revealed that he received videos about Reina nightclub from ISIS leaders in Raqqa and that he wat
The World Economic Forum in Davos dedicated a special session to discuss the future of Arab economies amid challenges led by the so-called ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution”, era of technology and automation, which has imposed a new reality in the region and the whole world. This session organized in co
Mosul- Iraqi Army forces continue to comb and sweep former ISIS-held locations in eastern Mosul, Iraq. The clearing was announced shortly after eastern Mosul was declared liberated and that the offensive has moved to phase two, the western terrain of the ISIS stronghold. ISIS’ western Mosul enclave
Davos – “Saudi Arabia is the greatest story never told and I think we’ve got to tell it.” With these words, Chief Executive Officer of Dow Chemical Andrew N. Liveris described Saudi Vision 2030 during a panel on the Kingdom’s reform plans on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The panel d
New York – Some state members at the U.N. Security Council expressed on Wednesday night their worries concerning Iran’s failure to abide by an arms embargo and the breaching of the travel restrictions against Revolutionary Guards leaders, mainly Major General Qasem Soleimani. Briefing the U.N.
Washington – A new chapter in the history of the United States begins today, Friday, as Donald Trump will officially be sworn in as the 45th president. A succession of ceremonies and parades will mark the day, with the presence of four former U.S. presidents and first ladies, in addition to internat
Tel Aviv – European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker threatened the Israeli government of being sanctioned in case it continues its oppressive and racist policy against the Arab Palestinians of 1948. Juncker was speaking during a meeting held with lawmakers from the Joint (Arab) List p
Beirut – The Syrian regime imposed a new reconciliation on opposition forces in the Barada Valley where fighting stopped on Thursday following a ceasefire reached under the U.N. sponsorship. The truce agreement includes conditions that opposition factions had previously rejected, particularly
A plane carrying Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Teori Zavascki, who is overseeing a blockbuster graft investigation into dozens of politicians, crashed into the sea off the coast of Rio de Janeiro state on Thursday, his son said. According to Reuters, the small plane left Sao Paulo and crashed near
Donald Trump arrives in Washington on Thursday, a day ahead of him taking the oath of office as the 45th US president, with a sweeping determination to change the face of U.S. politics over the next four years. Trump, 70, a real estate magnate with no previous political or military experience, was e
The Syrian regime has increased the pace of its military operations in the area of Wadi Barada which is situated in the north-western countryside of the capital Damascus. It has launched violent attacks, in coordination with Hezbollah fighters and militants loyal to it, on locations occupied by oppo
Terror group ISIS is using “headhunters” on social media and instant messaging sites to recruit troubled young people in Germany, some as young as 13 or 14, the head of the country’s domestic intelligence agency said on Thursday. Hans-Georg Maassen also drew parallels between the e
A Saudi official said that Saudi convoys carrying about 600 tons of medicines and medical supplies will enter Yemeni territory next week in coordination with the relevant Yemeni organisations. The General Supervisor of the King Salman Centre for Relief and Humanitarian Aid Dr Abdullah bin Abdulaziz
A 17-storey commercial building in Tehran engulfed by fire collapsed on Thursday, killing at least 30 firefighters and injuring some 75 people, state media reported. Firefighters, soldiers, sniffer dogs and other emergency responders dug through the rubble, looking for survivors. The disaster struck
U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers carried out air strikes against a couple of ISIS camps outside of Sirte, Libya, on Wednesday night, seeking to neutralize extremists who had escaped the former ISIS stronghold of Sirte, U.S. defense officials said on Thursday. Two U.S. defense officials said the strikes we
The United Nation’s peace envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, has been invited to peace talks convened by Russia, Turkey and Iran in the Kazakh capital Astana, his spokeswoman Yara Sharif said on Thursday. A U.N. statement said de Mistura himself would lead the U.N. team in Astana talks that are du
Washington- Obama called on President-elect Donald Trump in Wednesday’s speech to continue trying to persuade Russia to reduce its nuclear stockpiles. He said in his last press conference at the White House as a president that he tried to negotiate further reducing nuclear arsenals with Russian Pres
Tel Aviv, Ramallah – Ayman Odeh, a Palestinian member of the Knesset, was injured in the head by Israeli police during the demolition operation in Umm al-Hiran. The operation resulted in the destruction of 15 houses, death of an Israeli policeman and a school teacher, injury of 27 persons, and a lar
