Report: Germany to place ban on Hezbollah
Germany is slated to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
UK
White House holding up $100M in Lebanon aid, official confirms
The United States is withholding security assistance to Lebanon to the tune of over $100 million, leaving lawmakers and policymakers in the dark, a senior State Department official confirmed on Tuesday.
Sondland implicates top officials on Ukraine, but says he ‘never heard’ quid pro quo from Trump
European Union ambassador Gordon Sondland tied top officials to the ‘potential quid pro quo’ involving U.S. military aid to Ukraine and investigations desired by President Trump during his highly anticipated impeachment hearing testimony on Wednesday – yet said he never heard that link from the president himself.
Sondland Affirms ‘No One on This Planet’ Told Him Trump Was Tying Ukraine Aid to Investigating Bidens
n an exchange with Rep. Michael Turner (R.-Ohio), Amb. Gordon Sondland conceded in testimony today that “no one on this planet”—as Turner put it—told him that President Donald Trump was tying U.S. aid to Ukraine to Ukraine’s agreeing to investigate the 2016 election, the Bidens, or Burisma, the Ukrainian company that had hired Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden.
Pence’s Chief of Staff: ‘This Alleged Discussion Recalled by Ambassador Sondland Never Happened’
Vice President Mike Pence’s office released a statement Wednesday morning refuting Ambassador Gordon Sondland’s testimony that he told Pence about the alleged quid pro quo being pushed by President Donald Trump and his attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Witness Says Nothing Concerned Him About Trump Ukraine Call, Republicans Question Pelosi’s Claim of Bribery
A new week of public impeachment hearings has kicked off on Capitol Hill.
Freedom of religion or belief ‘continues to be a priority’ for the UK
The Government has told the United Nations that freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) ‘continues to be a priority for the United Kingdom’.
White House releases transcript of first Trump-Zelensky call
President Trump congratulated Volodymyr Zelensky on his election win in Ukraine, inviting him to the White House in their first phone call, according to a transcript released by the White House Friday morning.
Democrats’ smear campaign against Trump sparked White House involvement in Ukraine, Devin Nunes says
The Trump White House became involved in Ukrainian affairs to investigate a smear campaign from Democrats against the president, but the fact-finding mission was twisted and used as an excuse for impeachment, House Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said in an interview airing Sunday.
‘Insect apocalypse’ poses risk to all life on Earth, conservationists warn
The ‘unnoticed insect apocalypse’ should set alarm bells ringing, according to conservationists, who said that without a halt there will be profound consequences for humans and all life on Earth.
Poll Gives UK PM Johnson’s Conservatives 10-point Lead in Election
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservatives have a healthy 10-point lead ahead of an election on Dec. 12, a poll by Savanta ComRes showed on Wednesday, extending their advantage over Labour after the Brexit Party stood down candidates.
Schiff rejects GOP demand for Hunter Biden and whistleblower to testify on impeachment
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff has added eight additional witnesses who will testify at public impeachment hearings this week, including Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and diplomats Kurt Volker and Gordon Sondland.
Impeachment aside, federal budget remains a pressing matter
Impeachment hearings for President Donald Trump come at the very time that Capitol Hill usually tends to its mound of unfinished business.
Turkey begins returning Western ISIS members to US and Europe
Turkey has deported an American member of the Islamic State back to the US and will soon start sending back Europeans, the Turkish government said Monday, as it began carrying out its pledge to send foreign jihadists home.
U.S. diplomats to star in public impeachment hearings next week
Three U.S. diplomats who expressed alarm about President Donald Trump’s dealings with Ukraine will serve as star witnesses when Democrats bring their impeachment case against Trump directly to the public with televised congressional hearings next week, lawmakers said on Wednesday.
UK PM Johnson: We will get Brexit done in January
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday promised to take Britain out of the European Union in January, speaking at a campaign rally he used to frame the country’s Dec. 12 general election as the most important in a generation.
Trump Holds Talks with Foreign Ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan
The foreign ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan met Wednesday in Washington with President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to discuss the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Ethiopia’s Blue Nile.
As Iran expands enrichment, Netanyahu vows it will never have nukes
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday to ‘never let Iran develop nuclear weapons’ after Tehran announced it was expanding its uranium enrichment efforts in a further breach of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran starts injecting uranium gas into Fordo centrifuges, breaking nuke deal
Iran began inserting uranium gas into centrifuges at the Fordo nuclear facility, state television announced Wednesday, marking its latest step away from the nuclear deal.
Russia nixed arms sales to Israel’s enemies at its request, PM’s adviser says
Russia acquiesced to Israeli requests and canceled certain arms sales to regimes that are antagonistic toward Israel, an adviser to the prime minister said this week, according to the Ynet news site.