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Germany, France and Britain urged the Trump administration in late October to reconsider broad, new sanctions against Iran’s banks, arguing that the move would deter legitimate humanitarian trade and hurt the allies’ common interests, diplomatic correspondence shows. Germany’s Bundesbank also kept a multi-billion-euro deposit facility open for Iranian banks, including …

An unusual hum is heard and then just upon the horizon a door opens and a soldier steps into view holding a sign which reads, Angel, V, and The Beast. “I guess that means us.” Angel says. They board. “Where are we headed?” Angel asks. President Trump welcomes them aboard, …

An air strike killed a commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards at the Iraq-Syria border sometime between Saturday and Sunday, Iraqi security and local militia officials said on Monday. They could not confirm the identity of the commander, who they said was killed alongside three other men travelling in a vehicle …

Turkey ordered the detention of 82 military personnel in an operation targeting supporters of the Muslim preacher who Ankara says was behind a failed coup in 2016, state-owned Anadolu news agency said on Tuesday. Operations targeting the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen have continued under a four-year-long crackdown since …

A draft bill requiring Iran’s government to pursue uranium enrichment of 20%, and to disregard other restraints put on its nuclear programme by an accord reached with foreign powers in 2015 cleared its first hurdle in parliament on Tuesday. The legislation was proposed in the wake of the assassination of …

Twenty-nine arms control and human rights organizations have signed a letter opposing the sale of $23 billion worth of missiles, fighter jets and drones to the United Arab Emirates and asking the U.S. Congress to block the deal. “The hope is to stop these sales altogether,” said Seth Binder, advocacy …

Top scientists have warned there is a ‘troubling lack of evidence’ that face masks prevent Covid-19 infection, after a major study in Denmark found they don’t protect people who wear them. By the Levant News newsdesk Governments around the world — including the UK — have made it mandatory to …

Maritime border talks between Lebanon and Israel scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, and U.S. mediators will now contact the two old foes separately, Israeli and Lebanese officials said on Monday. The negotiations were launched in October with delegations convening at a U.N. base to try to resolve a dispute …

White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and his team are headed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar this week for talks in a region simmering with tension after the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist. A senior administration official said on Sunday that Kushner is to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed …

Jordan’s King Abdullah on Sunday met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and both leaders set high hopes that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will revive peace talks over a two-state solution to the decades-old Arab-Israeli conflict, officials said. In a palace statement after meeting with Abbas in the Red Sea port …

Turkey’s seismic exploration vessel Oruc Reis returned to port on Monday from disputed Mediterranean waters, less than two weeks before a European Union summit where the bloc will evaluate possible sanctions against Ankara. NATO members Turkey and Greece have conflicting claims to continental shelves and rights to potential energy resources …

A rocket hit a small oil refinery in northern Iraq on Sunday, causing a fire at a fuel storage tank and forcing a complete shutdown of operations after the blaze spread to a nearby pipeline network, two refinery officials said. Islamic State claimed responsibility for attacking the Siniya refinery, in …

Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is complete. The six-storey building symbolizes the kingdom’s rich history, ancient culture and natural wonders. By the Levant News newsdesk A water feature alongside a 1,320 square metre inclined mirror screen is expected to be a major attraction. An art installation embedded with …

The pandemic is effectively over and can easily be handled by a properly functioning National Health System (NHS). Accordingly, the United Kingdom and many other European countries should immediately be permitted to get back to normal life, says a former VP of Pfizer. By the Levant News newsdesk While Pfizer …

Iran will give a “calculated and decisive” response to the killing of its top nuclear scientist, said a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, while a hardline newspaper suggested Tehran’s revenge should include striking the Israeli city of Haifa. “Undoubtedly, Iran will give a calculated and decisive answer to the …

The World Health Organization delivered 15 ventilators to Gaza hospitals on Sunday amid a spike in COVID-19 infections that has tested the Palestinian territory’s under-developed health system. The donation of the intensive care devices, funded by Kuwait, came a week after local and international public health advisers said hospitals in …

The United Arab Emirates on Sunday approved the establishment of a new national cybersecurity council, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President and ruler of Dubai, said on Twitter. The cabinet of the UAE government also appointed Industry and Advanced Technology Minister and head of Abu …

When you think of the ancient embroidery technique of tatreez, what usually springs to mind is decorative clothing and elegant patterns on items like cushions. But for 81 Designs — a family-run social enterprise — it is an opportunity for a more comfortable and prosperous future for the female Palestinian …

A car bombing in the Afghanistan’s central province of Ghazni killed at least 30 Afghan security force members on Sunday, officials said, and casualties could increase given the intensity and location of the blast. Baz Mohammad Hemat, director of the provincial hospital in Ghazni, said 30 bodies and 24 injured …

Hundreds of black-clad protesters clashed with police at the end of a demonstration against police violence in Paris on Saturday after masked protesters launched fireworks at police lines, put up barricades and threw stones. The majority of the thousands of demonstrators marched peacefully, but small groups of masked protesters dressed …

Ahead of Saturday’s exhibition fight between boxing legends Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr., it was impossible to predict what would happen in the ring. At a combined 105 years of age and with uncertainty over the rules ahead of the event, an already unpredictable situation felt even harder to …

If you want to sell your work and you’re not afraid of competing against the best join The Mission, help us deliver The Message about declaring demurrage on The US dollar so that the art market is not just manipulated and controlled by the same ones that manipulate and control …

Lebanon celebrated its 77th Independence Day just a few days ago. Independence was proclaimed back on November 22, 1943. Four years prior to that date, back in 1939, a Calligrapher Sheikh by the name of Nassib Makarem crafted the map of Lebanon on a grain of rice made out of …

The Lebanese Parliament discussed on Friday a letter from embattled President Michel Aoun requesting assistance in the forensic audit of the Banque du Liban’s accounts. The request overthrew the contract that the Lebanese government signed with the restructuring consultancy Alvarez & Marsal to conduct an audit of the central bank’s …

Uzbekistan plans to repatriate another group of its citizens, mostly women and children, from Syria where they are staying at crowded camps with other families of Islamic State fighters, an Uzbek government source told Reuters on Friday. A government delegation from Tashkent has visited the Al-Hol and Roj camps in …

Supporters of Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed an anti-government protest camp in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya on Friday, and at least three people were killed and dozens wounded in the clashes, a Reuters witness and a medical source said. Followers of Sadr carrying pictures of the cleric marched …

Saudi Arabia formally suspended imports of meat, eggs and other products from Turkey earlier this month, the Turkish exporters’ union said, after a months-long informal boycott of Turkish goods over political tensions between the two regional rivals. Turkish exporters have reported increasing obstacles to trade in Saudi Arabia, as businessmen …

The deputy leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement said on Friday that the response for the assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was in Iran’s hands. “We condemn this heinous attack and see that the response to this crime is in the hands of those concerned in Iran,” Sheikh Naim …

Sidney Powell, the lawyer for former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who is now helping uncover the evidence of voter fraud in the 2020 election, warned states not to certify the November election results. “They should rethink it very seriously. What they are certifying is their own complicity and fraud.” …

The New Trump Train Tour, God’s Money, Declaring demurrage on The US dollar. President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump Headed to Iran Bringing The Message about declaring demurrage on The US dollar The Message already reflected at their meeting with The People, The Door being open, The Message Welcome. …

An Iranian scientist long suspected by the West of masterminding a secret nuclear bomb programme was killed in an ambush near Tehran on Friday, likely to provoke confrontation between Iran and its foes in the last weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency. The military adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali …

Turkey does not expect ties with the United States to be strained under President-elect Joe Biden and does not anticipate sanctions over its purchase of Russia S-400 defence systems, a senior official in President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party said. Relations have been tense between Ankara and Washington over issues from …

A historic meeting between Israel’s prime minister and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince has sent a strong signal to allies and enemies alike that the two countries remain deeply committed to containing their common foe Iran. Last Sunday’s covert meeting in the Saudi city of Neom, confirmed by Israeli officials but …

The Iraqi military is training a former member of an Iran-backed militia, who is under U.S. sanctions for killing protesters, to become a high-ranking officer in the army, according to six government, security and militia officials. They said that Hussein Falih Aziz, known as Abu Zainab al-Lami, had been sent …

The European Parliament urged the EU on Thursday to impose sanctions on Turkey after President Tayyip Erdogan this month paid a visit to the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of Cyprus. With 631 votes in favour, three against and 59 abstentions, the parliament agreed a non-binding resolution in support of EU …

More than 150 criminal cases have been launched by Saudi Arabia’s Control and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha). The cases involve 226 individuals and legal procedings against them are underway, the body said on Thursday. They include the case of a number of officers and civil servants working at the Ministry of …

A Turkish court has jailed 337 for life on Thursday, including army commanders and pilots, accused of carrying out a 2016 coup attempt from an air base near the capital Ankara, Anadolu news agency reported. More than 250 people were killed in the attempt to overthrow the government on July …

“Now The People will be getting the $40 billion in rebates from Big Pharma. That means, once again President Trump has brought MORE of the hidden money back into legitimate circulation and out from The Dark Realms. Armageddon shrinks once again. The US will no longer be “subsidizing socialism abroad” …

The debate as to whether Diego Maradona is the best player the world has ever seen will spark back into life with the news of his death at the age of 60 on Wednesday, However, those lucky Saudi fans who saw him in action in Jeddah in 1987 will surely …

Bahrain’s parliament condemned Qatar’s interception of two coastguard boats in its territorial waters, Al-Arabiya TV reported. The Kingdom added that Qatar’s actions threaten the region’s security and stability, calling on the country to respect international laws and decisions of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Three Qatari coastguard vessels stopped two Bahraini …

Australia has issued termination notices to at least 10 special forces soldiers after the release of a report that found credible evidence of unlawful killings in Afghanistan, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said on Thursday. An independent report published last week in redacted form said there was evidence that 39 …

Leading Sudanese politician and former prime minister Sadiq al-Mahdi died from a coronavirus infection three weeks after being hospitalised in the United Arab Emirates, according to family sources and a party statement early on Thursday. Mahdi, 84, was Sudan’s last democratically elected prime minister and was overthrown in 1989 in …

The Trump administration plans to tighten sanctions on Tehran during its final months in power, the top U.S. envoy on Iran said on Wednesday, as he urged President-elect Joe Biden to use the leverage to press for a deal that reduces the regional and nuclear threats posed by the Islamic …

The United Arab Emirates has stopped issuing new visas to citizens of 13 mostly Muslim-majority countries, including Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to a document issued by a state-owned business park. A source briefed on the matter told Reuters the visas had temporarily stopped being issued to Afghans, Pakistanis …