(Nov 4, 2023)
President Biden has been deeply involved in the U.S. response to the Israel-Hamas war — one of the thorniest challenges of his presidency so far — receiving briefings at least once per day and speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times a week.
The big picture: Biden is leaning on a tight circle of trusted aides and officials. Here‘s a look at who‘s in the room when major decisions are being made.
The Earth‘s outer core is in a state of turbulent convection as the result of radioactive heating and chemical differentiation. This sets up a process that is a bit like a naturally occurring electrical generator, where the convective kinetic energy is converted to electrical and magnetic energy. Basically, the motion of the electrically conducting iron in the presence of the Earth‘s magnetic field induces electric currents. Those electric currents generate their own magnetic field, and as the result of this internal feedback, the process is self-sustaining so long as there is an energy source sufficient to maintain convection.
The militaries of the United States, Britain, France and others stepped in to help Israel defend against the fusillade of more than 300 Iranian drones and missiles, nearly all of which were intercepted. A similar number of aerial weapons are fired at Ukraine on a weekly basis, its officials say, with many of the drones in those attacks designed by Iran and now produced by Russia.
Israel parierte den iranischen Grossangriff aus der Luft – und zwar mithilfe der USA, Grossbritanniens, Frankreichs, Jordaniens und möglicherweise Saudi-Arabiens. Genau solche Hilfe fordert nun der ukrainische Präsident Wolodimir Selenski für sein Land gegen die russischen Luftangriffe. Das ist legitim. Doch passieren wird es nicht.
(08.01.2023)
The change was signaled by Green Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during a trip to Israel on Sunday.
Prince Khalid bin Bandar, the Saudi ambassador in London, told the BBC on Tuesday that a normalisation deal was „close“ but the kingdom paused US-brokered talks after the attack on Israel on 7 October by Hamas-led fighters.
„For us, the final end point definitely included nothing less than an independent state of Palestine,“ he said.
The below is attributable to Spokesperson Matthew Miller:
Qatar‘s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Tuesday that the country was „working to strengthen the Qatari mediation role in reaching a truce and then a permanent ceasefire.“
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns‘ visit to Qatar reported on Tuesday highlights seriousness of the ongoing negotiations. The CIA chief will meet the Mossad director in Doha.
A well-informed source told Al Qahera News that officials from Egypt, Qatar, the United States, and Israel would meet Tuesday in Doha to discuss the extension of the current temporary ceasefire in Gaza.
Another person familiar with the trip said the CIA director would be joined in Doha by the director of Israel’s intelligence service Mossad, David Barnea, and the Director of Egyptian General Intelligence, Abbas Kamel.
(Oct 26, 2023)
„I can say and confirm that representatives of the relevant Palestinian movement (Hamas) are on a visit to Moscow. As for contacts, we will inform you (about their results) additionally,“ Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said at a news conference in Moscow.
March 14, 2023
The Palestinian armed group Hamas said on Tuesday that it sent a high-level delegation to Russia and held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
In an interview published on Hamas’ website, Saleh al-Arouri, deputy head of Hamas’ political bureau, said party leaders visited Russia and met Lavrov and that the visit was a reflection of Hamas’ weight among major global powers.
(4 May 2022)
The delegation is made up of Hamas officials based outside of Gaza.
Hamas has seen its ties with Russia improve in recent years. Last month, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh held a rare phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The visits came ahead of Kyiv‘s first Defence Industries Forum, where Ukrainian officials were set to meet representatives from over 160 defence firms and 26 countries.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked for more Western weapons, including longer-range missiles, to help break through Russian positions and launch strikes deep within Russian-controlled territory.
„I have the pleasure of welcoming you, Foreign Secretary Cleverly, because there are excellent relations between our countries and I am sure that your visit will only strengthen them,” Netanyahu stated.
“We both have smart countries with a similar set of values,” the Israeli prime minister said at the start of their meeting. “We are two strong and vigorous democracies that cooperate and that is a wonderful thing.”
Gabon’s dollar bonds due June 2025 and November 2031 were the worst-performing in emerging markets on Wednesday. The 2025 notes fell 8.55 cents to 84.74 cents on the dollar as of 11:48 a.m. in London. Shares in French mining group Eramet SA, oil and gas producer Maurel & Prom SA and a listed unit of TotalEnergies SE, which all have operations in Gabon, sank in Paris trading.
(11. August 2018)
Sehr zum Leidwesen der E.U.-Reichsbürger und ihrer entsprechenden Pendants kann in der Berliner Republik die Verfassung nur durch Zwei-Drittel-Mehrheit in zwei Parlamentskammern (Bundestag und Bundesrat) geändert und nur durch eine Volksabstimmung gestürzt werden.
Im Gegensatz dazu werden Israels “Grundgesetze” lediglich in einer einzigen Parlamentskammer (der Knesset) mit absoluter Mehrheit beschlossen, wie alle anderen Gesetze. Inwieweit sich der Status der “Grundgesetze”, die irgendwann einmal eine Verfassung bilden sollen, überhaupt von allen anderen Gesetzen unterscheidet, ist in Israel bis heute umstritten.
Dieser faule Kompromiss entstand, da nach der Unabhängigkeitserklärung Israels in 1948 keine verfassungsgebende Versammlung gewählt wurde und auch das Parlament diesbezüglich keine Entscheidung traf.
We shared our views to enhance coordination with all countries in this region, along with our Quad partners. India and America stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the fight against terrorism and fundamentalism. We’re in agreement that concrete actions are needed in order to end cross-border terrorism.
The COVID pandemic and the Ukraine conflict have afflicted the countries of the Global South in particular. We believe that in order to resolve these problems, it is absolutely imperative for all countries to unite.
This included marching bands, a lavish vegetarian dinner and a 21-gun salute on the South Lawn of the White House.
Mr Modi, who is on a state visit, also addressed the US Congress, where he received a standing ovation.
Laut dem Onlineportal der Tageszeitung „Yediot Ahronot“ sollen die Panzer an zwei namentlich nicht genannte Länder geliefert werden – eines davon in Europa.
Ob diese Panzer letztlich für die Ukraine bestimmt sein könnten, bleibt in dem Artikel unklar.
(28.09.2022)
Die Daten würden mit einer Verzögerung von bis zu einigen Tagen weitergegeben, heißt es in Berlin. Deshalb seien die Daten „nicht unmittelbar“ für Planung und Steuerung tödlicher Angriffe nutzbar. Der BND übermittelt zudem ausschließlich Bildausschnitte des ukrainischen Staatsgebiets.
/May 3, 2023)
Meeting of PM Shahbaz Sharif with caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi
(January 25, 2023)
Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday.
The premier greeted Mr Naqvi on assuming the post of caretaker Punjab chief minister and expressed his best wishes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet on Monday in Jerusalem with two senior advisers to U.S. President Joe Biden on Middle East affairs, Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein, after they concluded talks in Saudi Arabia.
McGurk is responsible for the Middle East at the National Security Council in the White House, while Hochstein serves as Biden‘s special envoy for energy affairs.
Officials in Jerusalem say the Biden administration will have a 1-year window of opportunity to secure normalization deal after National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan says Israeli-Saudi ties are a top U.S. priority
Saudi state media did not immediately publish either video or photographs of the meetings.
(04.05.2023)
A multiple-part report from The Wall Street Journal has revealed a number of additional prominent people who were associates of Jeffrey Epstein’s. Their ties to the notorious sex trafficker and longtime high-society hobnobber were not previously known, having not appeared in Epstein’s infamous black book or in the public flight logs of passengers who traveled aboard his private jet before his jailhouse death in 2019 while awaiting trial.
The new reports also deepen public understanding of the ties between Epstein and some boldfaced names who he had previously been associated with. And they underscored just how frequently Epstein met with his high-flying pals.
(May 4, 2023)
On Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, Jeffrey Epstein had a full calendar. He was scheduled to meet that day with Bill Gates, Thomas Pritzker, Leon Black and Mortimer Zuckerman, four of the richest men in the country, according to schedules and emails reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Epstein also planned meetings that day with a former top White House lawyer, a college president and a philanthropic adviser, three of the dozens of meetings the Journal reported he had with each of them.
Jeffries and several other members of Congress told Netanyahu in Jerusalem that the judicial overhaul created a lot of negative “noise” about Israel in the U.S. and among their constituents, according to one of the sources who attended the meeting.
“They told Netanyahu it is very difficult for them to defend Israel under such circumstances, and their message was: help us help you,“ the source said.
The group discussed “the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, the Abraham Accords, and the opportunities for expanding the circle of peace with additional countries.”
Netanyahu then thanked Jeffries and members of the delegation for their support for the State of Israel, emphasizing the important relationship between Israel and the United States.
Later this week, Netanyahu will meet with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Khartoum – Sudan’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who became the face of endless military rule in Sudan with his 2021 coup, is now locked in battle with his second-in-command.
To seize power in Sudan’s most recent coup, Burhan joined forces with Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the large and heavily armed paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
They have now turned on each other.
(18.04.2023)
Tut Gatluak, South Sudan’s presidential adviser on security affairs, told Sudan Tribune that the conflict in Sudan has attracted global attention, causing President Kiir to closely monitor the situation and engage with rival leaders to accept a ceasefire agreement that permits humanitarian intervention.
“President Salva Kiir Mayardit has been talking to regional leaders since Sunday. He has now escalated these efforts. he has spoken to the Egyptian president again yesterday (Monday).
(17.04.2023)
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a regional bloc, agreed to send leaders from Kenya, South Sudan, and Djibouti to Khartoum, but the fighting has continued despite calls to cease hostilities.
“His Excellency the President of the Republic of South Sudan, General Salva Kiir Mayardit, and the Presidents of Kenya and Djibouti could not travel to Khartoum as per the resolution of the IGAD heads of state and government due to the security situation there,” said Tut Gatluak.
“It’s strange and rather sad to be protesting against your country’s government while in another country,” said Amos Morris-Reich, a history professor at Tel Aviv University, currently on sabbatical at University College in London. “But anyway, my head is constantly in Israel and everything that’s happening there, so it’s almost as if we’re back home.”
For a few hours Friday morning, a long section of Whitehall, the street leading to the Houses of Parliament – and studded with government departments – was transformed into another location of Israel‘s growing pro-democracy protest movement.
But Mr Sunak did dedicate a smaller part of the meeting to raising difficult subjects, including “international concern at growing tensions in the West Bank and the risk of undermining efforts towards the two state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“The Prime Minister stressed the importance of upholding the democratic values that underpin our relationship, including in the proposed judicial reforms in Israel,” a statement from No 10 said, hinting at a delicate challenge of his policy.
After visits in Paris, Rome and Berlin, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will leave Thursday evening for a diplomatic visit to London where he will meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Their meeting will focus on the Iranian issue and the need to formulate a united international front against Iran in order to stop its nuclear program.
(March 13, 2023)
”Until we make sure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a government that he controls, we will not be able to do common things, “said UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed.
The deal also comes as Saudi Arabia is demanding certain security guarantees, a steady flow of arms shipments and assistance with its civilian nuclear program in order to normalize relations with Israel, a major U.S. ally, the White House confirmed on Friday.
Speaking to reporters, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. was “informed” about the Saudi Arabia-Iran talks but played no role in them.
(today)
They also plan to reimplement a security pact signed 22 years ago under which both parties agreed to cooperate on terrorism, drug-smuggling and money-laundering, as well as reviving a trade and technology deal from 1998.
Friday’s announcement is also a diplomatic victory for China in a Gulf region that has long been considered part of the US’ domain of influence. It comes as the Biden administration tries to notch its own win in the Middle East by trying to broker a normalization pact between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Nach jahrelanger Eiszeit, die im Nahen Osten die Spannungen gefährlich erhöht hat, wollen der Iran und Saudi-Arabien die diplomatischen Beziehungen wieder aufnehmen. Der Deal kam offenbar unter Vermittlung Chinas zustande. Gelingt die Annäherung, wäre das für Peking ein wichtiger Erfolg als geopolitischer Player vis-a-vis den USA.
The war in Ukraine sparked a rally in crude oil and fuel prices that led to record industry profits, prompting the U.S. government and others to accuse Big Oil of profiteering and for Britain and some other governments to impose windfall taxes on energy companies.
The biennial International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi is the largest defense conference in the Middle East, with the participation of over 1,300 exhibitors from 65 countries.
But what makes it stand out from other major arms fairs is its participants. Invitees include military officials and manufacturers from countries that aren’t friendly with each other. Delegates from China and the United States, Russia and Ukraine, India and Pakistan, and Israel and Arab states are present at the same event.
Eight Russian arms manufacturing firms were exhibiting at the fair, including Kalashnikov Group and Rosoboronexport. In a statement to CNN, IDEX said it was “proud that this year’s edition is the largest in the event’s 30-year history.”
Sarah Martinez has the latest
Israel und die USA wollen in diesem Jahr erneut ein Gipfeltreffen mit vier arabischen Staaten abhalten. Das Treffen sei in den kommenden Wochen in Marokko geplant, vermutlich im März, sagte ein Sprecher des israelischen Außenministeriums gestern in Abu Dhabi. Dort finden bis morgen erstmals Treffen von Arbeitsgruppen aus Israel, den USA, Ägypten, Bahrain, Marokko und den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten (VAE) statt.
(03.06.2022)
Die Betreiber der Messenger-App Telegram haben – anders als bislang öffentlich dargestellt – in mehreren Fällen Nutzerdaten an das Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) herausgegeben. Dabei handelte es sich nach SPIEGEL-Informationen um Daten Verdächtiger aus den Bereichen Kindesmissbrauch und Terrorismus.
(Feb 4, 2022)