Trump official held talks in Syria to free US hostages

Kash Patel, a deputy assistant to president, reportedly met secretly with Assad regime officials A White House official traveled to Syria earlier this year to hold secret talks with the Bashar al-Assad regime in a bid to secure the release of American hostages there, according to a report Sunday. Citing officials from President Donald Trump’s

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China’s economic recovery quickens as consumption returns

Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai, China, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak continues, October 19, 2020. © REUTERS/Aly Song BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s economic recovery accelerated in the third quarter as consumers shook off their coronavirus caution, although the weaker-than-expected headline growth suggested persistent risks for one of the

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Leaked documents show how UAE president amassed a £5bn London property portfolio

Emirati President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan inspects members of the Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle during a state visit to the UK in April 2013 (AFP) Referred to by his lawyers as ‘the client’ to preserve his anonymity, it has been revealed that Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan owns some of the UK capital’s

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Why did Farmajo accept the Ethiopian khat, when it rejected the Kenyan Khat?

Photo/Somali Times The Federal Government of Somalia has allowed Ethiopian khat to enter Somalia legally, while Kenya remains under a ban on the khat trade. Ethiopian-based National Airways has landed at Aden Adde International Airport and Hargeisa carrying a truckload of khat known as Hereri. It is the first time since the onset of the

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UK festival curator accuses UAE minister of sex assault

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the tolerance minister of the United Arab Emirates, speaks to The Associated Press in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The chair of Britain’s Hay literary festival said Sunday, Oct. 18, 2020, that the event will not return to Abu Dhabi after one of the festival’s curators alleged that she

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First-ever Israeli trade delegation to visit Bahrain

Photo: Credit Anadolu Agency Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Delegation under controversial normalization deal being led by head of Israel’s National Security Council Under a controversial normalization deal, an Israeli trade delegation will travel to the Gulf state of Bahrain on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced. In a written statement, Netanyahu said Israel’s

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UN arms embargo ends against Iran

An arms embargo imposed since 2007 by the UN Security Council (UNSC) ended Sunday, according to Iran’s foreign ministry. All restrictions on the transfer of arms, related activities and financial services to and from Iran, and all prohibitions regarding the entry into or transit through territories of the UN member states previously imposed on a

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Somalia’s coming election is a make-or-break for Horn of Africa

Photo/Somali Times By Peter Kagwanja Legislative elections will take place on December 1 and 27, 2020, followed by presidential elections on February 8, 2021. Somalia has shelved the one-person-one vote, upholding the existing clan-based system where delegates from clans elect 275 MPs of the lower house, who in turn elect the president. All roads in

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Reality dawns as Kenya’s Defence Force gears up for smooth exit from Somalia.

KDF soldier on a patrol in Somalia. The Somalia National Defence Forces will soon have to take over security of their country. The reality of KDF exiting Somalia by 2021 has started taking shape. The Star has established that the troops under Amisom have started gearing up for an exit. This will likely bring to

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Erdogan announces more gas reserves find in Black Sea

Turkish president says reserves discovered in Black Sea is largest hydrocarbon resource of Turkey till today The Turkish president on Saturday announced the discovery of an additional 85 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the Black Sea, following a historic find this summer. “As a result of testing, analysis and detailed engineering work, another

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