Abyzemen

For German Chancellor Angela Merkel, 2018 marked the first step toward her eventual exit from the political stage.  In power since 2005, Merkel has not only dominated German politics, but also the European and world stage for the past decade, often a voice of calm and reason.   But the 2015 migrant crisis, which saw over a million Syrian, Afghan and other refugees streaming through Europe, hurt her as her open-door policy fueled an anti-migrant sentiment in Germany. On October 29, Merkel announced that her fourth term as German chancellor would be her last, that she would not be seeking reelection in 2021 and that she would also be stepping down after 18 years as leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). This came after the CDU and its Bavarian sister party Christian Social Union (CSU) suffered major losses in state elections, following a poor showing already in 2017 general elections. Merkel said she hoped her decision would end infighting in the party and let the r

While Paris has yet to recover from the most grievous riot in half a century, the "yellow vest" protests have inched their way across the Atlantic Ocean. Over the past weekend, a variety of cities in Canada including Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver were snared into the same flames among gatherings of people in fluorescent vests to rally against the Justin Trudeau administration's liberal policies on immigration and climate governance. Protesters say they will again take to the streets this Saturday. Why are they protesting? A group of some 750,000 Canadians claim on a Facebook page that they are objecting to "the CARBON TAX and the Treason of our country's politicians who have the audacity to sell OUR country's sovereignty over to the Globalist UN and their Tyrannical policies." They don't believe a carbon tax hike at the cost of their livelihood can relieve climate change, neither do they agree that the anti-oil pipeline bill will foster a cl

Turkey and Russia on Friday signed an accord for Moscow to supply Ankara with S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries, Turkish authorities said, finalizing a deal set to deepen military ties between NATO member Turkey and the Kremlin. The S-400 deal, reportedly worth some 2.5 billion US dollars and in the works for more than a year, has worried the West because the system cannot be integrated into NATO’s military architecture. As part of NATO’s collective defense pledge, the allies integrate their ships, planes and weapons systems to make them work together, as well as sharing command across the alliance. The accord is the latest in a series of moves by Ankara to boost its defense capabilities as it faces threats from Kurdish and Islamist militants at home and conflicts across its borders in Syria and Iraq. In a statement late on Friday, Turkey’s Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) said that Moscow would supply the S-400 missile batteries to Ankara in an initial del

The United States has said it approved a 3.5-billion- U.S.-dollar sale of Patriot air and missile defense systems to Turkey amid tensions between the NATO allies over Ankara's plans to buy similar systems from Russia.  The State Department said on Wednesday it had notified Congress of plans to sell Turkey a Patriot package that includes 80 Patriot guidance-enhanced missiles and 60 PAC-3 missile interceptors and related equipment.  It's reported that the proposed sale will increase the defensive capabilities of the Turkey military to guard against hostile aggression and shield NATO allies who might train and operate within Turkey's borders. The State Department said earlier this year it was working with NATO ally Turkey on the possible sale of a Raytheon Co Patriot missile defense system to keep it from buying a Russian-made S-400 system, which Ankara announced a year ago.  U.S. and NATO officials have repeatedly warned Ankara that the Russian system cannot be

Explosions rocked Yemen's Red Sea city of Hodeidah for a second day on Wednesday despite a UN-mediated ceasefire meant to pave the way for peace negotiations to end nearly four years of war.  Residents said six missiles blasts broke the calm, but it was not clear who was responsible. The Iranian-aligned Houthi movement and the Saudi-led government had traded blame for violations on the first day of the truce on Tuesday, when residents reported shelling on the eastern and southern outskirts of the Houthi-held city at night. The United Nations brokered the truce deal as part of confidence-building measures at peace talks last week in Sweden to avert a full-scale assault on the port that is vital for urgent aid supplies for millions facing starvation. A source in the Saudi-led coalition arrayed against the Houthis said that if international monitors were not deployed in Hodeidah soon, the deal could falter. “If the UN takes too long to get into (the) theater, they will lo

The U.S. has started withdrawing its troops from Syria, according to a statement by the White House on Wednesday. "We have started returning United States troops home as we transition to the next phase of this campaign," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announced. Earlier, President Trump said on Twitter that the U.S. has defeated ISIL in Syria, which he said was the "only reason for [the military] being there during the Trump presidency." WH: President Trump is honoring promise In April, Trump announced that over the last year, nearly 100 percent of the territory once controlled by ISIL in Syria and Iraq has been liberated and eliminated. He also said, "as other nations step up their contributions, we look forward to the day when we can bring our warriors home." Concerning the withdrawal of troops from Syria, the White House said the president is honoring his promise. The Global Coalition against ISIL will not end, the statement mentioned, add

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, marking the first such visit by an Arab leader since the civil war broke out nearly eight years ago.  Syrian President Bashar al Assad welcomed the visiting president at the airport. Syria's official Syrian Arab News Agency called the trip "a work visit" and reported that the two leaders held talks in the presidential palace about developments in the region and in Syria. Assad was quoted as saying that his country would remain committed to Arabism and noted that some Arab countries' dependence on the West will not bring any benefits to their people.  The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 after Assad's government failed to abide by an Arab peace plan that aimed to end the conflict. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir hoped that the Syrian people will be able to decide the country's future themselves without any foreign interference.  Although many A