Author: Bryan McHusman

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas wants the United Nations to take control of the Mideast peace process from now on. He said his people will no longer allow the United States to have any part after President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “The individual steps taken by President Trump will not legitimize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel for it’s an Arab-Palestinian Islamic-Christian city, the eternal capital of Palestine. There can be no Palestinian state without Jerusalem as its capital. We will not accept, actually, there will be no peace in the region and the world…

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has often called himself a “friend of Israel.”  Now, he is being recognized for that stance. The Friends of Zion Museum presented President Trump with its Friends of Zion Award at the White House Monday. The award is given to those who have defended Israel without compromise. “This award was commissioned by the 9th president of the state of Israel, Shimon Peres, to recognize a global leader with courage to stand with the nation of Israel and the Jewish people,” explained Dr. Mike Evans, founder of the Friends of Zion Museum. “We believe no American…

Oil and gas prices have surged after an explosion in Austria and disruption to supplies from the North Sea hit the energy market, just as a cold snap drives up demand. One person was killed and 18 injured at the blast in Baumgarten an der March, the site of one of Europe’s biggest supply hubs, on Tuesday. The site was evacuated and closed though operator Gas Connect later said it would soon be brought back online. The blast prompted gas prices to surge across Europe, including a 40% rise in the UK to 95p per therm – a level not…

The Prime Minister has indicated she will not back down to Tory rebels ahead of a potential House of Commons showdown on Wednesday night. The Government has been warned it risks a humiliating defeat on flagship Brexit legislation if it does not accept the demands of up to 20 Conservative backbenchers. The group are ready to revolt against ministers by backing an amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill, which calls for a “meaningful” vote on any Brexit deal. But, speaking hours before a possible vote, Theresa May rejected an offer to accept the amendment “in the spirit of unity”. Answering…

Can Islamic religious sharia law override a country’s domestic law in Europe? That’s a question the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights is weighing. The Court heard a case this week that involves applying sharia law to a disagreement between citizens of Greece who are Muslims. Christian Concern, a non-profit organization based in London, intervened in the case “because of the importance of the case in European law and its implications for countries across Europe, including the UK,” according to a news release from the organization. “We intervened in the case in order to make clear that sharia law…

Motorists have been warned to take extra care as treacherous driving conditions are expected to hit the UK in the morning – dubbed “Black Ice Monday”. It follows heavy snow that brought major travel disruption over the weekend as severe weather left thousands of homes across the UK without power. The AA said that it dealt with more than 14,000 breakdowns, with its call centres dealing with a 40% increase in call outs to rescue cars stuck in snow and ice. The RAC said it expects to attend 11,000 breakdowns on “Black Ice Monday” after being called to 8,000 incidents…

Britain has a new highest mountain after new data showed measurements from old overland surveys were inaccurate. It was thought until this point that Mount Jackson was the tallest mountain in the British Antarctic Territory at 3,184m (10,444ft) above sea level. However, new satellite data by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) shows Mount Hope is the tallest mountain, at 3,239m (10,654ft). The new data reveals Mount Hope as being 55m taller than Mount Jackson and 377m higher than previously thought. The discovery was made during work by BAS to update planning maps for pilots operating in Antarctica. New high-resolution satellite measurements,…

BAE Systems, Britain’s biggest defence contractor, has agreed a £5bn contract to supply 24 Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar. The deal, which includes a support and training package, comes two months after the FTSE 100 company said it would be axing 2,000 jobs to streamline the business with a renewed focus on technology. It also includes an intention for Qatar to buy further military equipment from Britain, namely Hawk aircraft. About 5,000 workers in the UK are employed on building the Typhoon, mainly at Warton in Lancashire. The company said the deal would not mean a reversal of the planned job cuts…

Bitcoin’s price jumped 25% after it started trading on a major exchange for the first time. Prices of Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) Bitcoin futures contracts expiring in January climbed as high as $18,700 (£14,000) on Monday from their opening level of $15,000 (£11,200). By mid-morning, prices had fallen back slightly to $16,571 (£12,400), according to cryptocurrency researcher Coindesk. The move has been seen by some as a step towards legitimising Bitcoin as an investment. Demand caused outages and delays on CBOE’s website, but it said trading had not been disrupted. “Due to heavy traffic on our website, visitors to…

Ireland’s deputy prime minister Frances Fitzgerald is resigning, say Sky sources, as the Government is on the verge of collapse. It came after political leaders met in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a snap Christmas election. Talks have been taking place between Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar and Micheal Martin, leader of opposition party Fianna Fail, over the handling of a police whistleblower. A no-confidence motion in deputy prime minister (Tanaiste) Frances Ftizgerald was due to be debated tonight in the Irish Parliament over Mrs Fitzgerald’s knowledge of an aggressive legal strategy against a respected Garda sergeant during a…