Middle Eastern Politics Headlines at 3:17 p.m. GMT
Congress is notified by the Biden administration of a planned $8 billion weapons sale to Israel
Latest stories
The IndependentRamaswamy forced out of DOGE by Musk after calling US workers ‘mediocre,’ report says
Entrepreneur is now expected to launch a gubernatorial campaign in his home state of Ohio
- The Telegraph
Musk’s new government department in turmoil as partner mulls quitting
Elon Musk’s new government department has been thrown into turmoil amid reports his partner is considering quitting.
- The Independent
Arnold Schwarzenegger sets record straight on leaving the United States
Schwarzenegger has been one of the few Republicans to have criticised Trump
- HuffPost
CNN Data Reporter Hits Joe Biden With A Harsh Truth In His Final Hours Of Office
"My goodness gracious," Harry Enten said of one particular polling detail on the outgoing president.
- The Daily Beast
Trump’s Meme Coin Immediately Crashes After Melania’s Cryptocurrency Launch
Incoming first lady Melania Trump has joined her husband in the crypto game, launching her own “meme coin” over the weekend. But just hours after the new digital currency went live Sunday, her husband’s suffered a precipitous crash of more than 40 percent, according to Forbes—leading many to connect Melania’s new project to the decline of her husband’s. Announcing the news on X Sunday evening, Melania posted a black-and-white photo of herself smiling with her hands clasped together and wrote, “T
- Yahoo News Singapore
CPF’s Special Account closure boosts retirement payouts for seniors; Singapore to enhance cost of living support in 2025 Budget: Singapore live news
CPF announces Special Account closure for members aged 55 and above as the government pledges more aid for cost of living woes. Plus some of the biggest and fascinating news in Singapore and beyond.
- CNN
Hamas gave the three hostages ‘gift bags’ upon their release. This is what was inside
When Hamas’ military wing, the Qassam Brigades, released its propaganda video of three Israeli hostages being released Sunday night, there was a striking detail.
- CNN
Panama turned its canal into a money-maker. History shows why Trump’s threats are sounding the alarm bells
More than 100 years after the construction of the engineering marvel that linked the Atlantic and Pacific oceans — and 25 years after the canal was returned to Panama by the US — the Panama Canal faces renewed intimidation from US President Donald Trump.
- The Independent
World’s most dangerous countries to visit in 2025
No country saw their security risk decrease in the past 12 months, says International SOS
- The Daily Beast
Nancy Pelosi’s Daughter Slams ‘Lady McBiden’ for Cruel Snub
The relationship between Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and the Biden family is so strained that the outgoing president and his wife did not check in on her after she broke her hip last month, enraging Pelosi’s family. The revelation in a Sunday Politico report reflects the ongoing feud between Joe Biden and Pelosi after she worked last summer to push him to drop out of the presidential election. Biden eventually withdrew, but it was not without some pointed anger at the former speaker. “We were f
- The Telegraph
Roman Abramovich’s life of luxury in Turkish exile
In the best restaurants along the Bosphorus strait Roman Abramovich’s generous tips are setting tongues wagging as much as they once did in London.
- CNN
Ukraine opens a new front against Russia – flattering Trump
World leaders have been rushing to get on Donald Trump’s good side since his reelection as US president, arguably none more so than Ukraine.
- Reuters
Exclusive-Trump to pull nearly 1,660 Afghan refugees from flights, say US official, advocate
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Nearly 1,660 Afghans cleared by the U.S. government to resettle in the U.S., including family members of active-duty U.S. military personnel, are having their flights canceled under President Donald Trump's order suspending U.S. refugee programs, a U.S. official and a leading refugee resettlement advocate said on Monday. The group includes unaccompanied minors awaiting reunification with their families in the U.S. as well as Afghans at risk of Taliban retribution because they fought for the former U.S.-backed Afghan government, said Shawn VanDiver, head of the #AfghanEvac coalition of U.S. veterans and advocacy groups and the U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Trump made an immigration crackdown a major promise of his victorious 2024 election campaign, leaving the fate of U.S. refugee programs up in the air.
- INSIDER
Ukraine's military chief says Russia has 'practically halved' artillery ammo usage after its production lines and depots were hit
Oleksandr Syrskyi credited Ukraine's attacks on "industrial enterprises" that manufacture ammo, missile parts, and other weapons deep inside Russia.
- CNN
As first Israeli hostages are released, Hamas sends a message: It is far from being destroyed
Israel’s longest war has so far failed to destroy its main enemy, Hamas, which, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself – and a failure for Israel.
- INSIDER
The one-of-a-kind ex-USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier is heading to the scrapyard, but a new JFK flattop is coming
See the ex-USS John F. Kennedy, the Navy's last conventionally powered aircraft carrier, which was in a class of its own.
- CNN
Trump revokes security clearances of former officials who signed Hunter Biden laptop letter with executive action
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday revoking the security clearance of 51 former intelligence officials who signed a 2020 letter arguing that emails from a laptop belonging to Hunter Biden carried “all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation” and that of his former national security adviser John Bolton.
- HuffPost UK
Putin Ally Says Ukraine Will 'Cease To Exist' As A Country In 2025
The comments came as Russia continues to make progress ahead of the third anniversary of the war.
- The Daily Beast
GOP Lawmakers Break With Trump on TikTok as He Steps in to Save App
Despite President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to issue an executive order extending ByteDance’s chance to sell TikTok before a national ban, multiple Republican lawmakers seemed to relish in the app’s shutdown. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AK) and Pete Ricketts (R-NE) hailed tech companies including Amazon, Apple, and Google for removing TikTok from their app stores and cloud systems on Saturday as the ban was set to take effect.
- The Daily Beast
Trump’s Niece Flames Melania’s Tacky ‘Pizza Hut’ Inauguration Hat
Donald Trump’s niece couldn’t hold back her laughter at Melania Trump’s wide-brimmed hat at Monday’s inauguration. Mary Trump reacted to some of the biggest parts of the ceremony, including what she referred to as “one of the most important things to happen today”–Melania’s viral black and white hat. The first lady wore a structured navy coat accessorized with black gloves, a crisp white shirt and a navy-blue wide-brimmed hat accompanied by a white stripe. “Some people said she looked like the H