Israel’s Netanyahu pays surprise visit to Oman in first such trip since 1996

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, made a secret trip to Oman, the Israeli government announced  on Friday, in the clearest sign yet of the warming ties between Israel and the Gulf Arab states.  Like most Arab countries, Oman does not have formal diplomatic relations with Israel and it is rare for an Israeli leader to visit any of…

House of Representatives: Role, responsibilities – and how Democrats can punish Donald Trump

The Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives in the midterm elections, delivering a bitter blow for Donald Trump after a campaign that became a referendum on his leadership. The Republican Party went into Tuesday’s elections in control of the chamber with a 43-seat majority. However, Democrats rode a wave of dissatisfaction with the US President…

Weakened Merkel leaves the EU even less capable of bold decisions – but is there a final sting in her tail?

The waning of Angela Merkel’s political powers has been evident ever since her mishandling of the migrant crisis in 2015 caused a political back-fire that resounded across the European continent. At home, the failure to control the arrival of nearly a million migrants in the space of a year splintered German domestic politics in a…

Tension as New Caledonians in idyllic south Pacific poised to vote on independence from France

Escalating tension in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia ahead of an independence referendum on Sunday has prompted the authorities to ban the sale of alcohol and the carrying of firearms this weekend. The vote in the archipelago east of Australia has polarised its nearly 270,000 inhabitants along ethnic lines, pitting indigenous Kanaks who mostly favour…

‘Evidence points to crown prince’ in Khashoggi affair, says former MI6 chief

All evidence in the case of missing Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi points to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, a former MI6 chief has said, warning he could soon face a reckoning at home. Sir John Sawers, who headed the overseas intelligence service until 2014, claimed the theory of “rogue elements” floated by US President…