By: Steven Erlanger
The New York Times, Jan. 31, 2020
The European Parliament voted in Brussels on Wednesday to ratify the withdrawal agreement that governs Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union, which will formally happen on Friday at midnight Brussels time.
The occasion was marked by speechifying and the singing of "Auld Lang Syne.” Some European legislators put up a sign reading, hopefully: "It’s not goodbye, it’s au revoir” - an "until we meet again.
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By: Liz Sly and Suzan Haidamous
The Washington post, Jan. 22, 2020
BEIRUT — Lebanon formed a government Tuesday that is controlled exclusively for the first time by Hezbollah and its allies, affirming the Iranian-backed movement’s increasingly powerful role in the country and raising concerns about Lebanon’s ability to halt a spiral of economic and political collapse.
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By: Jonathan Stempel; Editing by: Tom Brown
Reuters, Jan. 21, 2020
NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. government said on Tuesday that Turkey’s state-owned Halkbank (HALKB.IS) should be subjected to escalating fines totaling millions of dollars until it responds in court to criminal charges it helped Iran evade U.S. economic sanctions.
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By: Dr. Dania Koleilat Khatib
Arab News, Jan. 21, 2020
Lebanese President Michel Aoun gave orders to the army and internal security forces to restore order in downtown Beirut at the weekend. This resulted in bloody clashes between protesters and the security forces, with 377 reported injured on Saturday night.
The minister of interior condemned the violence while accusing protesters of attacking the security forces.
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The Guardian, Jan. 21, 2020
The Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos had his mobile phone “hacked” in 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message that had apparently been sent from the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, sources have told the Guardian.
The encrypted message from the number used by Mohammed bin Salman is believed to have included a malicious file that infiltrated the phone of the world’s richest man, according to the results of a digital forensic analysis.
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