SAUDI ARABIA - Across the vast expanse of this desert air base, hundreds of tents have popped up and a newly arrived squadron of US Air Force F-15E fighters is lined up on the tarmac, flying daily missions over Iraq and Syria. Off in the distance, two American Patriot missile batteries are scanning the skies, prepared to knock down any Iranian attack against the Saudi kingdom. The US troop presence here has grown to roughly 2,500 since last summer, when the US announced it had begun deploying forces to what once was a major US military hub. The return of US forces to Prince Sultan Air Base is one of the more dramatic signs of America's decision to beef up troops in the Middle East in response to threats from Iran. Prince Sultan Air Base, said Marine General Frank McKenzie, presents a complicated target for Iran to hit and provides a remote location for US troops, fighter jets and other assets. It also provides greater security for Saudi Arabia, which asked for US help in the wake of an Iranian drone and missile attack on oil facilities in the kingdom last September.

MIDDLE EAST - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE have welcomed the “just” proposal for Israeli-Palestinian peace, unveiled Tuesday by President Donald Trump. Iran, on the other hand, slammed the plan as “satanic.” The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked the Trump administration for arriving at a “just and comprehensive resolution” for the Palestinians. Trump’s plan would see the establishment of a contiguous but demilitarized Palestinian state on most of the West Bank with parts of eastern Jerusalem that are outside the Israeli security fence as its capital. Jerusalem would remain undivided and under Israeli control. The flashpoint holy site of the Temple Mount would remain under the current status quo overseen by Jordan’s Islamic Waqf but all prayer – including Jewish prayer – would be allowed. The Temple Mount is Judaism’s holiest site but currently Jews are barred from praying there. The Palestinians have denounced the plan. “This conspiracy deal will not pass. Our people will take it to the dustbin of history,” Abbas said Tuesday.

GERMANY - For years, "the foreign policy of the Trump administration has demonstrated that it has been a particular strain on international law," observes an analysis published by Berlin's German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). Suleimani's murder suggests that Washington is now beginning to extend its "war on terror" tactics, that had already become common-place under President Barack Obama - such as drone-murders - to leading representatives of foreign nations, it considers to be "a threat." In the future, "state representatives should fear for their lives, when they travel outside their country," because "the consequences for international diplomacy are hardly predictable." The SWP advises the German government to take a clear stand. Of course, in its attempts to implement its globalist policies over the past few decades, Berlin, too, has repeatedly violated international law, often as an accomplice of the USA. He, who sits in a glasshouse.

EUROPE - A democratic-socialist MEP from Germany opined that Britain will not be the last member state to leave the European Union should the bloc continue prioritizing “corporate interests” above its citizens. Mr Schirdewan said that the European Union prioritizes “corporate interests” over that of its own citizens, adding that the bloc has allowed “big companies to dominate our lives and our politics.” “That dominance destroys our environment, economy, our public services, our streets, our local libraries, our railways, our post offices, our schools, our entire social fabric”, Schirdewan warned. “So don’t be surprised that the next time we sit here to lament the departure of another member state. Britain may be the first, but it may not be the last. Brexit should be the wake-up call that we must finally put people and planet before profit in Europe”, Schirdewan concluded.

USA - It is rather a surprise to learn that we are all going to die from a viral pandemic, considering that we have all already died from swine flu, bird flu, SARS, and that one time when four people had Ebola. Nonetheless, if media reports are to be believed, we are on the verge of yet another planet-wide outbreak. This time, the imaginary global destruction will happen courtesy of the coronavirus.

USA - As we all know, the “unsinkable” Titanic suffered a glancing collision with an iceberg on the night of April 14, 1912. A half-hour after the iceberg had opened six of the ship’s 16 watertight compartments, it was not at all apparent that the mighty vessel had been fatally wounded, as there was no evidence of damage topside. Indeed, some eyewitnesses reported that passengers playfully scattered the ice left on the foredeck by the encounter.

USA - US President Donald Trump announced his “Deal of the Century” peace plan together with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday in the White House, giving Israel full control of the settlements and Jerusalem as its undivided capital. The plan also established a Palestinian state. “For years, the international community said that if Israel annexes any land in Judea and Samaria, there will be sanctions against us in the UN Security Council,” Netanyahu explained in a press briefing at the Blair House. “Now, America will prevent those sanctions.”

ISRAEL - President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Mideast peace plan Tuesday alongside a beaming Benjamin Netanyahu, presenting a vision that matched the Israeli leader’s hard-line, nationalist views while falling far short of Palestinian ambitions. Trump’s plan envisions a disjointed Palestinian state that turns over key parts of the West Bank to Israel.

ISRAEL - Netanyahu indicted in court on corruption charges after dropping immunity bid. This marks the official start of Mr Netanyahu's prosecution. Even if convicted, Mr Netanyahu would not be required to step down as prime minister until the appeals process was exhausted - something that could take years.

Mr Netanyahu vowed that in due course he would "shatter all the disproportionate claims made by my detractors". "But right now, I will not allow my political opponents to use this matter to interfere with the historic move I am leading." Mr Netanyahu will fly to Moscow to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin on President Trump's peace plan, Israeli officials said.

UK - Boris Johnson has given the green light for Huawei to build non-core elements of Britain's 5G network, sparking concerns over rows with the US and Donald Trump. The Government made the announcement today after lengthy debates over allowing the Chinese firm access to Britain's network. Huawei will be allowed to play a limited role in the UK's 5G network, but will be banned from operating in sensitive sites such as nuclear and military facilities.

GERMANY - Angela Merkel last night demanded an European Union deal allowing Albania and North Macedonia to open membership talks in March. At a joint press conference, the German leader said: “Anyone who looks at the map, who knows the geopolitical context, knows that it is good for everyone if the countries of the Western Balkans also become member states of the European Union one day.” She declared that she wants to strike a deal, which would allow accession talks to begin, at the next European Council summit on March 29. “We will now work hard to achieve the desired results in March,” she said.

CHINA - As The Epoch Times is now reporting, China’s Hubei Province, which encompasses the Wuhan region known as “ground zero” for the coronavirus outbreak, is urgently adding 100,000 hospital beds even as the official infection numbers from the Chinese government are barely above 2,900. “The epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, China’s Hubei Province, is opening up 100,000 hospital beds in an effort to contain the disease, the province’s vice governor announced on January 27,” reports The Epoch Times. This is on the same day that China’s official numbers leapt from 2,901 infected to 4,239 infected, an increase of 46% in just one day. The Chinese government’s official numbers cannot be reconciled with the announcement that 100,000 hospital beds are being urgently added to the regional health care infrastructure. If only three to four thousand people are infected, why build 100,000 additional hospital beds and lock down 17 cities?

USA - Trillions are thrown towards an endless war that kills thousands, yet we can’t afford to spend a penny to help millions of Americans.

Things we can’t afford: healthcare, infrastructure, public transport, education, renewable energy, clean environment, feeding the poor and public elections.

Things we Can afford: Iraq and Afghan wars - $4-6 trillion, Wall street bailouts - $12.8 trillion, Big oil subsidies - $37.5 billion per year and the F35 jet program - $1.5 trillion!

USA - Russian intelligence sources have confirmed that Michael D’ Andrea, the head of US intelligence operations against Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, has been killed in Taliban’s shoot-down of a US military plane in Ghazni. The downed plane was the mobile CIA command for Michael D’ Andrea, and now, America’s most advanced spy platform and mobile command centre with all equipment and documents are in Taliban’s hands. De Andrea, who was responsible for the assassination of Iran’s top commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, was apparently among the officers on board the plane, the Veterans Today website reports, quoting Russian intelligence sources. Also known as Ayatollah Mike, D’Andrea is the most prominent figure of the CIA intelligence in the region.

USA - US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman was one of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s special guests on his flight Sunday to Washington for the upcoming festive unveiling of the administration’s much-expected “Deal of the Century.” Friedman hinted at the likely contours of the proposal, which, according to various reports, will recognize Israel’s sovereign rights over all of Jerusalem and large parts of the West Bank, but also include a provision for Palestinian statehood, if several conditions are met. More specifically, the proposal is said to give Israel a green light to annex the Jordan Valley and possibly many, if not all, settlements.