That's a shocking figure, given these countries' relative proximity to Syria, as well as the incredible resources at their disposal. As Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi, a Dubai-based political commentator, observes, these countries include some of the Arab world's largest military budgets, its highest standards of living, as well as a lengthy history - especially in the case of the United Arab Emirates - of welcoming immigrants from other Arab nations and turning them into citizens.

Moreover, these countries aren't totally innocent bystanders. To varying degrees, elements within Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait have invested in the Syrian conflict, playing a conspicuous role in funding and arming a constellation of rebel and Islamist factions fighting the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

While economists said there was “little doubt” that rates would be kept at a record low of 0.5 percent for a 78th consecutive month, minutes of the September meeting, which will be published alongside the Monetary Policy Commitee’s (MPC’s) rate decision, are expected to highlight the strength of the domestic economy, even as the nine member panel remains split over the timing and path of rate rises.

The MPC's latest meeting follows a month of stock market panic triggered by fears over the health of the world's second largest economy. Closely-watched barometers of Britain's manufacturing, services and construction sectors last week also suggested the UK recovery was losing steam.

However, Mark Carney, the Bank's governor, said in a speech last week that events in China were "unlikely to change the process of rate increases" and that the decision to raise interest rates would come into "sharper relief" around "the turn of this year".

Mr Tsipras, who called a snap vote on August 20, has seen his party’s comfortable 15 point lead evaporate in just six weeks, putting the centre-right New Democracy in pole position to lead Greece's fifth government in just four years.

However, pre-election polls suggest no single party will win enough support to form a majority government after the September 20 ballot. Analysts now expect the pro bail-out conservatives, who oversaw the last international rescue and dominated Greek politics before Syriza’s landmark election in January, to form a more stable coalition, dramatically reducing the risks of a future eurozone exit.

Obviously this would not mean “the death of the dollar”, but it would be a very significant step toward the end of the era of the absolute dominance of the US dollar. Most people don’t realize this, but more US dollars are actually used outside of the United States than are used inside this country. If the rest of the planet decides to stop accumulating dollars, using them to trade with one another, and loaning them back to us at ultra-low interest rates, we are going to be in for a world of hurt. Unfortunately for us, it is only a matter of time until that happens.

So why is that important? The fact that most of the nations of the world use our dollars to trade with one another creates a tremendous amount of artificial demand for our currency. In other words, the US dollar is valued much higher than it otherwise would be just because it is the de facto reserve currency of the planet.

As a result, we can import massive amounts of products at super cheap prices. When we go to Wal-Mart or the dollar store, we can fill up our carts with lots and lots of ridiculously inexpensive stuff. Our standard of living is way higher than it actually should be. And because the US dollar is used so widely in global trade, major exporting nations end up with giant piles of our currency which they have been willing to lend back to us at ultra-low interest rates. This has made it possible to fund our massively bloated federal government and to go 18 trillion dollars in debt.

If the rest of the world stops using our dollars and stops playing our game, we will be in a tremendous amount of trouble. The cost of imported products would absolutely skyrocket and our standard of living would go way down. In addition, the federal government (along with state and local governments) would have to pay much more to borrow money which would rapidly create a gigantic debt crisis.

Their diet consists of eating organic, fresh, locally-grown produce, and of course, they do not follow the established vaccination routines. To the dismay of the mainstream media and the medical establishment, this has resulted in a healthier people, who are void of all of our chronic diseases. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are virtually non-existent in Amish villages.

Equally non-existent are our modern, chemically-engineered medicines, enhanced (chemically engineered) foods, GMO (genetically engineered) foods, and of course, vaccines. How is it that those who are without the so-called “miracles” of modern orthodox medicine are healthier? The truth about health, medicine, and how they both relate to the Amish has become an embarrassment to some rather powerful people.

"I don't think they really want to live with low oil prices for a long time. At some point it is likely that they are going to have to change policy. They can last a few months, to a couple of years," he told The Telegraph. Saudi Arabia took a fateful decision last November to crank up production to record levels despite a glut of 1-2m barrels a day (bd) accumulating in global markets, hoping to halt the advance of US shale and kill off high-cost projects in the Arctic and deep off-shore waters.

Mr Shihab-Eldin said US shale drillers have proved remarkably resilient, slashing costs from $70 a barrel to nearer $50 through new technology and a switch to higher-yielding "sweet spots". The rig-count has halved but production has hardly fallen.

An analysis by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) has shed light on the sense of victory held by Iran's most senior leadership, as neighboring countries prepare for a surge in terrorism sponsored by an emboldened Tehran. Among the comments translated by MEMRI was a statement made by Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan at an armed forces general command ceremony on August 30, in which he boasted that Iran had forced the "surrender" of the world's superpowers, led by the US.

"Today, Iran has attained such status that the superpowers have surrendered to it, because of its majesty, its steadfastness, its resistance, and its unity. Despite their great pride, the regime of the arrogance [the West, led by the US] sat humbly behind the negotiating table and obeyed the rights of the Iranian nation," he said. Less than a week earlier, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei's official website published a poster hailing the ascendancy of Iran as a regional hegemon.

Entitled "The Iron Fist," the poster was meant to symbolize Iran's might and stubbornness both during and following negotiations for an agreement, which will grant it total sanctions relief in exchange for only limited curbs on its nuclear program.

It follows a string of polls over recent years which have given comfortable leads to the pro-European camp. Significantly, it is the first measure of public opinion since the Government changed the wording of the referendum question, lending weight to claims that the new phrasing boosts the chances of victory for the ‘Out’ campaign. The survey also found strong backing for David Cameron’s stance in standing up to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who wants the UK to take in a greater share of migrants.

Growing public support to cut all ties with Brussels came as it was revealed the Prime Minister told Merkel to her face: ‘I could walk away from the EU.’ At a private dinner in Downing Street, Merkel accused him of being ‘too forceful’ in demanding concessions from the rest of the EU. That was why ‘we all hate you and isolate you,’ she said.

The violence in Sweida province, a stronghold of the Druze minority sect, followed the killing of a prominent cleric in rare explosions Friday that claimed the lives of at least 25 others, activists and pro-government media said. Rioters holding the government responsible for the cleric's death destroyed the statue of late Syrian President Hafez Al-Assad and besieged security offices, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and other activist groups said.

In Washington, the State Department issued a statement after US Secretary of State John Kerry called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to express concern over unconfirmed reports "suggesting an imminent enhanced Russian military build-up" in Syria. Russia has been a stalwart ally of Assad throughout Syria's civil war and has provided diplomatic support and weaponry to help the Syrian leader maintain his grip on power. Moscow also maintains a small naval facility at the Syrian port of Tartous on the Mediterranean Sea.

For his three-day visit to Cuba, beginning on September 19, Francis can expect a warm reception from the Castro regime following recognition of the key role he played in Havana's reconciliation with the United States this year. But anticipation ahead of the US leg of the trip, which will kick off in Washington on September 22, has already sparked conflicting reactions - as well as a boom in Francis-themed souvenirs and trinkets.

The welcome from some American politicians is expected to be chilly. The 78-year-old's decision to visit Havana before Washington has not gone down well, particularly as Congress has yet to lift the embargo against Cuba. His environmental encyclical and recent impassioned speeches in Latin America against the free market system, blind capitalism and rabid exploitation by multinationals of natural resources, have seen him accused of Marxism.

Asked in July how it felt to have been termed by one American television presenter "the most dangerous man on the planet", Francis merely replied that "every criticism must be received, studied, and then dialogue must ensue". His speech to Congress will be a historic moment, and the outspoken pope will likely make no bones about the superpower's responsibilities in leading the way on tackling pollution and embracing renewable energy.

The fifth visit by a pope to the UN, dubbed the "Glass Palace", will see the Argentine hold forth on the social and ecological themes most dear to him, particularly ills such as the "culture of waste" and "globalisation of indifference". Francis is expected to urge member states to make concrete commitments at the Paris climate change summit in December. He is also likely to call for renewed efforts towards securing peace in the Middle East and greater dialogue with Islam, as well as insisting on the need to defend persecuted Christians around the world.

The word license is derived from the Latin word Licentious, which means lacking restraint, ignoring societal standards, disregard for accepted rules. According to Black's Law Dictionary, the word license is defined as - "the permission by competent authority to do an act which without such permission, would be illegal."

Now in other words, this means the government makes something that was lawful to do, illegal, so they can then tell you that if you pay the government money (which is a bribe), then they will turn their backs and give you a permit that allows you to break the law that they just said was illegal to do!

So the question that people need to ask themselves is why would it be illegal to marry without the State's permission? This question is rarely brought up or addressed because people have grown so accustomed to following the laws and statutes and commandments of man, rather than those of the Most High.

"Trident Juncture" will exercise a military intervention in a fictitious country at the Horn of Africa with NATO's "Spearhead" response force, comprised mainly of Bundeswehr soldiers. According to the training scenario, not only will western troops be confronting a regular army and guerilla fighters, but will also encounter "food insecurity," "massive population displacements," "cyber-attacks," "chemical warfare," and "information warfare."

According to Lieutenant General Richard Rossmanith, commander of the "Multinational Joint Headquarters Ulm," "Operation Trident Juncture" will not only send a "message" to Russia: "Everyone should consider carefully about how they deal with us" - because NATO is "the strongest military alliance in the world" with a "360 degree" orientation.

NATO is obviously seeking to use the "Trident Juncture" exercise to prepare itself for a permanent state of global war. As one of its spokespersons recently declared, the challenge is to assure that, as an alliance, it is clear that "we're never fighting the last war, whether the last war was ten years ago or ten minutes ago." In this context, the German NATO General Hans-Lothar Domröse, who will command the "Trident Juncture" exercise, said "speed matters - you will see it in the air, at sea, and on land."

The harmful powder is made from ground seeds of a South American plant which is related to the deadly nightshade. South American tribes have been known to use it to drug the wives of dead chiefs so they can be buried alive. The plant has been used in a number of crimes across South America, but police have now seen a startling number of cases across Europe where victims, once drugged, are easily persuaded to hand over their valuables. An elderly woman in Paris was one of at least 20 people targeted in recent days in the capital.

French police sources described victims as falling into a "hypnotic state under the total sway of their handlers" after the powder is blown in their direction. A police source added: "They got the victims to take them to their home, where they asked them to put all their jewellery and money into a bag and hand it over to them."