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In the shifting narratives of the Trump-Russia probe, a Maltese academic named Joseph Mifsud has remained a linchpin regarding claims of collusion. He is the professor who allegedly told Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos that the Russians had emails related to the Clinton campaign. The FBI says it opened its investigation in late July 2016 after Papadopoulos relayed that information to Australian diplomat Alexander Downer, and the Australians tipped off U.S. authorities. While some news accounts describe Mifsud as an accomplice to Russian clandestine operations or a “cut-out” (intermediary), others contend he is a full-fledged Russian spy. In an official...

Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” French Ambassador to the United States Gerard Araud defend a tweet he had posted in response to Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump immediately following the terror attacks in Paris earlier this month. Araud described Trump as a “vulture” for a tweet Trump had made earlier in the year following the January attack on Charlie Hebdo. Araud acknowledged he deleted the tweet, explaining it was immediately as his home country was reeling from the attacks, but doubled down on the sentiment he originally conveyed, which was using a gun to defend themselves in such...

As France and the rest of the world comes to grips with Friday night's horrific terrorist attacks in and around Paris that claimed at least 129 lives, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is blaming tough gun control laws in France for the dimensions of the tragedy. At a rally in southeast Texas Saturday afternoon, Trump told the crowd "nobody had guns but the bad guys." "You can say what you want, but if they had guns -- if our people had guns, if they were allowed to carry -- it would have been a much, much different situation," Trump said,...

French ambassador calls Israel 'paranoid' and Sharon 'a lout' By Ohad Gozani in Tel Aviv (Filed: 01/09/2003) France's new ambassador to Israel caused a diplomatic row with his hosts yesterday after he was reported to have described the Jewish state as "paranoid" and called its prime minister, Ariel Sharon, "a lout". Limor Livnat, Israel's education minister, said the remarks attributed to Gerard Araud were "very grave". If true, she said, Israel should refuse to accept his letter of accreditation. The row is reminiscent of comments by Daniel Bernard, the former French ambassador to London. He caused a storm in December...

Al Qods, Aug 31 - France's newly-appointed ambassador to Israel described Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as a "lout" and said the Jewish state was "paranoid" during a recent foreign office cocktail party in Paris, the Yediot Aharonot reported Sund ay. One of the daily's correspondents, Boaz Bissmuth, said he had overhead a conversation between Gerard Araud, who is due to take up his post in September, and two other veteran diplomats in the gardens of the Quai D'orsay. The correspondent said he then introduced himself to the incoming ambassador, who told him: "You don't intend to write that," explaining...

France's recently appointed ambassador to Israel, Gérard Araud, has caused a diplomatic row by calling Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a "lout" and describing Israel as a "paranoid country." The French ambassador allegedly made the comments at a reception, where he was overheard by a journalist who published them in an Israeli newspaper. The incident prompted calls from Israel's education minister, Limor Livnant, for Israel to reject the ambassador's credentials. Mr Araud denies the allegations.