Politics
Germans were voting in a national election on Sunday that is expected to see Friedrich Merz’s conservatives regain power and the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) score its best ever result as Europe’s ailing economic powerhouse lurches rightwards. Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc has consistently led polls but
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London will unveil a significant package of sanctions against Russia on Monday, which marks three years since the start of its war with Ukraine, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Sunday. “This is also the time to turn the screws on (Vladimir) Putin’s Russia,” Lammy said in a statement.
Politics
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Beirut early Sunday to attend the funeral of Hezbollah’s former leader, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital. Hassan Nasrallah was killed when Israel’s air force dropped more than
Politics
The United States proposed Friday a United Nations resolution on the Ukraine conflict that omitted any mention of Kyiv’s territory occupied by Russia, diplomatic sources said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged UN members to approve the “simple, historic” resolution. Washington’s proposal comes amid an intensifying feud between
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The European Union will suspend sanctions on Syria’s banking, energy and transport sectors Monday, diplomats said, in a bid to help the country’s reconstruction after the ouster of Bashar Assad. Syria’s new leaders have been clamouring for the West to ease sanctions on the country imposed to
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The US national security adviser warned Ukraine’s leader to stop hurling “insults” at Donald Trump, as pressure built Friday on Volodymyr Zelensky to sign away precious mineral rights in exchange for Washington’s help defending against Russia. Tensions between Trump and Zelensky over the proposed mineral deal — which Kyiv
Politics
Germans head to the polls on Sunday in an election that has been impatiently awaited in Brussels, where many hope Berlin can swiftly return to play a driving role in EU affairs as the bloc faces a string of crises. Already suffering from lacklustre economic growth and competitiveness, the EU
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The Trump administration may seek to strike a simplified minerals deal with Ukraine to get a pact in place quickly and later negotiate detailed terms, such as how much of Ukraine’s vast resources the US would own, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Wednesday. This
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Lebanon’s Hezbollah is preparing for a massive turnout for the funeral on Sunday of its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, an opportunity for a show of strength by the Iran-backed group after a bruising war with Israel. Nasrallah’s death nearly five months ago in a huge Israeli strike on
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US President Donald Trump has effectively blamed Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky for Russia’s invasion, as French President Emmanuel Macron prepares for another round of talks with EU and non-European partners on Wednesday. Zelensky previously criticized the US-Russia talks for excluding Kyiv, saying efforts to end the war must be
Politics
Egypt is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza without forcing Palestinians out of the strip in a counter to President Donald Trump’s proposal to depopulate the territory so the US can take it over. Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram newspaper said the proposal calls for establishing “secure areas” within Gaza
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US and Russian officials met on Tuesday in Riyadh for the most significant talks to date between the two former Cold War foes on ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine. The two sides were expected to discuss ways to end the conflict in Ukraine and restore American-Russian relations. The conversation
Politics
European leaders insisted Monday they must have a say in international talks to end the war in Ukraine despite the clear message from both Washington and Moscow that there was no role for them as yet in negotiations that could shape the future of the continent. Three hours of emergency
Politics
Israel’s security cabinet was set to discuss on Monday the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, after top US diplomat Marco Rubio and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united front on their approach to Hamas and Iran. Rubio was in Israel on his first Middle East trip
Politics
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday said Ukraine and Europe would be part of any “real negotiations” to end Moscow’s war, signaling that US talks with Russia this week were a chance to see how serious Russian President Vladimir Putin is about peace. America’s top diplomat
Politics
European leaders on Saturday scrambled to force their way to the table for any talks on the Ukraine war, as Washington announced a team of senior US officials was planning to meet in Saudi Arabia with counterparts from Moscow and Kyiv. US President Donald Trump upended the status quo this