Politics
France’s special envoy on Friday said it was urgent for Lebanon to elect a president, after a parliamentary vote to end over two years without a head of state was announced for January. Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visit to Lebanon follows a fragile ceasefire to end the war between
Politics
Cyprus could apply to become a member of NATO once its armed forces receive the necessary training and equipment with US help to bring them up to the standards of the world’s premier military alliance, the president of the Mediterranean island nation said Thursday. President Nikos Christodoulides put Cyprus
Politics
The United States slapped sanctions on 21 top Venezuelan security and cabinet officials Wednesday, accusing them of a campaign of repression after President Nicolas Maduro’s bitterly contested July reelection. The fresh measures — which Venezuela rejected as a “desperate act” against “patriots” — come after Washington and the G7 said they
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A Malaysian court on Wednesday dropped charges against jailed former Prime Minister Najib Razak over criminal breach of trust linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of a state fund. Najib had already been convicted in his first graft case tied to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund, or 1MBD, scandal and
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A ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah came into effect on Wednesday after both sides accepted an agreement brokered by the US and France, a rare victory for diplomacy in a region traumatised by two devastating wars for over a year. Lebanon's army, which is tasked with
Politics
President-elect Donald Trump is threatening to impose sweeping new tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China as soon as he takes office as part of his efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and drugs. The tariffs, if implemented, could dramatically raise prices on everything from gas to automobiles. The US
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French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen on Monday threatened to back a no confidence motion that could topple the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier in a standoff over the budget, saying after talks both sides were entrenched in their positions. Months of political tensions since right-winger Barnier became prime
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The Philippines justice department on Monday labelled Vice President Sara Duterte the “mastermind” of a plot to assassinate the country’s president, giving her five days to respond to a subpoena. Duterte is being asked to explain herself in the wake of a blistering weekend press conference where she said
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As nerves frayed and the clock ticked, negotiators from rich and poor nations were huddled in one room Saturday during overtime United Nations climate talks to try to hash out an elusive deal on money for developing countries to curb and adapt to climate change. But the rough draft of
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By Sheikh Abbas Hattit President Biden and Vice President Harris, reportedly channeling the influence of their mentor Obama, are accused of orchestrating a political reckoning against Netanyahu for aligning with Trump during the U.S. elections. Allegations suggest they have empowered the International Criminal Court to target Netanyahu and former
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Russia said on Friday it had scuppered Kyiv’s military objectives for 2025 just after President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to the West by test-firing a new intermediate-range missile at Ukraine. That assessment for next year came after a Russian drone attack at night on the eastern Ukrainian city
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Southeast Asian defense chiefs met Thursday with China, the United States and other partner nations in Laos for security talks, which come as Beijing’s increasingly assertive stance in its claim to most of the South China Sea is leading to more confrontations. The closed-door talks put US Secretary of
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US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin expressed regret Wednesday that his Chinese counterpart chose not to hold talks with him during meetings of Southeast Asian defense chiefs in Laos, calling it a setback for the entire region. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is holding security talks in Vientiane at
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US envoy Amos Hochstein said on Tuesday that he had held “very constructive talks” with the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament in Beirut and that there was a “real opportunity” to bring the conflict between the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah and Israel to an end. “This is a moment of
Politics
The damaging of two undersea fiber-optic communications cables in the Baltic Sea must be seen as an act of sabotage, although it is still unclear who is responsible, German Defense minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday. “No one believes that these cables were cut accidentally. I also don’t want
Politics
Senegal’s ruling party claimed it had won a comfortable victory in Sunday’s legislative elections, paving the way for it to deliver an ambitious reform agenda eight months after sweeping to power. Voting took place peacefully across the West African country, where the governing Pastef party said 90 to