First visit by Chinese president in 14 years expected to heal rift that has grown over Kim Jong-un’s nuclear programme President Xi Jinping has landed in North Korea for a historic trip to Pyongyang, rebooting a troubled alliance as he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un face their own ... Read More »
Iran says it has shot down US drone over its territory amid tensions over oil tanker attacks
American central military command claims there were ‘no US aircraft’ over Iran at the time Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it has shot down a US drone flying over the country’s territory close to the Strait of Hormuz, amid a growing row between Washington and Tehran over reported attacks on oil ... Read More »
Trump Launches his Official US Presidential Re-election Campaign
US president Donald Trump officially launched his 2020 re-election campaign on Tuesday in front of a huge crowd in Orlando, Florida. Trump said, “We did it once and we are going to do it again”, promising his supporters of an “earthquake at the ballot box”, and confirming that he will ... Read More »
EU at odds over Albania, Macedonia joining; Cyprus threatens veto over Turkey
European Union states were at loggerheads on Monday over starting talks with Albania and North Macedonia to enter the bloc, while Cyprus threatened to veto any agreement on future enlargement unless the EU toughens its line on Turkish drilling. EU ministers from the bloc’s 28 states meet in Luxembourg on ... Read More »
U.S. says to send more troops to the Middle East, cites Iran threats
Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes, citing concerns about a threat from Iran. Fears of a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since last Thursday when ... Read More »
Mohammed Morsi, deposed president of Egypt, has collapsed and died in court, according to state TV
Egypt’s former president, Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who rose to office in the country’s first free elections in 2012 and was ousted a year later by the military, collapsed in court during a trial and died, state TV and his family said. State TV, citing a medical source, ... Read More »
Sudan’s Ex-President Charged with Corruption in First Appearance since April
As he appeared in public for the first time after he was overthrown and detained in April, Soudan’s ex-president Omar al- Bashir faced corruption charges on Sunday. Mr. al-Bashir was brought by military officials to the chief prosecutor’s office, where he was formally charged with corruption and money laundering. He ... Read More »
Myanmar: UN threatens to withdraw aid over ‘policy of apartheid’ against Rohingya
Body says it will withhold support ‘beyond life-saving assistance’ in internally displaced persons camps The United Nations in Myanmar has warned it will withdraw support in Rakhine state to avoid complicity in a government “policy of apartheid” for Rohingya Muslims. A letter seen by the Guardian, sent from UN ... Read More »
Trump administration escalates cyber-attacks on Russian power grid as warning to Putin
Aggressive strategy leaves US better poised to attack in case of major conflict but carries significant risk of escalating digital Cold War and cementing power grids as legitimate targets The United States is stepping up digital incursions into Russia’s electric power grid in a warning to President Vladimir Putin and ... Read More »
Attacks against two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman
Norwegian and Japanese oil tankers were targeted by an unprovoked attack on Thursday, in the Gulf of Oman, a key waterway used to transport energy supplies from the Middle East. No one has claimed responsibility or clarified how the tankers were attacked. “U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two ... Read More »