Exit polls show CSU losing majority it has long enjoyed as far-right AfD makes gains Angela Merkel’s conservative partners in Bavaria have had their worst election performance for more than six decades, in a humiliating state poll result that is likely to further weaken Germany’s embattled coalition government. The Christian ... Read More »
Brexit talks stall before midweek EU summit
The stubborn problem of Britain’s land border with Ireland thwarted a drive to clinch a Brexit deal before a European Union summit this week, as negotiators admitted defeat after marathon talks and pressed pause for the coming days. EU negotiator Michel Barnier said after meeting British Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab ... Read More »
Exclusive: Five Eyes intelligence alliance builds coalition to counter China
The five nations in the world’s leading intelligence-sharing network have been exchanging classified information on China’s foreign activities with other like-minded countries since the start of the year, seven officials in four capitals said. The increased cooperation by the Five Eyes alliance – grouping Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and ... Read More »
Taiwan pledges to boost national security amid Chinese pressure
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen vowed on Wednesday to boost national security, saying her government would not submit to Chinese suppression as Beijing ramps up pressure to assert its sovereignty over the self-ruled island. Tsai’s remarks came ahead of island-wide local elections in late November that are seen as a bellwether ... Read More »
Nikki Haley resigns as US ambassador to UN, shocking fellow diplomats
Nikki Haley has resigned as the US ambassador to the United Nations and will leave her post in January, in a move that stunned allied diplomats and other senior officials. Haley and Donald Trump announced her departure in the Oval Office. The timing came as a surprise to her colleagues ... Read More »
Brexit: Theresa May to face MPs after Chequers plan criticism
Theresa May will face the Commons for the first time since the EU rejected her Brexit plan, amid mounting pressure from some Tory MPs to change course. A week before a crucial meeting of EU leaders, the prime minister shows no sign of abandoning her proposals. Former Brexit Secretary David ... Read More »
Trump says next summit with North Korea’s Kim to come after November U.S. elections
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would be held after U.S. congressional elections on Nov. 6. Speaking to reporters as he flew to Iowa for a political rally, Trump said: “It’ll be after the midterms. I just can’t leave ... Read More »
UK accuses Kremlin of ordering series of ‘reckless’ cyber-attacks
Foreign Office increases pressure on Russia after Skripal poisoning The British government has directly accused Russian military intelligence of being behind a spate of “reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attacks” carried out on the orders of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin, including the hacking in 2016 of the US Democratic National Committee headquarters. The ... Read More »
Iran faces sensitive time due to America tensions, economic woes: leader says
The people of Iran face a sensitive time because of the pressure from America and economic problems, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a key address broadcast by state television on Thursday. Khameini was speaking to tens of thousands of members of the Basij militia and top Revolutionary Guard ... Read More »
With an eye on Russia, U.S. pledges to use cyber capabilities on behalf of NATO
The United States is expected to announce in the coming days that it will use offensive and defensive cyber capabilities on behalf of NATO if asked, a senior Pentagon official said, amid concerns about Russia’s increasingly assertive use of its cyber capabilities. The 29-nation NATO alliance recognized cyber as a ... Read More »