Summit could lower tensions between Tokyo and Pyongyang but Japanese PM still wants action on cold war abductions Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has said he is willing to meet Kim Jong-un in a move that could lower simmering tensions between Tokyo and Pyongyang. But he insisted that any summit ... Read More »
Venezuela’s socialist president Nicolas Maduro accused the right-wing governments of Chile, Colombia and Mexico on Monday of helping “terrorists” who tried to kill him during a drone attack in early August. The three countries refuted Venezuela’s accusations that they were linked to the attack, which used drones carrying explosives during ... Read More »
Russia blames Israel for the downing of a military aircraft last week Moscow has announced it will supply advanced S-300 surface-to-air and jamming systems to Syria within the next two weeks. Speaking on Monday, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed the move would “cool hotheads” in the region. But he also ... Read More »
Volcanologists at odds over high carbon dioxide emissions from ‘highly hazardous’ peak that last blew in October 1918 A huge volcano in southern Iceland is belching higher quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere than previously thought, prompting scientists to warn it could be about to erupt. Should Katla ... Read More »
The U.S. State Department has approved the sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter planes and other military aircraft worth up to $330 million, the Pentagon said on Monday. U.S. military sales to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, is an irritant in the relations between ... Read More »
Perception of growing influence from China has stoked tensions in recent years Hong Kong has taken the unprecedented step of banning a pro-independence party, invoking a colonial-era “national security” law for the first time since Britain handed over control of the territory to China in 1997. The Hong Kong National ... Read More »
Thousands of people packed the streets of the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz on Monday to mourn the victims of an attack on a military parade that killed 25 people, including 12 members of the elite Revolutionary Guards. Saturday’s assault, one of the worst against the most powerful military force ... Read More »
Asian shares stumbled in holiday-thinned trading on Monday as China’s decision to cancel talks with the United States reinforced fears of a protracted trade war with neither side willing to back down. Oil prices jumped after top producers ruled out boosting crude output. U.S. stock futures were a touch weaker ... Read More »
Lower house of parliament endorses UN findings of crimes against humanity by military and calls for prosecution Canadian lawmakers have unanimously voted to declare Myanmar’s military actions against the Rohingya people a genocide. The House of Commons endorsed the findings of a UN fact-finding mission on Myanmar that found “crimes ... Read More »
President Donald Trump will impose 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, and those duties will rise to 25 percent at the end of the year. The action, announced by the Trump administration Monday, escalates a trade conflict between the world’s two largest economies. China has already ... Read More »
Lebanese Ministry of Information
