The White House’s national security team last fall asked the Pentagon to provide it with options for striking Iran after a group of militants aligned with Tehran fired mortars into an area in Baghdad that is home to the U.S. Embassy, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday. ... Read More »
Trump threatens Turkey with economic devastation if it attacks Syrian Kurd militia
President Donald Trump threatened Turkey with economic devastation if it attacks a U.S.-allied Kurdish militia in Syria, weakening the Turkish lira and prompting sharp criticism from Ankara on Monday. Relations between the two NATO allies have been strained over U.S. backing for the Kurdish YPG, which Turkey views as an ... Read More »
India rejects Trump’s ‘sermons’ on Afghanistan, says it is building lives
India’s ruling and opposition parties condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments this week mocking New Delhi’s role in war-torn Afghanistan, where the South Asian country has invested billion of dollars in economic projects and military training. The United States and India have drawn closer in recent years as they seek ... Read More »
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un warns nuclear talks at risk over US sanctions
‘I am always ready to sit together with the US president anytime in the future,’ says Pyongyang’s leader North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has said that he is ready to meet with Donald Trump for nuclear weapon talks, but that his country will be forced to “explore a new path” ... Read More »
Record number of Britons seeking Irish passports ahead of Brexit
The number of British citizens applying for Irish passports has doubled since vote to leave European Union The number of British citizens applying for Irish passports rose by 22% in 2018, Ireland’s foreign office said on Monday, more than doubling the total of annual applications since Britain voted to leave ... Read More »
Trump shocks allies and advisers with plan to pull US troops out of Syria
Administration nears end of campaign to retake territory once held by Isis as Trump tweets: ‘We have defeated Isis in Syria’ Donald Trump is reported to have ordered a full, rapid withdrawal of over 2,000 US troops in Syria, declaring victory over the Islamic State, and taking allies and his ... Read More »
Russia, Turkey and Iran reach agreement on Syria committee
UN says Moscow rejected five names its envoy wanted included in proposed panel The three self-appointed guarantors of the Syrian peace process – Russia, Turkey and Iran – have spurned efforts by the UN to change the composition of a committee due to write a new constitution for the country. ... Read More »
Belgian PM Charles Michel resigns after no-confidence motion
Country braces for snap election as parliament rejects minority administration Belgium’s government of four years has fallen on the issue of migration after the country’s parliament rejected an appeal from prime minister, Charles Michel, for its support for a minority administration. Michel was forced to offer his resignation to the ... Read More »
Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir becomes first Arab League member to visit Syria since 2011
Visit comes amid growing calls from some Arab states to normalise ties with Syrian regime Sudan’s president Omar al-Bashir made a surprise trip to Syria on Sunday, becoming the first Arab League leader to visit the country since war began there in 2011. The president met Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad, ... Read More »
Thousands march in Brussels against U.N. migration pact
Thousands of people marched in Brussels on Sunday against a U.N. pact aimed at fostering cooperation on migration, eclipsing a smaller demonstration in support of the deal, the signing of which brought down Belgium’s government last week. Police said some 5,500 people marched in the bigger protest, organized by Flemish ... Read More »