Saad Hariri was tasked with forming a government in crisis-hit Lebanon in October 2020 Washington (AFP) – The United States said Thursday’s resignation of Saad Hariri as Lebanon’s prime minister-designate was disappointing. “It is critical that a government committed and able to implement priority reforms be formed now,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after […]
A Russian-based hacker group blamed for a massive ransomware attack went offline Tuesday, sparking speculation about whether the move was the result of a government-led action. The “dark web” page of the group known as REvil disappeared some two weeks after an attack which crippled networks of hundreds of companies worldwide and prompted a ransom […]
Without making any acknowledgment of the deep discontent with his government shown by protesters chanting “down with the dictatorship” across the island on Sunday, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel said Monday the massive uprisings were the “cumulative” result of U.S. policies. He said the majority of people participating in the huge protests across the island Sunday, […]
Without making any acknowledgment of the deep discontent with his government shown by protesters chanting “down with the dictatorship” across the island on Sunday, Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel said Monday the massive uprisings were the “cumulative” result of U.S. policies. He said the majority of people participating in the massive protests across the island on […]
U.S. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Monday morning that the Biden administration should resist calls to deploy American troops to Haiti in the wake of the assassination of the Caribbean nation’s president last week, warning that such a move would risk deepening the country’s political crisis. “I do not believe right now that the introduction of […]
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — The Haitian government under acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph sent a letter to the Biden administration this week requesting the “urgent” deployment of troops to secure the country’s sea, air and oil ports, hours after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Haiti’s ambassador to the United States, Bocchit Edmond, delivered the letter […]
Three rockets were fired at the US embassy in Iraq early Thursday, the Iraqi army said, at the end of a day marked by rocket and drone attacks on bases hosting American forces in Iraq and Syria. The embassy itself was not hit, the army said, but three nearby places in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green […]
This is a breaking news story… Check back for possible updates… Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated early Wednesday morning after what initial news reports described as “a group of unidentified people” attacked his home on the outskirts of the nation’s capital of Port-au-Prince. Haiti’s First Lady, Martine Moïse, was reportedly hospitalized after suffering bullet […]
The US military confirmed Tuesday that it did not give Afghan officials the precise time troops would abandon the strategic Bagram air base for security reasons, even as it left the facility open to looters. According to reports, Afghan military officials, including the general who will run the base in the future, complained that they […]
The war in Afghanistan — launched on October 7, 2001 in the wake of the September 11 attacks — is the longest ever waged by the United States. Here are some key figures about the conflict with US and foreign troops having all but withdrawn from Afghanistan: Boots on the ground At its peak, under […]
Journalist Nathan Maung turned to meditation when he was jailed for reporting on Myanmar’s bloody coup, but even back home in sleepy Virginia, he can’t forget those left behind, including a colleague still at the mercy of their jailers. In March, as the junta moved to crush mass pro-democracy protests on Myanmar’s streets, about 45 […]
The top US commander in Afghanistan Tuesday did not rule out conducting air strikes against the Taliban if they pressed on with their campaign of capturing new territory across the violence-wracked country. Fighting has surged across the rugged countryside since early May when the US military began its final withdrawal of troops, with the Taliban […]
Pope Francis has written to thank an American priest for his “pastoral zeal” in reaching out to LGBTQ people at a time the Vatican faces criticism over its handling of the issue. Father James Martin on Monday tweeted the handwritten letter, together with an English translation, sent after he organized an online conference on the […]
Swathes of the United States and Canada endured record-setting heat on Sunday, forcing schools and Covid-19 testing centers to close and the postponement of an Olympic athletics qualifying event, with forecasters warning of worse to come. The village of Lytton in British Columbia broke the record for Canada’s all-time high, with a temperature of 46.6 […]
After this week’s partial collapse of a 12-storey apartment building in Surfside, Florida, Israel has sent a delegation to help with the US recovery operation. A spokesperson for the Israeli Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday that the team had left the evening before. Five victims have been identified so far at the disaster site near […]
Virgin Galactic granted permission for tourist flights into space – A handout image shows the cabin interior of a Virgin Galactic spaceship. The company owned by Richard Branson was given approval by US authorities to start taking tourists to space. – Courtesy of Virgin Galactic/via ZUMA Wire/dpa Your chances of going on vacation in space […]
The United States plans to evacuate at least some Afghan interpreters who have worked with US forces before the full withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, a senior official said Thursday. The move would keep the interpreters, facing violent reprisal from Taliban forces, safe as their immigration visas are processed, the official, who spoke on […]
Spain’s National Court said Wednesday it had approved the extradition of antivirus software pioneer John McAfee to the United States where he is wanted for tax evasion. The court’s decision to extradite the 75-year-old, who was arrested at Barcelona airport, can be appealed but must also be approved by the Spanish cabinet before it can […]
The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Tuesday that Washington had “wrong” expectations for dialogue with Pyongyang and was facing “greater disappointment”, state media reported. Kim Yo Jong’s comments came after US national security advisor Jake Sullivan described her brother’s first reaction to Washington’s recent review of its approach to the […]
In the feverish rush to study the coronavirus as it scorched its way across the planet, the unprecedented demand for information has put any mistakes under the glare of world attention and tested public trust in science, experts say. Although serious problems are rare, in a health emergency even small errors can ripple through scientific […]
The US national security advisor said Sunday that even with the election of an ultra-right president in Iran, the “ultimate decision” on recommitting to the 2015 nuclear deal lies with that country’s supreme leader. “Whether the president is Person A or Person B is less relevant than whether their system is prepared to make commitments […]
China’s home-grown C919 passenger jet taking off from Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport on its maiden flight in 2017 Paris (AFP) – While the United States and Europe waged a 17-year trade battle over subsidies to Boeing and Airbus, China poured money into its own commercial aircraft to take on the Western aviation duopoly. It took […]
A US journalist detained in Myanmar since May appeared in a special court Thursday, his employers said, where he faces charges under a law that criminalises encouraging dissent against the military. Danny Fenster, managing editor of the Frontier Myanmar news outlet, appeared in court “to face a charge under section 505-A of the Penal Code”, […]
A cocktail of synthetic antibodies reduces deaths among severe Covid patients who are unable to mount a strong immune response, results from a major clinical trial showed Wednesday. The therapy, developed by the US biotech firm Regeneron and given to former US President Donald Trump during his brush with the coronavirus, had previously only been […]
A photo taken in 2012 shows a rare earth refinery near Baotou, China, the country dominating the global mining and refining of the minerals New York (AFP) – What if China were to cut off the United States and Europe from access to rare minerals that are essential to electric vehicles, wind turbines and drones? […]
America narrowly avoided a major diplomatic crisis from the Trump administration according to the account of a former top official. “In the final days of the Trump administration, the State Department was embroiled in a bitter dispute over China’s role in the origins of COVID-19 that’s now spilling into public view,” BuzzFeed News reported Saturday. […]
G7 Summit in England – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Council President Charles Michel, US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, French President Emmanuel Macron, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and German Chancellor Angela Merkel attend the G7 summit in […]
CARBIS BAY (Reuters) – U.S. first lady Jill Biden will join Kate Middleton for a trip to a school in Cornwall as the senior members of Britain’s royal family join world leaders for series of events around the G7 summit on Friday. Queen Elizabeth, her son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and the heir’s […]
When he was running for president, Donald Trump loved to say that America had become a “laughingstock,” and that under his leadership, other countries would start respecting America again. On Thursday, The Washington Post reported that a new Pew Research Center survey shows the truth is just the opposite. “Trust in the U.S. president fell […]
Beijing on Wednesday accused Washington of “paranoid delusion” after the US Senate passed a sweeping industrial policy bill aimed at countering the surging economic threat from China. America’s political parties overcame partisan divisions to support pumping more than $170 billion into research and development, one of the most significant achievements in Congress since Joe Biden’s […]