Anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Hong Kong over the Christmas holiday, clashing with riot police in malls and busy shopping districts across the semiautonomous Chinese territory. The city’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, accused the demonstrators of ruining the holiday. Her critics say the government and police used unnecessarily ... Read More »
Russia and Turkey extended talks on Syria-Libya in quest for compromise: Vedomosti
Talks in Moscow between a Turkish government delegation and Russian diplomats lasted for three days, much longer than expected, as the two sides tried to find compromises on Syria and Libya, the Vedomosti daily reported on Thursday. A Turkish delegation traveled to Russia on Monday for talks on Syria, following ... Read More »
New satellite images show expansion of North Korea long-range missile plant
Images released as Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton warns Pyongyang poses ‘imminent’ threat A new satellite image of a factory where North Korea makes military equipment used to launch long-range missiles shows the construction of a new structure. It comes as former Trump security adviser, John Bolton, ... Read More »
Syrian Air Defenses Repel Israeli Missile Attack
Syrian air defense forces have repelled an attack launched from “the occupied territories”, according to Syrian state media. Syria’s SANA news agency reported that the attack took place late on Sunday, with reports indicating that one of the four “hostile targets” was downed in the Aqrabah suburb near the capital ... Read More »
Erdogan says Turkey cannot handle new migrant wave from Syria, warns Europe
Turkey cannot handle a fresh wave of migrants from Syria, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday, warning that European countries will feel the impact of such an influx if violence in Syria’s northwest is not stopped. Turkey currently hosts some 3.7 million Syrian refugees, the largest refugee population in the ... Read More »
Stalled talks with U.S. not good for North Korea, South Korea tells China
Stalled denuclearization talks and a recent flare-up in tension between the United States and North Korea are not beneficial for Pyongyang, South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Monday. North Korea has set a year-end deadline for the United States to change what it ... Read More »
Russia, Ukraine, EU agree ‘in principle’ on new gas deal: EU official
Russia, Ukraine and the European Commission, after hours-long talks on Thursday, agreed in principle on a new gas deal starting after Jan 1, 2020, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic told a briefing. Ukraine is a key transit route for Russian piped gas exports to Europe. The current deal between ... Read More »
In rare move, U.S. and Iranian envoys talk after U.N. meeting on nuclear deal
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft made a rare compassionate public gesture toward her Iranian counterpart in the U.N. Security Council chamber on Thursday. Since Washington pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, tensions between the United States and Tehran have risen. But after a ... Read More »
PM-designate Diab Says Seeks Fast Creation of New Government
Prime Minister-designate, Hassan Diab, maintained that he would exert all necessary efforts in order to form a new government as soon as possible, in remarks made following his meeting with President Michel Aoun Thursday. “We hope the formation of a government that considers the concerns of the Lebanese and ... Read More »
Berri: No political cover on anyone harming Lebanon’s unity, civil peace
Speaker Nabih Berri asserted on Wednesday that there is no political or regulatory cover on anyone who harms Lebanon’s unity and civil peace, calling on security forces to carry out its role and prosecute those who provoke sedition. Berri’s comments were quoted by MP Ali Bazzi during the weekly meeting ... Read More »