UNITED NATIONS — The 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday allowed the Palestinians to act more like a full UN member state during meetings in 2019 when they will chair the group of 77 developing nations. The United States, Israel, and Australia voted against the move, which won 146 ... Read More »
Honduras, Guatemala move to stop migrant caravan after Trump threats
The organizer of a migrant caravan from Honduras was detained in Guatemala on Tuesday as the U.S. government threatened to withdraw aid from both countries and El Salvador if the flow of migrants north to the United States was not stopped. Up to 3,000 migrants, according to organizers’ estimates, crossed ... Read More »
Koreas to reconnect roads, rail, U.S. concerned over easing sanctions
The two Koreas agreed on Monday to begin reconnecting rail and road links, another step in an improving relationship in spite of U.S. concerns that the rapid North-South thaw could undermine efforts to press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. The agreement on transport links came during talks ... Read More »
Bavaria election: Merkel’s conservative allies humiliated
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 »
Aisha al-Rabi’s Daughter during Funeral: ‘Is mom here, yet?’
Thousands of Palestinians laid the body of 47-year-old Aisha al-Rabi to rest, in her hometown of Bidya, in the northern occupied West Bank district of Salfit, on Saturday afternoon. The funeral procession set off from the hospital, where her she was pronounced dead, towards al-Rabi’s home before burial took place ... 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 »
World stock markets dive as Trump attacks ‘crazy’ US rate hikes
President adds to borrowing costs concern as China tension fuels febrile market mood A jittery, volatile week on global financial markets has burst into a frenzy of selling, triggered by heavy losses on Wall Street and comments by Donald Trump describing US interest rate hikes as “crazy”. The Nikkei index ... 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 »
World Bank launches ‘human capital’ rankings based on health, education
The World Bank Group unveiled a new system on Thursday to rank countries based on their success in developing human capital, an effort to prod governments to invest more effectively in education and healthcare. The bank’s “Human Capital Index,” showed poor African countries fared the worst in the rankings, with ... Read More »