Syrian rebels in Daraa have rejected surrender conditions proposed by Russian negotiators to end days of violence in the country’s south, a rebel spokesman said on Saturday. “The talks collapsed because the Russians insisted on their conditions that want us to surrender,” rebel spokesman Ibrahim Jabawi said “The [rebels’] negotiating ... Read More »
UK ministers to fund Saatchi campaign for Tunisian government
Critics dismiss project as PR campaign designed to support country’s contested policies The British government is paying M&C Saatchi to run a media campaign for the Tunisian government in an attempt to win voters over reforms that have sparked some of the largest protests in the north African state since ... Read More »
New Zealand the most perilous place for seabirds due to plastic pollution
‘Seabird capital of the world’ is home to dozens of endemic species, which are particularly vulnerable to plastics Seabirds are more at risk of dying due to plastic in New Zealand than anywhere else in the world, new research presented to parliament has shown. New Zealand is considered “the seabird ... Read More »
Mexico election: López Obrador wins presidency as rivals concede
Left-wing candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador is heading for a clear victory in Mexico’s presidential election. Electoral officials said a quick count after Sunday’s poll indicated the former mayor of Mexico City had won with about 53% of the vote – more than double that of his nearest challenger. Exit ... Read More »
North Korea making ‘rapid’ upgrades to nuclear research site
But links to Trump-Kim denuclearisation agreement not clear, claim analysts North Korea has made improvements to a nuclear research facility “at a rapid pace”, analysts have claimed after reviewing satellite images on the site. The development of infrastructure at the Yongbyon site included modifications to the cooling system of its ... Read More »
French President Emmanuel Macron, accused at home of straining France’s secular foundations by seeking to mend ties with the Catholic Church, had an unusually long and cordial meeting with Pope Francis on Tuesday.
They spoke for nearly an hour in the official papal library in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, about twice as long as Francis usually spends with heads of state or government. A Vatican statement said the two discussed “protection of the environment, migration, and multilateral commitment to conflict prevention and resolution, ... Read More »
France and Germany will block May’s single market plan, says Spain
Madrid’s foreign minister says there will be no deal for goods access without free movement Theresa May’s plan to protect British industry by keeping the UK in a single market for goods without respecting the free movement of people after Brexit will be rejected by an “angry” France and Germany, ... Read More »
‘Dumb, stupid’ family separations harm children, says detention camp manager
Manager at camp close to US-Mexico border speaks out to decry Donald Trump’s ‘zero-tolerance’ immigration policy A senior manager at a child detention camp in Texas, close to the Mexican border, spoke out on Monday to decry Donald Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy that had been tearing migrant families apart as ... Read More »
Libya turmoil a hurdle for EU’s north Africa migration centre plan
Fighting for Libyan oil terminals highlights obstacles, ahead of emergency EU meeting on migration crisis Senior European diplomats have privately admitted that plans to stabilise Libya, on which the long-term hopes rest of an end Europe’s migration crisis, are badly off track. European leaders will meet on Sunday in a ... Read More »
Ukraine extends its Russian sanctions list
Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree to enact a recently adopted decision to expand sanctions on Russian companies and entities, Ukraine’s council of national security and defense said on Friday. It said 30 Russian legal entities and 14 individuals were added to the sanction list, taking it to ... Read More »