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French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called Thursday on the EU to reform its fiscal rules in order to allow greater investment spending while acknowledging the necessity to reduce debts. “Just as the rules could not be allowed to stand in the way of our response …

A CNN investigation found evidence of burn pits that point to the kingdom manufacturing its own ballistic weapons A new investigation has found that Saudi Arabia is building its own ballistic missiles with the help of China, according to satellite images and US intelligence. The CNN exclusive on Saudi Arabia’s …

Belgium will shut all seven of its nuclear reactors by 2025 but will not close the door on new-generation nuclear technology, according to a deal reached by the coalition government yesterday. A government source said the all-night negotiations included an agreement of “investments of around 100 million euros (US$113 million) …

One of Ukraine’s top politicians has alleged that signals coming from Russia indicate that Moscow could be plotting a full-blown nuclear attack against its Eastern European neighbor in a new sensational intervention. Speaking at a conference on Wednesday, the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, remarked that “as of …

Senior South Korean diplomats held talks with Chinese counterparts on Thursday after a diplomatic spat with Taiwan over Seoul’s cancellation of an invitation to a senior Taipei official to take part in a business forum last week. Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-Kun and aides conducted an online meeting on Thursday …

Migrants who cross into Lithuania from Belarus can be detained for up to a year, the Lithuanian parliament decided on Thursday, increasing an initial six-month detention limit. Eighty-one lawmakers backed the lengthening of the six-month detention period, which was introduced in July as part of plans to hold large numbers …

An American diplomat working for the U.S. consulate in Lebanon has been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of selling a fake passport for $10,000 to a Syrian national, Turkey’s state news agency said on Wednesday. According to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, which cited a statement from the Istanbul Security Directorate, the …

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday the situation in Hong Kong had improved in the past year from “chaos,” and hailed recent legislative elections in the city as a manifestation of the people’s democratic rights. Xi’s remarks, carried by state media, were made during a meeting in Beijing with …

At least one person was killed and scores were missing after a landslide of dirt and rubble ripped down the waste heap of a Myanmar jade mine, sweeping workers searching for fragments of the gems into a lake and burying them under the debris. Throngs of their families stood on …

Ukrainian military forces have conducted combat drills with U.S.-made Javelin anti-tank missiles in a conflict area with separatists in eastern Ukraine as tensions run high with Russia, the Ukrainian Dom television channel said on Wednesday. Ukraine, which seeks to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has since 2018 received …

Taliban soldiers in Afghanistan disrupted the erecting of a security fence by the Pakistani military along the border between the two countries, Afghan officials said on Wednesday. Pakistan has fenced most of the 2,600 km (1,615 miles) border despite protestations from Kabul, which has always contested the British-era boundary demarcation …

The death toll from the sinking of a cargo ship off the coast of northeastern Madagascar rose to 83 on Wednesday as bad weather ended the search for five missing passengers, the maritime agency said. The ship, which was not authorised to take passengers, was overloaded and water flooded the …

President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Russia had no room to retreat in a standoff with the United States over Ukraine and would be forced into a tough response unless the West dropped its “aggressive line”. Putin addressed the remarks to military officials as Russia pressed for an urgent …

Deadly typhoon is the strongest the archipelago has faced this year, with peak winds reaching 146mph At least 375 people have been killed after a devastating typhoon tore through the Philippines, causing “complete carnage” and leaving over 630,000 seeking shelter in schools, churches, and camps ahead of Christmas. Typhoon Rai, …

The fast-spreading Omicron variant has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Omicron now accounts for 73.2 percent of new US cases over the past week ending on Saturday, the CDC reported on Monday. In some …

Iran has fired ballistic and cruise missiles as part of a five-day military drill, which extends across the country and into the Persian Gulf. State media also hailed the pinpoint accuracy of bomb-dropping drones. On Tuesday, Iranian state media reported on the second day of the Payambar-e Azam 17 military …

Britain on Tuesday launched a £1.0 billion support package for Covid-hit businesses, as staff absences from rising cases began to bite in the run-up to Christmas. Finance minister Rishi Sunak said some 200,000 firms would be eligible for one-off grants to offset losses from what is normally the busiest time …

Belarus and Poland are pushing refugees back and forth across their border and leaving them with little if any food, clean water, or shelter, the U.N. Human Rights office said on Tuesday, urging both countries to address “this appalling situation”. Refugees and migrants interviewed by a U.N. human rights team …

China will not shy away from confrontation with the United States and would “fight to the end,” the country’s senior diplomat said in a keynote speech on Monday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing would welcome cooperation with Washington, as long as it’s mutually beneficial, according to a transcript …

Tigrayan forces fighting the central government have withdrawn from neighboring regions in Ethiopia’s north, a Tigrayan spokesman said on Monday, a step towards a possible ceasefire after major territorial gains by the Ethiopian military. The 13-month-old war in Africa’s second-most populous nation has destabilized an already fragile region, sent 60,000 …