Ukraine peace talks end abruptly
GENEVA, Feb 18 (Reuters): Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in Geneva ended abruptly on Wednesday after only two hours, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy saying that the discussions had been "difficult" and accusing Russia of deliberately seeking to delay progress toward a deal to end the four-year-old war.The U.S.-mediated...
Read more
Takaichi reappointed PM following election
TOKYO, Feb 18 (AFP): Japan's lower house formally reappointed Sanae Takaichi as prime minister on Wednesday, 10 days after her historic landslide election victory.Takaichi, 64, became Japan's first woman premier in October and won a two-thirds majority for her party in the snap lower house elections on February 8.She has...
Read more
US to stop Iran's N arms ambitions 'one way or other', says US energy secy
PARIS, Feb 18 (AFP): The United States will deter Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons "one way or the other", US Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned on Wednesday.US President Donald Trump "believes firmly we cannot have a nuclear-armed Iran," Wright told reporters in Paris on the sidelines of meetings of the...
Read more
Canada launches huge defence plan to curb reliance on US
MONTREAL, Feb 18 (AFP): Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday launched a multi-billion dollar plan to strengthen the Canadian military and rely less on the United States.Carney's announcement of Canada's first defence industrial strategy built on a theme he has emphasized throughout his 11-month tenure as President Donald Trump rips...
Read more
Vatican will not partake in Trump's 'Board of Peace'
ROME, Feb 18 (AFP): The Vatican will not participate in US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace", its secretary of state said on Tuesday.The board, of which Trump is the chairman, was initially designed to oversee the Gaza truce and the territory's reconstruction after the war between Hamas and Israel.But...
Read more
Philippine VP Sara Duterte to vie for president in 2028
MANILA, Feb 18 (BBC): Philippine Vice-President Sara Duterte has declared her candidacy for president in the 2028 elections. The 47-year-old's announcement comes as she is embroiled in a bitter power struggle with current President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.While the presidential vote is two years away, contenders in the Philippines' largely...
Read more
Dual nationals face scramble
LONDON, Feb 18 (BBC): When Jelena returns home from a "holiday of a lifetime" travelling around South America later this year, she faces being told she can no longer enter the UK.The British-Latvian dual national is among those who say they have been caught out by upcoming changes to passport...
Read more
US names envoy to advance Tibetan rights
WASHINGTON, Feb 18 (AFP): US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced an envoy to promote the protection of Tibetans living under Chinese rule, in a rare return under the Trump administration to championing human rights.Rubio announced that Riley Barnes, the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights...
Read more
