MANILA, March 27 (Reuters) – The Philippines and France have signed a visiting forces agreement that would allow them to conduct joint military training in each other’s territory, as Manila expands defence ties amid rising tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea. Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and French Minister for the Armed Forces…
HONG KONG, March 27 (Reuters) – China said in a statement late on Thursday that it strongly opposed the Czech Senate passing a draft resolution on the Dalai Lama’s succession, stating that it “grossly interfered” with China’s internal affairs. The Czech Senate passed the resolution on March 25, around two weeks after China approved a…
SEOUL, March 27 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held a summit in Pyongyang on Thursday, where the two leaders signed a friendship treaty, North Korea’s state media KCNA reported. The two countries signed agreements on cooperation in various sectors, including diplomacy, agriculture, education and public health, KCNA…
MOSCOW, March 26 (Reuters) – Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that its forces had taken control of a new village in its slow advance through eastern Ukraine, Sheviakivka in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region. Ukraine’s military made no acknowledgement that the village on the Russian border had changed hands. A Ukrainian paratroop unit said it had…
By John Irish and Andrew Gray VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) – European powers on Thursday accused Russia of helping Iran target U.S. forces in the Middle East war and said they would raise the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France. Rubio is joining…
VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of the G7 group of nations will discuss repair works worth about 500 million euros ($576.30 million) for the protective shield of Ukraine’s Chornobyl nuclear plant, France’s foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday. “The G7 must play a leading role in this fundraising, in close…
By Daniel Flynn and Olena Harmash KYIV, March 26 (Reuters) – Ukraine is using long-range strikes on energy infrastructure to maintain pressure on Russia after international oil sanctions on Moscow were eased this month in the wake of the Iran war, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said. Washington issued a 30-day waiver this month for countries to…
PARIS, March 26 (Reuters) – The European Unions is worried about Ukraine being pressured by the United States into ceding territory in negotiations with Russia, the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Thursday. “This is clearly a wrong approach. It is, of course, the Russian playbook of negotiations, that they are demanding something that…
MOSCOW, March 26 (Reuters) – Russia is in contact with the United States about a new round of talks on a Ukraine peace settlement as soon as conditions allow, the Kremlin said on Thursday. “We remain open, we are in contact with the Americans, and we are counting on holding the next round of talks…
KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (Reuters) – Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Thursday he had spoken to the leaders of Iran, Egypt, Turkey and other regional countries and said Malaysian vessels were now being allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Anwar in a televised address thanked Iran’s president for allowing the passage…