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…
BUDAPEST, March 26 (Reuters) – Hungary’s opposition leader Peter Magyar called on the chief prosecutor late on Wednesday to launch a probe into what he called a state intelligence operation against his Tisza party, after a report by news site Direkt36 published this week. Speaking on the campaign trail, Magyar, whose party looks set to…
VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) – Foreign ministers from the world’s leading Western democracies meet in France this week against the backdrop of wars in Iranand Ukraine, economic uncertainty, and mounting unease over an increasingly unpredictable U.S. foreign policy. The two-day gathering at the restored 12th-century Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, about 40 km (25 miles) southwest…
SEOUL, March 26 (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un welcomed Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Pyongyang on Wednesday, North Korean state media KCNA said on Thursday, touting ties between the two close allies of Russia’s Vladimir Putin. When Lukashenko visited Pyongyang’s Kumsusan mausoleum to pay respects to former North Korean leaders, he laid…
WASHINGTON, March 25 (Reuters) – The Pentagon said on Wednesday it had reached framework agreements with BAE, Lockheed and Honeywell to boost production of defense systems and munitions as part of its shift to “wartime footing.” Under the deals, Honeywell Aerospace will “surge production of critical components for America’s munitions stockpile,” as part of a…
MADRID, March 25 (Reuters) – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday it was unjust for citizens worldwide to bear the cost of what he called illegal U.S. and Israeli actions in Iran, warning the war was inflicting severe global economic damage, with Spanish firms alone losing 100 billion euros ($116 billion) in under…
In stark contrast to the discourse in the United States, there have been very few open conversations between Europe and Taiwan regarding defense spending or arms acquisitions. While the United States is actively exerting pressure on Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (LY, 立法院) to pass a national defense budget that will incorporate a USD 11.1 billion arms…
ISTANBUL, March 25 (Reuters) – Turkey “is playing a role passing messages” between Iran and the U.S. to encourage de-escalation and direct negotiations, Harun Armagan, vice chair of foreign affairs for President Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party, told Reuters on Wednesday. He did not elaborate on the messages but said they were also being conveyed to…
MOSCOW, March 25 (Reuters) – Russia remains in contact with the United States on a possible settlement of the conflict in Ukraine and hopes Washington will continue its mediation efforts, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. “Moscow continues to maintain contact with the Americans through existing channels. We are receiving updates on the situation….
Chinese toymaker Pop Mart reported strong annual growth in revenue and net profit for 2025, but not enough to alleviate investor fears that the company remains too reliant on the Labubu phenomenon. Annual revenue jumped 184.7 per cent from a year earlier to 37.12 billion yuan (US$5.4 billion), while net profit surged 284.5 per cent…