PARIS, May 6 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that he had held further talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, during which Macron had reaffirmed the importance of freeing up shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Macron added he had encouraged Iran’s president to look at the plans by France and Britain…
PARIS, May 5 (Reuters) – U.N. Security Council members will begin talks on Tuesday on a U.S.- and Bahrain‑backed draft resolution that could lead to sanctions against Iran, and potentially authorise force, if Tehran fails to halt attacks and threats to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, three Western diplomats said. Fresh exchanges of…
PARIS, April 29 (Reuters) – The United Nations is facing a critical moment with its financial sustainability under threat and it should do “less with less”, Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan said on Wednesday, as she campaigns to become the next U.N. secretary‑general. The U.N. has warned it was nearing effective bankruptcy, driven largely by delayed…
PARIS, April 28 (Reuters) – A French fact‑finding inquiry — normally a dull parliamentary ritual — has turned into a polarising political spectacle, giving France’s far right an unexpected platform to wage a culture-war campaign against public broadcasters. Leading the probe is 32-year-old Charles Alloncle, an ally of National Rally leader Jordan Bardella, who has…
PARIS, April 24 (Reuters) – France wound up a meeting of G7 environment ministers on Friday defending its “pragmatic” decision to keep climate change off the agenda to avoid a clash with the U.S. U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed climate change as a hoax despite scientific evidence, and has withdrawn his country from several…
LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) – Military planners from more than 30 countries will hold two-day talks in London from Wednesday to advance a mission to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and draw up detailed plans, the British government said. More than a dozen countries said last week they were willing to join an international mission,…
PARIS, April 21 (Reuters) – Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday his government was not seeking confrontation with Iran-backed Hezbollah, but it would not allow itself to be intimidated as it continues direct talks with Israel to end the conflict. Speaking at a news conference alongside France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Salam said he…
The South China Morning Post received six honours at the State Street Institutional Press Awards Asia-Pacific 2025 on Tuesday. The awards, which recognise outstanding news reporting on institutional finance across Asia-Pacific (APAC), drew a record 246 submissions this year from eight economies – mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and France. Most…
MANILA, April 20 (Reuters) – Philippine and U.S. forces will carry out maritime strike drills on a remote Philippine island near Taiwan during annual exercises that started on Monday, which Manila’s military chief said would test their readiness under “real‑world conditions”. The April 20 to May 8 exercises known as “Balikatan”, or “shoulder-to-shoulder”, will be…
By John Irish and Parisa Hafezi PARIS/DUBAI, April 19 (Reuters) – European allies fear an inexperienced U.S. negotiating team is pushing for a swift, headline‑grabbing framework deal with Iran that could entrench rather than resolve deeper problems, diplomats with past experience dealing with Tehran said. They worry Washington, eager to claim a diplomatic win for…