A Kurdish woman in traditional dress holds a lit torch during Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on a hill overlooking the town of Akra in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

    Philippines, France Sign Military Pact Amid South China Sea Tensions

    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…

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    A Kurdish woman in traditional dress holds a lit torch during Nowruz, the Persian New Year, on a hill overlooking the town of Akra in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

    G7 to Discuss Repair Works for Chornobyl Nuclear Plant, France Says

    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…

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    An Army carry team moves the flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army soldier Maj. Sorffly Davius, of Cambria Heights, N.Y., who died in Kuwait, during a casualty return, Monday, March 9, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

    EU’s Kallas Warns Against Ukraine Land Concessions, Calls Territorial Demands ‘Russian Playbook’

    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…

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    An Army carry team moves the flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army soldier Maj. Sorffly Davius, of Cambria Heights, N.Y., who died in Kuwait, during a casualty return, Monday, March 9, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

    G7 Allies Meet Against Backdrop of Wars in Ukraine and Iran, With Unpredictable US

    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…

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    An Army carry team moves the flag-draped transfer case containing the remains of U.S. Army soldier Maj. Sorffly Davius, of Cambria Heights, N.Y., who died in Kuwait, during a casualty return, Monday, March 9, 2026, at Dover Air Force Base, Del. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

    French Tycoon Bolloré Denies Political War Against Public Broadcaster

    PARIS, March 24 (Reuters) – French media tycoon Vincent Bolloré ⁠told ⁠lawmakers on Tuesday that he had become ⁠the “perfect scapegoat” for what he described as a hostile elite, rejecting accusations that his ​conservative media empire was waging a political war. The hearing forms part of a parliamentary investigation into France’s public broadcaster, an inquiry…

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    The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority signed agreements with 12 international institutions. Photo: WestK

      Hong Kong arts hub strengthens global links with 12 new partnerships

      Hong Kong’s West Kowloon arts hub has signed agreements with 12 international institutions from Australia, the UK, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, paving the way for future collaborations as the city seeks to strengthen its role as an East-meets-West cultural hub. The memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed on Sunday by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority…

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