MOSCOW, April 3 (Reuters) – Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s powerful Security Council, said on Friday that Moscow should drop its “tolerant attitude” towards Ukraine’s possible EU membership. “The EU is no longer just an economic union. It can transform, and rather quickly, into a full-blown military alliance, one overtly hostile to Russia, and…
BEIJING, April 2 (Reuters) – China on Thursday repeated calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in conversations with Western counterparts, widening its diplomatic effort to end the war that has disrupted the global energy market. China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the Middle East situation…
By Rachel More and James Mackenzie BERLIN, March 27 (Reuters) – Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday expressed scepticism that the United States and Israel had a clear strategy to end the war in Iran but he said Germany would in principle be ready to help stabilise the region after the end of hostilities. Since the…
MOSCOW, March 27 (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the U.S. has been seeking control over the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which were damaged by mysterious blast in September 2022. Explosions that destroyed the pipelines more than three years ago largely severed Russian gas transit to Europe, squeezing energy…
BERLIN, March 24 (Reuters) – Germany’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that he believed U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement about talks with Iran could mark a turning point in the nearly month-long conflict. “Something is happening, and that’s a good thing in this time when there have been more risks of escalation than possibilities of…
TAIPEI, March 23 (Reuters) – Improving ties with Beijing does not require being anti-U.S., while Taiwan’s survival depends on stable relations with China, the leader of Taiwan’s largest opposition party said on Monday. Former lawmaker Cheng Li-wun won election as chair of the Kuomintang (KMT) in October and has signalled a swing towards even closer…
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…
PARIS, March 21 (Reuters) – The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven countries said on Saturday they stood ready to take necessary measures to support global energy supplies and reaffirmed the importance of safeguarding maritime routes, including in the Strait of Hormuz. “We … express support to our partners in the region in the…
Hong Kong welcomed 9.95 million visitors in the first two months of this year, an 18 per cent increase from the same period last year, with the uptick primarily driven by mainland travellers visiting the city over the Chinese New Year period. Provisional figures released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board on Tuesday showed that…
More of the world’s billionaires live in China than anywhere else, after stock market gains and artificial intelligence generated a record number of billionaires globally, according to the latest Hurun Global Rich List. China overtook the United States to recapture bragging rights on the annual report released by Hurun Group on Thursday, with 1,110 billionaires…