VALLETTA, April 27 (Reuters) – Malta will hold a parliamentary election on May 30, Prime Minister Robert Abela said on Monday, calling the vote a year before his current five-year term expires. Abela said in a televised message that with the coming months expected to be “crucial” given the international situation, Malta needed a government…
BEIRUT, April 27 (Reuters) – The Israeli military began carrying out strikes in eastern Lebanon on Monday, expanding the scope of its bombing campaign during a ceasefire that has failed to fully halt hostilities with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. The strikes on Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley marked the first time the area has been hit…
MOSCOW, April 27 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in St. Petersburg on Monday and told him he hoped the Iranian people would weather what he described as a “difficult period” and that peace would soon prevail. Russia has offered to mediate to try to help restore…
By Steve Holland and Asif Shahzad WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD, April 27 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran could telephone if it wants to negotiate an end to their two-month war, as Tehran’s foreign minister landed in Russia on Monday to seek support from President Vladimir Putin. Hopes of reviving peace efforts receded on Saturday when…
ROME, April 26 (Reuters) – Pope Leo on Sunday described those who wage wars and appropriate the earth’s resources as thieves who rob the world of a peaceful future, issuing a warning about the use of nuclear power on the anniversary of the Chornobyl reactor accident. Ukraine is commemorating the 40th anniversary of the world’s…
April 24 (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the United States of abandoning internationally recognised diplomatic conventions in pursuit of its own interests, particularly in dominating energy markets, in an interview broadcast on Friday. Lavrov, interviewed by Russian state television, said Washington, in its dealings with Latin America and the Middle East, was…
KYIV, April 24 (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Friday arrived in Jeddah on his second visit to Saudi Arabia in a month, as Kyiv tries to bolster security cooperation and advertise its battle-tested technology in the Middle East amid the Iran war. “Yesterday, at a meeting with European leaders, we secured financial guarantees…
HK Electric will cut fuel surcharges for customers in May but has warned that costs could rise significantly later in the year due to the impact of the conflict in the Middle East. The company said on Friday that its fuel clause charge for May would fall by 4.4 HK cents per kilowatt-hour to 26…
OSLO, April 23 (Reuters) – The Iran war is having a devastating humanitarian impact globally with higher energy prices making everything from filling the tank of an aid lorry to paying employees and buying food for displaced people costlier, the head of the Norwegian Refugee Council said on Thursday. The NRC is one of the…
Hong Kong International Airport expects revenue to grow by up to 10 per cent this year despite disruptions from the Iran conflict, with its chief executive aiming to position it as an alternative hub to the Middle East. In a wide-ranging interview with the South China Morning Post on Thursday, Airport Authority Hong Kong CEO…