VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 27 (Reuters) – Ukraine is close to clinching several security agreements — including with the UAE and Qatar — to counter Iranian attacks, its foreign minister said on Friday, adding that he saw scope to draw China into peace efforts to end the war with Russia. “We have the situation in the…
(Corrects name to Sofia in paragraph 26) TUNIS, March 27 (Reuters) – The families of dozens of jailed opposition figures in Tunisia are among the few remaining voices demanding democratic freedoms, as they seek the release of loved ones held in what rights groups have called a crackdown on dissent by President Kais Saied. The…
Hong Kong’s heavy reliance on hiring workers from mainland China could lead to a “downgrade” of its status as an international hub, experts said, after data showed that 94.5 per cent of successful top talent scheme applicants came from across the border. Industry veterans and a lawmaker on Thursday called for a strategic shift towards…
MANILA, March 27 (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Friday that the ASEAN Leaders’ summit will go ahead in May, but will be shortened to a “bare-bones” programme that focuses on addressing issues like fuel supplies, food prices and migrant workers. Marcos said he has consulted with his counterparts in the regional…
Greater Bay Airlines has become the latest Hong Kong-based carrier to raise its fuel surcharges by 34 per cent amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with the fee for destinations other than mainland China set to hit HK$389 (US$50). China’s largest courier SF Express also said on Friday that it would, beginning in…
Hong Kong authorities have arrested a man and seized more than 8,000 litres (2,100 gallons) of illegal fuel worth HK$250,000 (US$32,000), the latest in a string of similar cases amid the Middle East conflict that has pushed up global oil prices. A police spokesman said on Friday that a joint operation with the Fire Services…
By John Irish and Andrew Gray VAUX-DE-CERNAY, France, March 26 (Reuters) – European powers on Thursday accused Russia of helping Iran target U.S. forces in the Middle East war and said they would raise the issue with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a meeting of G7 foreign ministers in France. Rubio is joining…
WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Iran to make a deal to end U.S. and Israeli bombing or face more strikes on their country. “They now have the chance, that is Iran, to permanently abandon their nuclear ambitions and to join a new path forward,” Trump said during a Cabinet…
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…
MOSCOW, March 26 (Reuters) – Russia is in contact with the United States about a new round of talks on a Ukraine peace settlement as soon as conditions allow, the Kremlin said on Thursday. “We remain open, we are in contact with the Americans, and we are counting on holding the next round of talks…