April 2 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday offered to provide Ukraine’s expertise in dealing with freedom of navigation in the Black Sea to countries considering how to keep the Strait of Hormuz open amid conflict in the Middle East. Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had taken…
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 Ben Blanchard and Angie Teo TAIPEI, April 2 (Reuters) – Taiwan will strengthen its defences of the Pratas as China steps up its activities around the islands which lie at the top end of the South China Sea, the minister in charge of Taiwan’s coastguard said on Thursday. Lying roughly between southern Taiwan and…
VATICAN CITY, April 2 (Reuters) – Pope Leo last May became the first U.S. leader of the global Catholic Church, but for the initial 10 months of his tenure he mostly avoided comment about his home country and never once mentioned President Donald Trump publicly. That era has come to an end. In recent weeks…
MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuters) – Russia is ready to contribute to resolving the Iran conflict and President Vladimir Putin is continuing to talk with regional leaders, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. “The president is continuing these contacts, and if our services are somehow required, we are, of course, ready to make our contribution…
STOCKHOLM, April 2 (Reuters) – Sweden will buy air defence and anti-drone systems worth 8.7 billion Swedish crowns ($916 million) from among others Saab and BAE Systems, the country’s defence minister said on Thursday. Sweden, like most European countries, is racing to bolster its defences following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with military spending projected to…
MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuters) – Students across Russia are being offered large financial incentives to join drone units fighting in Ukraine as operators and engineers, while companies in Russia’s central Ryazan region have been given quotas to sign up workers for the army, documents show. The recruitment effort, which comes as Russian forces continue to…
PARIS, April 1 (Reuters) – China will at one point have to engage more directly on how to restore oil traffic flows in the Strait of Hormuz because the number of vessels it has going through is probably insufficient, France’s navy chief said on Wednesday. “We have not seen China’s navy step in to reopen…
By Mushtaq Ali and Sayed Hassib PESHAWAR, Pakistan/Kabul, April 1 (Reuters) – Afghanistan and Pakistan have opened a new round of talks in China to end the deadliest fighting between two Muslim nations since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, sources said on Wednesday. Beijing has been trying to mediate a negotiated settlement to…
SARAJEVO, April 1 (Reuters) – Bosnians woke with heavy heads and light hearts on Wednesday, buoyed by their soccer team’s dramatic playoff shootout win over Italy that sent them to the World Cup finals for only the second time. Celebrations went late into the night on Tuesday after teenager Esmir Bajraktarevic squeezed his penalty past…