LONDON, March 22 (Reuters) – British cabinet minister Steve Reed said on Sunday that there was no assessment that backed claims Iran is planning to strike Europe with ballistic missiles, or that it even has the capacity to do so. On Saturday, the Israel Defence Forces posted on social media that Iran has missiles “that…
Hong Kong authorities will issue weekly announcements about the changes in international and local fuel costs from April, following mounting suspicion that businesses are prematurely raising prices because of the United States-Israeli war on Iran. The move announced on Saturday was welcomed by experts, although some said prices were ultimately out of the government’s hands…
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…
TAIPEI, March 22 (Reuters) – Deliveries of delayed F-16V fighter jets for Taiwan will begin this year with production at “full capacity”, the island’s defence ministry said after senior defence officials visited the United States. Taiwan, which faces a rising military threat from China, has complained of repeated delays to weapons ordered from the U.S.,…
March 21 (Reuters) – Ukrainian and U.S. negotiators trying to move towards a settlement of the four-year war pitting Kyiv against Moscow opened their latest round of talks in Florida on Saturday, with more discussions planned through the weekend. Russian representatives were not present at the meeting. “We continued discussing key issues and the next…
VIENNA, March 19 (Reuters) – The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a 57-nation east-west body comprising former Cold War foes, agreed on a budget on Thursday for the first time in five years, with heavy cuts demanded by the United States. In recent years the Vienna-based security and rights organization, which includes…
DUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) – Iran’s foreign minister called for vigilance and regional coordination in separate calls with counterparts in Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan as the military warned of a tougher response to any further attacks on its energy infrastructure, state media reported on Thursday. After its energy facilities in South Pars gas field and…
In my experience, most people misunderstand the concept of “separation of powers”, and so I would not be at all surprised if most people also misunderstand the term “executive-led government”. In the case of separation of powers, the confusion usually arises from the use of the word “separation”. It connotes a meaning of absolute independence…
Tulsi Gabbard on Wednesday identified Russia, China, North Korea and Pakistan as the most significant nuclear threats facing the United States, in what appeared to be mounting concerns within Washington over strategic deterrence and evolving global security risks. “Russia, China, North Korea, Pakistan pose biggest nuclear threats to US,” said Gabbard, United States Director of…
Hong Kong’s monetary authority kept its base rate unchanged after a similar move by the US Federal Reserve, as analysts said that the Middle East conflict has added to the uncertainty over the pace of rate cuts this year. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) maintained the city’s base rate at 4 per cent on…