May 4, 2017 by: Katrina Manson in New York Donald Trump will visit Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Vatican on his first foreign trip as US president in an effort to unite a coalition against Islamist terrorism and Iran and extract more from traditional allies. The travel plans mark a departure from US foreign policy norms, which usually see new presidents visit neighbouring Canada or Mexico within a month of taking office. […]
Under the memorandum they signed as guarantors of a cease-fire, fighting between government forces and insurgents is to stop in four zones that include rebel-held territory in the north, central and southern parts of the country. Continue reading the main story It remains unclear precisely how the guarantors will monitor compliance with what they are calling “de-escalation zones.” Aleksandr Lavrentyev, the Russian negotiator at the Astana talks, […]
President Donald Trump’s most recent executive order is probably most noteworthy for what it doesn’t do, so we’ll start there. In February, The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets reported that a draft executive order on religious freedom, sweeping in scope, was circulating in the administration. It would have forced the federal government to “accommodate” […] (via WSJ)
GENEVA The United States will shoot itself in the foot if it quits the Paris climate accord because China, India and Europe will snap up the best power sector jobs in future, U.N. Environment chief Erik Solheim said on Thursday. U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce as early as next week whether he will take the United States out of the climate pact, having vowed […]
By David Brunnstrom | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met Southeast Asian foreign ministers on Thursday to seek their support in pressing North Korea to give up its nuclear and missile programs. Tillerson’s first meeting with all members of the 10-nation Association of Southeast Asian Nations will also address another pressing regional issue – China’s assertive pursuit of territory in the South China Sea, […]
ATHENS A Greek court on Thursday blocked a second extradition request by Turkey for the final two soldiers among a group of eight who fled to Greece following a failed coup attempt last year, drawing an angry rebuke from Ankara. The drawn-out case has highlighted often strained relations between Greece and Turkey, NATO allies which remain at odds over issues from territorial disputes to ethnically-split Cyprus. Turkey […]
Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat | Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images MEPs want to speak to Joseph Muscat during run-up to national election. By Harry Cooper 5/4/17, 3:44 PM CET Updated 5/4/17, 3:54 PM CET Joseph Muscat, Malta’s embattled prime minister, has been summoned to address the European Parliament’s committee on the Panama Papers scandal on May 18, weeks before the country goes to the polls for a snap […]
One of the EU’s most senior officials has called for a ceasefire in the verbal hostilities over Brexit with Theresa May, warning that looming talks could become “impossible” if calm is not restored. The intervention by Donald Tusk, European Council president, marks a concerted effort to defuse escalating tension between Brussels and London after the UK prime minister accused EU officials of trying to sabotage her election […]
MOSCOW Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Thursday that authorities in Russia were stopping him going abroad to seek urgent medical treatment after an attack that left him mostly blind in one eye. Navalny said the authorities had unexpectedly issued him with an international passport of the kind Russians need to travel abroad after refusing to do so for the last five years. That had given him […]
WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump will travel to Saudi Arabia and Israel this month as part of his first foreign trip, wading directly into the tangled diplomacy of Middle Eastern politics, a senior administration official said on Thursday. The swing through the Middle East, added to a trip that includes a NATO meeting in Brussels on May 25 and the Group of Seven summit in Sicily on […]
BOGOTA A member of a United Nations team working on a project in Colombia to substitute illegal crops was kidnapped by dissident former FARC rebels who have rejected the peace process, U.N., police and military sources said on Thursday. The U.N. official Arley Lopez, a Colombian, was seized on Wednesday by gunmen close to Miraflores in southern Guaviare province, where coca cultivation has long formed a big […]
Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s stalwart companion during six decades on the throne, is to step down from his public duties from the autumn, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday. The Duke of Edinburgh’s decision was taken with the support of the Queen, the statement said. London was earlier gripped by speculation of an imminent announcement after reports senior staff of the royal household had been called to the […]
MANILA Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Thursday his telephone conversation this week with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to discuss the Korean peninsula crisis was at the behest of his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump. Duterte said he spoke with Xi on Wednesday to convince him to play a bigger role in defusing tension in the Korean peninsula after North Korea test fired another missile early on Saturday. […]
By Richard Cowan and Yasmeen Abutaleb | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON The U.S. House of Representatives was set on Thursday for a cliffhanger vote to repeal Obamacare, as Republican leaders worked to deliver President Donald Trump a win for one of his top legislative priorities. House Republican leaders have expressed confidence the bill would pass and several party moderates who previously objected to it got behind it on Wednesday, […]
11:00 am Suppose we could be brave, Bryce, and go with a pic of Jeffery Lacker as our portrait for today 11:01 am Well, he stepped down from the Richmond Fed after fessing up to helping a colleague at a sister publication — Medley — on a story 11:02 am 11:03 am I could give you a rival’s analysis of the story 11:03 am It’s not the […]
The accrediting body for journalism schools on Wednesday essentially accused Northwestern University of fudging the facts in exiting the nonprofit overseer’s once-every-six-years accreditation process. The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications responded to the surprise move by The Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications with a diplomatic but firm rebuke of the school’s rationale and honesty. “Each school makes its own […]
Donald Trump and Republican leaders in Congress are poised for a high-stakes vote on healthcare reform on Thursday that could decide whether the president will achieve one of the key elements of his domestic legislative agenda following a rough first 100 days in office. After three months of roller-coaster efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act — the healthcare law known as Obamacare that was […]
Intel has shuffled its executive ranks again, announcing that long-time executive Diane Bryant is stepping down from her role as GM of the Data Center Group (DCG). Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in an email to employees that Bryant would be stepping away for six to eight months to tend to a personal family matter. Navin Shenoy, formerly GM of the Client Computing Group (CCG), will be […]
By Michel Rose and Ingrid Melander | PARIS PARIS Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron clashed over their vision of France’s future, the euro and ways of fighting terrorism in an ill-tempered televised debate on Wednesday before Sunday’s run-off vote for the presidency. The two went into the debate with opinion polls showing Macron, 39, with a strong lead of 20 percentage points over […]
By Jeff Mason and Matt Spetalnick | WASHINGTON WASHINGTON President Donald Trump vowed on Wednesday to do “whatever is necessary” to broker peace between Israel and the Palestinians as he hosted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the White House, but offered no sign of how he could revive long-stalled negotiations. In their first face-to-face meeting, Trump pressed Abbas and other Palestinian leaders to “speak in a unified […]
Digitization identified as key for region to retain leadership in global logistics landscape Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 4 2017 Supply chain optimization took center stage at the ninth GPCA Supply Chain Conference, which took place between 2-4 May 2017 at the Rosewood Hotel in Abu Dhabi. During the event, speakers highlighted logistical efficiency as a top industry priority in the GCC as traditional supply chains across […]
By Nichola Saminather | SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Asian stocks retreated on Thursday, taking their cues from a subdued session on Wall Street, while the dollar retained gains made after the Federal Reserve delivered a hawkish policy statement. At the end of its two-day meeting, the Fed kept its benchmark interest rate steady as expected, but downplayed weak first-quarter economic growth and emphasized the strength of the labor market, […]
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of Egypt, depart after a reception at the Presidential Airport. Ryan Carter / Crown Prince Court – Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, meets with Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of […]
KABUL Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is due to meet the Afghan president this week ahead of a return to politics, a remarkable turnaround for a leader widely reviled for his part in a civil war that killed thousands in the capital Kabul and razed much of the city. Hekmatyar, who was removed from the UN terrorism sanctions list only this year, made his first public appearance on Saturday since […]
