Washington

HTS: Repression Driving the Protests

Starting in February 2024, a wave of protests has swept through the cities of Idlib, Binnish and Sarmada, quickly spreading across much of Syria's northwestern province. The demonstrations are a direct response to the repressive governance of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), compounded by worsening economic conditions and a collapse in basic ...

US, Russia Meet in Istanbul for Talks on Embassies

US and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on Thursday for talks on restoring the functioning of their embassies, which drastically scaled back staffing following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The talks, the second of their kind, come after President Donald Trump reached out to Russia following the start of his second term and offered better ties ...

US Backtracks on Some Food Aid Cuts: UN

The United States has backtracked on emergency food aid cuts it announced for 14 countries, restoring assistance to six of them, the UN's World Food Program said Wednesday. The UN agency, already struggling with financing woes, said Monday that the United States advised it Washington was eliminating emergency food aid to those 14 poor and ...

Why is The NBA Eyeing Europe?

The NBA has said it is "exploring" the creation of a professional basketball league in Europe, but the plans remain vague and raise many questions. The first is why is the powerful US league taking this step? How does it intend to make money? And is the EuroLeague, the home of Europe's best clubs, doomed to a marriage of convenience? Why has the ...

Trump Threatens Further 50% Tariffs on China, Stacking on Earlier Rate

US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened huge additional tariffs on imports from China if Beijing did not withdraw its retaliation plans, adding that Washington would begin talks with other countries that want negotiations. The fresh action would stack on an already steep US rate taking effect Wednesday, the White House told AFP, bringing ...

Russian Envoy Seeks Cooperation With US at Landmark Washington Talks

The most senior Russian official to visit Washington since the start of the Ukraine war said Thursday he had discussed potential cooperation with the United States in the Arctic and on rare earth metals but acknowledged that "disagreements" remain. Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund and President Vladimir ...

China Launches Military Drills in Taiwan Strait

The Chinese military announced new exercises Wednesday in sensitive waters near Taiwan, in a second consecutive day of drills around the self-ruled island it claims as its own. The surprise manoeuvres were slammed by Washington as "intimidation tactics" and come after Taiwan President Lai Ching-te called China a "foreign hostile ...

Venezuela Says US Revoked Transnational oil and gas Company Licenses

Venezuela announced Sunday that the United States had revoked several transnational oil and gas companies' licenses to operate in the country, which had been granted despite Washington's sanctions against the South American nation. While Venezuela did not specify which company licenses were revoked, experts had expected that European oil giants ...

Stock Markets Slide Over US inflation, Tariff Fears

Stock markets took a tumble Friday as a closely watched US inflation reading heated up, adding to concerns over the fallout from an incoming wave of tariffs by President Donald Trump. Shares in automakers fell further as they brace for 25-percent US levies due to kick in early next week along with a raft of "reciprocal" tariffs tailored to ...

Washington Underscores Syria's Uncertain Future and Security Challenges

Three months after the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Washington underscored the persisting challenges facing the process of peaceful political transition in light of recurring security incidents, notably mass killings in the country’s western part. At a UN Security Council briefing on the situation in the Middle East, US interim ...

Stocks Up as Fears Ease Over Next Trump Tariffs

Wall Street clung to strong gains and European stocks rose on Tuesday over easing concerns about the next round of tariffs from US President Donald Trump. The Dow, the broad-based S&P 500 and the tech-heavy Nasdaq were all up around 0.1 percent in early deals, following a rally fuelled by technology stocks the previous day. Sentiment was buoyed ...

South Sudan Opposition Decries Strike as US Warns of Rise in Violence

The South Sudan opposition said one of its army bases near the capital Juba was bombarded late Monday as Washington warned it was "deeply concerned" by escalating violence between the rival factions. Clashes between forces allied to President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival, First Vice President Riek Machar, have left their 2018 power-sharing ...