World

Trump's First Five Trade Deals
Numbers & FiguresTrump's First Five Trade Deals

Japan and the Philippines bring to five the number of countries that have concluded trade deals with the United States ahead of an August 1 deadline set by President Donald Trump to avoid punitive tariff rates. The agreed levies are often higher than the new base rate of 10 percent that the United States has applied to most countries since April ...

Columbia Strikes $221 Million Deal to Restore Federal Funding After Trump Threats
Columbia Strikes $221 Million Deal to Restore Federal Funding After Trump Threats

Columbia University said Wednesday it will pay $200 million to the US government after President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding over what he said was its unwillingness to protect Jewish students. In a sweeping deal that will restore the prestigious New York institution's federal monies, Columbia has pledged to obey rules that bar ...

The Middle East: Recalibrations, Fractures and a Coming Storm
Op-edThe Middle East: Recalibrations, Fractures and a Coming Storm

By now, we should know that when the Middle East falls silent, it’s rarely a good sign. As if history itself were pausing for breath, the region today is locked in what I call a “violent pause”—not peace, not war, but something infinitely more dangerous: indecision. The past six months have redrawn the map of alliances and threats, but ...

New Military Escalation Between Cambodia and Thailand
New Military Escalation Between Cambodia and Thailand

Thailand launched airstrikes on Cambodian military targets on Thursday as Cambodia fired rockets and artillery, killing a civilian, in a dramatic escalation of a long-running border row between the two neighbors. The neighbors are locked in a bitter spat over an area known as the Emerald Triangle, where the borders of both countries and Laos ...

Xi Urges Trust as EU Demands \
Xi Urges Trust as EU Demands "Real Solutions" in Beijing Talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping said China and the EU must deepen trust in a turbulent world, but the bloc's chiefs called for "real solutions" to move past an inflection point as they met in Beijing on Thursday. China's leadership has sought to draw the European Union closer as it positions itself as a more reliable partner than the United States ...

Ukraine Demands Zelensky-Putin Talks, Russia Proposes Brief Truces
Ukraine Demands Zelensky-Putin Talks, Russia Proposes Brief Truces

Ukraine on Wednesday proposed direct talks within weeks between its President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia's Vladimir Putin, but Moscow tempered prospects for progress at a fresh round of talks in Istanbul on Wednesday. A Russian negotiator said his country agreed to the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges with Ukraine and proposed brief ...

World's Top Court Paves Way for Climate Reparations
World's Top Court Paves Way for Climate Reparations

The world's highest court Wednesday declared that states are obliged under international law to tackle climate change and warned that failing to do so could open the door to reparations. In a historic statement, the International Court of Justice said climate change was an "urgent and existential threat" and countries had a legal duty to prevent ...

Israeli Lawmakers Pass Symbolic Motion on West Bank Annexation
Israeli Lawmakers Pass Symbolic Motion on West Bank Annexation

More than 70 Israeli lawmakers passed a motion on Wednesday urging the government to impose sovereignty over the West Bank, though the symbolic move does not affect the Palestinian territory's legal status. The non-binding vote in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, was backed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing coalition, ...

Turkey: A Global Power Broker
Turkey: A Global Power Broker

From Ukraine to Syria, including Iran, Turkey has emerged in recent years as a pivotal diplomatic force, multiplying its mediation efforts across a spectrum of regional crises. This active, multi-front diplomacy serves both to safeguard its national security and to solidify its position as a key player on the global stage. Turkey’s strategic ...

IAEA Team to Visit Iran Within 2-3 Weeks
IAEA Team to Visit Iran Within 2-3 Weeks

A delegation from the International Atomic Energy Agency will visit Iran within two to three weeks, an Iranian official said Wednesday, adding that the group will not have access to the country's nuclear sites. "We have agreed, actually, to accept a delegation of the IAEA, a technical delegation, to pay a visit to Iran very soon, in two to three ...

Saudi Announces $5 Billion in Syria Investments
Saudi Announces $5 Billion in Syria Investments

A Saudi delegation visiting Damascus on Wednesday inked investment and partnership deals valued at $5 billion to help rebuild war-battered Syria, the oil-rich Gulf kingdom announced. Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of the new Syrian government, which seized power after Islamist-led rebels toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December ...