Travel and Places
28 Feb
Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro called a special cabinet meeting for Saturday after being accused of a conflict of interest over a contract involving one of his family's companies. Montenegro acknowledged on Friday that the accusations had caused "apprehension" as he called the cabinet meeting, vowing to "end this affair once and for all". The…
28 Feb
A week ago Donald Trump branded Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator. On Friday he will host the Ukrainian president at the White House and sign a deal granting Washington access to Ukraine's rare minerals. The extraordinary turnaround caps a week of frantic international diplomacy centered on Washington, as Kyiv seeks to shore up support despite Trump's…
26 Feb
Taiwan sent forces on Wednesday in response to China's "live-fire" drills off the self-ruled island, Taipei's defence ministry said, condemning the exercises as dangerous. China deployed 32 aircraft near Taiwan as part of a joint combat drill with Chinese warships and announced "live-fire exercises" in an area about 40 nautical miles (74 kilometres) off…
26 Feb
Freed Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas, whose wife and two sons were killed in captivity in Gaza, apologised Wednesday for being unable to protect his family during Hamas's October 2023 attack. "Shiri, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you all," he said in his eulogy at the funeral of his wife, Shiri, and two sons -- Kfir…
26 Feb
Hamas will hand over the bodies of four Israeli hostages on Thursday in what it said would be an exchange for more than 600 Palestinian prisoners, capping the first phase of a Gaza ceasefire deal. The United States said talks were on track for a second phase of the ceasefire deal that has largely held…
26 Feb
The mother of an Egyptian-British activist jailed in Cairo who has been on hunger strike for 150 days risks "sudden death", her doctor said Wednesday. Laila Soueif, 68, remained in hospital having been admitted late Monday due to "dangerously new lows" in her blood sugar and sodium levels, as well as her blood pressure. Her…
26 Feb
The EU on Wednesday unveiled a push to "simplify" its environmental rules to give businesses breathing room faced with competition from the United States and China -- while still vowing to decarbonise Europe's economy. The European Union's focus has pivoted to competitivity due to concerns over sluggish economic growth -- in a sharp move away…
25 Feb
Ukraine has agreed on the terms of a minerals deal with the United States and could sign it as early as Friday on a trip to Washington by President Volodymyr Zelensky, a senior Ukrainian official said. US President Donald Trump had demanded that Ukraine give access to its rare earth minerals to compensate for the…
25 Feb
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump's executive order putting a halt to refugee admissions in the United States. The ruling by a district judge in Seattle came in response to a lawsuit filed by refugee aid groups, and marks the latest legal setback to the president's efforts to re-shape America's relationship with…
22 Feb
German politicians made a final scramble for votes Saturday on the eve of crucial elections in which conservatives are favoured to win despite the dramatic rise of the far right. Sunday's vote comes at a time of upheaval for Europe and its biggest economy as US President Donald Trump has ended a united Western stance…
22 Feb
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Saturday that peace in Ukraine cannot be "imposed", as he prepares to visit the country. "Peace in Ukraine and security in Europe cannot be imposed," said Sanchez, who will embark on a visit to Kyiv on Monday as Ukraine prepares to mark three years since the start of the…
22 Feb
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen discussed "the need to secure a just and enduring peace in Ukraine" on a call Saturday, a Downing Street spokesperson said. The call comes on the back of concerns among European leaders over being sidelined by US President Donald Trump from talks…