World

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog warned Tuesday that “the margins for manoeuvre are beginning to shrink” on Iran’s nuclear programme ahead of an important trip to Tehran.”The Iranian administration must understand that the international situation is becoming increasingly tense and that the margins to manoeuvre are beginning to shrink, and that it …

Nuclear watchdog chief says room to manoeuvre on Iran ‘shrinking’ Read More »

NATO chief Mark Rutte on Tuesday called on Western countries to ramp up support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, saying Kyiv required more than just being kept “in the fight”.”We must do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight,” Rutte told reporters ahead of talks in Paris with French leader Emmanuel Macron.”We …

NATO ‘must do more than just keep Ukraine in fight’, says Rutte Read More »

Leading lights of the tech industry met in Lisbon on Tuesday for the Web Summit, the sector’s first big event since the US election, with Donald Trump’s victory expected to be a key theme of their discussions.The tech industry is holding its breath to see what Trump’s second term will bring when he takes over …

Tech sector gathers in Lisbon in shadow of Trump victory Read More »

Backing Ukraine “as long as it takes”, building bridges with Donald Trump and standing firm towards China — the EU’s designated foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas made her pitch to lawmakers at a confirmation hearing on Tuesday.A hawkish Russia critic, the 47-year-old Kallas needs parliament’s green light to succeed Josep Borrell as the bloc’s top …

EU unity in a ‘world on fire’: Kallas makes top diplomat pitch Read More »

The host of the UN climate summit in Azerbaijan on Tuesday defended fossil fuels and the right of countries to exploit them as dozens of world leaders arrived for the COP29 conference.More than 75 leaders are expected, but the heads of many top polluting nations are skipping the crunch climate talks, where the impact of …

Azerbaijan defends fossil fuels at COP29 as big names skip summit Read More »

Spain’s minority left-wing government wants to galvanise its deadlocked 2025 draft budget by linking it to urgent reconstruction funds following devastating floods, sparking “blackmail” accusations from the conservative opposition.Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s government unveiled its spending plans for next year in September, forecasting a public deficit reaching 2.5 percent of annual economic output.But the text …

Spain PM accused of ‘blackmail’ by tying budget to flood aid Read More »

The Philippines prepared Tuesday to evacuate potentially tens of thousands of people as the fifth major storm in three weeks bore down on the archipelago shortly after the onslaught of Typhoon Toraji.Now a weakened tropical storm, Toraji blew out to sea overnight after causing relatively limited damage and no reported deaths.But Tropical Storm Usagi is …

Fifth storm in under a month bears down on Philippines Read More »

A former Wall Street Journal reporter began proceedings Tuesday to sue the newspaper for “unreasonable dismissal”, after she said she was fired for taking up a role heading a Hong Kong press union.Selina Cheng reported on the Chinese electric vehicle industry for the newspaper before she was made redundant in July, weeks after she was …

Hong Kong press union head sues WSJ for ‘unreasonable dismissal’ Read More »

US President-elect Donald Trump announced new members of his incoming administration on Monday, and was expected to pick Senator Marco Rubio as secretary of state.Both Rubio and Congressman Michael Waltz, who has been lined up for the powerful National Security Advisor role, have notably hawkish views on China, which they see as a threat and …

Trump makes new appointments, Rubio tipped for secretary of state Read More »

Senior Russian official Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday told China’s foreign minister Wang Yi their two countries’ most urgent task should be countering “containment” by the United States, as they met for security talks in Beijing.Moscow and Beijing have expanded military and defence ties since Russia ordered troops into Ukraine nearly three years ago, with Chinese …

China, Russia must fight US ‘containment’: security chief Read More »