President Joe Biden may be on the other side of the world but his political fight back home over the debt ceiling has followed him. Bruce Reed is the White House deputy chief of staff and he has trailed president, "updating POTUS on the status of the talks", as a...

Japanese PM Fumio Kishida is hosting leaders from six other wealthy democracies in his hometown -- a city synonymous with nuclear destruction and now peppered with peace monuments. Leaders including US President Joe Biden will try over three days to forge a united front on Russia and China, where the...

Erdogan made the announcement one day before it had been due to expire, scoring a diplomatic coup ahead of a May 28 runoff election in which he will try to extend his two-decade rule until 2028. He thanked "my precious friend", Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and...

PARIS, FRANCE -  Russia's oil exports rose in April to the highest level since its invasion of Ukraine, boosting revenues by US$1.7 billion despite Western sanctions, the International Energy Agency said on Tuesday.The Paris-based organization said Russian exports increased by 50,000 barrels per day to 8.3 million bpd last month, estimating that...

In a visit to various European capitals to hold consultations with his allies, Zelensky dined with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace on Sunday night and held discussions that included building up Ukraine's arsenal. The leaders reviewed the military situation and the need for an ad hoc tribunal...

Muscat, Oman--Qatar Chamber (QC) Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim Al-Thani has called for a unified policy for purchase of food and medicine at a meeting in Muscat.This came during his participation in the consultative meeting between GCC ministers of commerce and heads of unions and chambers of commerce and industry...

Riyadh,  Saudi Arabia - Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah discussed in a phone call on Friday, with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, bilateral relations and the ongoing war in Ukraine.During the call, the two ministers also exchanged views on a number of regional and...

CUACOS, SPAIN -  UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said peace negotiations to end the conflict in Ukraine were "not possible at this moment," in an interview published by Spanish daily El Pais on Tuesday.His statement came as the leaders of Russia and Ukraine called for victory during events commemorating the end of...

Russian troops have battled since last summer to capture Bakhmut, the political importance of which has come to surpass any strategic value. As the counteroffensive looms, Moscow has ordered families with children and elderly members to temporarily evacuate a slew of Russian-held areas in southern Ukraine.

The 69-year-old has become one of Turkey's most important and divisive leaders since his Islamic-rooted party ended half a century of secular rule and launched an era of social transformation. Turkey became a strategic player with a vibrant economy and a modern army of drones that shifted battlefields in wars...

Vlad Marinescu, the IJF director general said that the IJF executive committee voted unanimously to reinstate Russians and Belarusians. The decision to end the ban followed a recommendation of the International Olympic Committee.

Terming it as a "planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation," Moscow said that two unmanned vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin and the devices were "put out of action." The statement said that Russia reserves the right to take retaliatory...

Consumer prices edged up from 6.9 percent in March, which could further encourage the European Central Bank (ECB) to raise interest rates on Thursday. Analysts for FactSet and Bloomberg had predicted the rate would remain stable. The ECB has hiked rates repeatedly since July last year to rein in inflation.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he was not giving estimates of Ukrainian casualties because "they are the victims here. Russia is the aggressor." The White House will not put "information in the public domain that makes it any harder" for the close Western ally, whose army is being...

Tunis, Tunisia -- President Kais Saied has called for the revival of Tunisia's phosphate industry, suggesting he will seek alternative sources of revenue that would allow the country to do without a foreign bailout."Our gold is underground while the country is facing a difficult financial situation," Saied told a meeting Wednesday...

The firm had sold its oil sands activities in Canada to SunCor Energy.

The veteran Democrat would be 86 by the end of a second term. Even if a medical exam in February found him "fit" to execute the duties of the presidency, many including in his own voter base believe he is too old. An NBC News poll released over the weekend...

Financial results were published in ADB’s Annual Report 2022.

Australia launched its biggest defense overhaul in decades, vowing to turn a military that is "no longer fit for purpose" into a fighting force that could deter China or any would-be foe. Defense Minister Richard Marles unveiled a strategic review that called for using missiles, submarines and cyber tools to...

China insisted it respects the sovereignty of all ex-Soviet countries, after comments by its ambassador to France drew ire in Europe. Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, the European Union's three Baltic countries, summoned China's envoys to account for Ambassador Lu Shaye questioning the sovereignty of former Soviet states.

"German business's worries are abating, but the economy is still lacking dynamism," said Ifo president Clemens Fuest.

Brussels, Belgium - Comments made by the Chinese ambassador to France questioning the sovereignty of post-Soviet countries were "unacceptable," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Sunday.Borrell added that he hoped the comments did not reflect Beijing's official stance."Unacceptable remarks of the Chinese ambassador to France," Borrell tweeted."The EU can only...

Geneva, Switzerland -- Researchers from around the world have embarked on an effort to try to build a system allowing humanity to anticipate violent conflicts before they erupt -- and thus potentially prevent them.They will examine dramatic advances in artificial intelligence and how the decisions taken by the world's leaders...

According to a ranking by the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute (SWFI), the Norwegian fund is the biggest in the world, just ahead of the China Investment Corporation and followed by those in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Singapore.

After two days of talks in the bucolic Japanese mountain resort town Karuizawa, the top diplomats from leading economies unveiled no new sanctions on Moscow over its invasion but pledged to crack down on those helping Russia evade the measures and acquire weapons.

Iran's judiciary had said in November 2021 that a trial had opened in Tehran for 10 military members in connection with the jet's downing.

In February this year, the Iraqi foreign minister reiterated Baghdad's support for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, during a visit to Baghdad by his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

They also announced a series of deals, including one for the UAE-controlled Mataripe refinery in northeastern Brazil to invest up to $2.5 billion in a biodiesel project in the region, and another on cooperating against climate change. The UAE is due to host the COP28 UN climate talks later this...

ABU DHABI, UAE - Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived here Saturday, following a two-day visit to China to strengthen economic and diplomatic ties.The UAE's energy and infrastructure minister, Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazrouei, welcomed the Brazilian leader at Abu Dhabi airport, local media reported.Lula, who in January returned to...

BERLIN, GERMANY - Germany will switch off its last three nuclear reactors on Saturday, exiting atomic power even as it seeks to wean itself off fossil fuels and manage an energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine.While many Western countries are upping their investments in atomic energy to reduce their...

Russia delivered a new warning to the West over a grain deal with Ukraine, saying a number of conditions must be met for Moscow to extend it beyond May 18. Negotiated in July by Turkey and the United Nations, the agreement has given Ukrainian grain shipments a safe corridor in...

Evan Gershkovich was formally charged with espionage by Russia, according to Russian news agencies, accusation rejected both by the reporter and his employer, the Wall Street Journal. The charges are the first of their kind in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union, sparking off an outcry from media...

World food prices are still high but have fallen by a fifth compared to a year ago when prices soared to a monthly record high after Russia invaded agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, UN data showed. Prices have fallen 20.5 percent since March 2022 after a 12th straight monthly drop, the Food...

Beijing, China--French and EU leaders will on Thursday seek to make Europe's case for bringing an end to the conflict in Ukraine in a Beijing meeting with Xi Jinping, a close ally of Vladimir Putin.French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen will be greeted late afternoon...

The French leader's aims include preserving and rebalancing China's trade ties with Europe as well as safeguarding French interests in the Asia-Pacific region, where Paris sees itself as a player due to its overseas territories and military deployments. On the eve of his visit, Macron discussed his trip to China...

Sunday's move "caught the markets off guard" and reversed recent oil-price gains, noted ActivTrades analyst Ricardo Evangelista. "With the fizzling out of the banking crisis and the return of optimism to the markets, the price of the barrel was already showing signs of recovering," he noted.

Kyiv, Ukraine--Ukraine on Saturday branded Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of April "a slap in the face", joining a chorus of outrage from Western countries.Moscow assumes the presidency as part of its monthly rotation between the Security Council's 15 member states, with ties with the West...

Two weeks after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan publicly backed its bid, Turkish lawmakers unanimously supported Finland's membership of the US-led defense alliance after the Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Turkey was the final NATO nation to ratify the Nordic country's accession, which NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said will make the "NATO...

Warsaw, Poland - Poland's prime minister on Wednesday appealed to Brussels to limit the amount of Ukrainian grain entering the European Union, saying it was destabilizing local markets.Ukraine, one of the world's largest grain exporters, saw its traditional Black Sea export routes blocked or limited by Russia's invasion.The EU has since...

Moscow, Russia--Russian oil sales to India surged more than twentyfold last year as European buyers turned to other markets following the conflict in Ukraine, Russia's deputy prime minister said Tuesday.Russia shifted its oil exports to India and China last year as European Union nations sought to end their reliance on Russian...

Ankara,Turkey - Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed during a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the deal to ship grain across the Black Sea..Last week Turkey announced the extension of the deal that has allowed exports of Ukrainian grain to resume following Russia's invasion, but it was unclear...

Even with a better outlook for 2024, global growth will remain well below its historic average of 3.8 percent, she said at the China Development Forum. Uncertainties are exceptionally high, including because of risks of geo-economic fragmentation which could mean a world split into rival economic blocs.

Moscow, Russia--Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday he would deploy tactical nuclear weapons in neighbour and ally Belarus, bringing the arms to a country at the gates of the European Union.Putin has previously issued thinly veiled warnings that he could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine if Russia were threatened, reviving Cold...

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK - Denmark has invited the Russian-controlled operator of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to help recover a mystery object that was spotted near the pipeline, six months after sections were sabotaged.Russian President Vladimir Putin, who revealed the discovery of the object earlier this month, said experts believe that it...

Mohammed bin Salman has also worked to mend rifts with regional rivals like Qatar and Turkey, and even offered up the Gulf kingdom as a possible mediator for the war in Ukraine.

The ECB president insisted, however, that if the most recent forecasts were confirmed, "we will still have ground to cover to make sure that inflation pressures are stamped out".

But US officials and experts say that China's diplomacy is not so much about ending the war as an attempt to change the narrative. Xi "would like to be seen and be taken seriously as a peacemaker," said Robert Daly, director of the Wilson Center's Kissinger Institute on China.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell had warned Monday that if crisis-torn Tunisia "collapses economically or socially then we will be in a situation where new flows of migrants will come to Europe". An EU delegation arrived in Tunisia on Tuesday to examine "the political and socio-economic situation" and...

The head of the Western military alliance said he welcomed any proposals that could lead to a "just and sustainable peace". He said China's paper included some positive elements, including emphasising nuclear safety, protecting civilians and territorial integrity.

LONDON, UK- Europe's natural gas price slid Monday below US$43 for the first time in more than a year and a half, dampened by mild weather and high storage levels.In morning London deals, the price of benchmark Dutch TTF gas hit $42.5 per megawatt hour - last seen in July 2021.Monday's...