Sept 16 (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado faces a growing dilemma over when to return home from abroad to rally support amid reticence from the Trump administration about her homecoming, four opposition sources and two political analysts said. Machado left the country lat
By Andrius Sytas and Mark Trevelyan VILNIUS, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Belarus has agreed to free 25 prisoners in return for a further easing of U.S. sanctions, an envoy for President Donald Trump said on Wednesday. The deal was part of lengthy negotiations in which Washington is urging Belarusian Preside
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has canceled a trip to the U.N. General Assembly next week as he faces mounting pressure at home during a string of difficult state elections. A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they couldn’t publicly discuss a trip that h
MOSCOW, Sept 16 (Reuters) – A Russian court has convicted a Russian-Canadian national of treason and sentenced him to seven years in a penal colony for work he did for for separatist movements based outside Russia, the RIA state news agency reported on Wednesday. RIA reported that the man, whom it n
By Maya Gebeily and Raghed Waked RMEICH, Lebanon, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Kicking up a column of dust, the United Nations peacekeeping vehicles were the only cars on the road as they passed bombed-out buildings on their way to Christian towns deep in southern Lebanon’s Israeli-occupied zone. More than s
NEW DELHI, Sept 16 (Reuters) – India’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that it had summoned the top Pakistani diplomat to lodge a strong protest over what it said was “unacceptable and unprofessional conduct” of Pakistani naval units that led to a collision with an Indian warship. This is the fir
NAIROBI, Sept 16 (Reuters) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has replaced the head of the election commission, only about three months before the first national election since independence in 2011. • The president, in an announcement read out by the state-owned broadcaster on Tuesday, said commis
Sept 16 (Reuters) – A Russian drone attack on a passenger bus killed five people and wounded at least seven more in Ukraine’s southeast on Wednesday, in an area close to the frontline, the regional governor said. The attack hit in an area around the city of Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region governor Ol
At various times over the last decade, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Britain and Israel have carried out punishing air raids on Yemen’s Houthi rebels — only to see them grow even stronger. Now, as the Iran-backed Houthis advance on a key maritime chokepoint and strike Sa
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci will learn his fate Wednesday when international judges at a court in The Hague deliver verdicts in his war crimes trial. Thaci is facing multiple counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture and persecu
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is due to make his first public appearance in more than a year on Wednesday, after the presiding judge in his case at the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands said she expected the 81-year-old to attend a pretrial h
By Maria Rugamer, Michael Kahn and Supantha Mukherjee Sept 16 (Reuters) – European militaries are increasingly exploring cheaper missiles and interceptors after conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East exposed the limits of small inventories of high-end weapons. Along Europe’s eastern flank, Russia’
By Mei Mei Chu BEIJING, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun urged nations on Wednesday to avoid provocative acts and curb the resurgence of regressive historical trends in remarks likely to be taken as veiled criticism of Japan. Dong’s comments at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on sec
BANJARMASIN, Indonesia, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Desperation and frustration are growing among families of the 129 people still missing following the weekend capsizing of a ship in Indonesia’s Java Sea, as persistent heavy seas and bad weather continue to restrict search-and-rescue operations. The Virgo
They lead party tickets, star in campaign videos and appear in televised debates. They are Russians who have fought in Ukraine, and they feature prominently in this week’s parliamentary election. Election officials say nearly 200 candidates have served in Ukraine, and the Kremlin touts them as part
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court has ruled that North Korea should pay the South 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) for blowing up a joint liaison office between the countries in 2020 as their relations deteriorated following the collapse of nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Was
By Eduardo Baptista BEIJING, Sept 16 (Reuters) – China urged the United States to halt its military build-up in outer space after Washington acknowledged it has weapons deployed in orbit, while Chinese state media warned the move could fuel a global arms race. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson G
By Jan Strupczewski and Yves Herman BRUSSELS, Sept 16 (Reuters) – The head of the European Commission will call on Wednesday for European Union solidarity in tackling climate change, artificial intelligence and competition from China, arguing no single EU country can handle these challenges on its o
By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) – A new poll of over 35,000 people worldwide shows continued support for global cooperation and rising trust in international institutions, but less comfort with the United States or China taking leadership roles. In fact, many view both as a threat. Th
By Christian Martinez Sept 15 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Justice has charged five people in connection with alleged Russian plots involving surveillance, recruitment and targeted killings, according to an indictment unsealed on Tuesday. The five people allegedly worked for Russian intelligen
By Mei Mei Chu BEIJING, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun urged nations on Wednesday to avoid provocative acts and curb the resurgence of regressive historical trends in remarks likely to be taken as veiled criticism of Japan. Dong’s comments at the Beijing Xiangshan Forum on sec
HANOI, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Five people were killed in a fire in a four-storey house in a densely populated residential area of Hanoi early on Wednesday, police said. The fire was brought under control at about 2:30 a.m. (1930 GMT Tuesday) and fully extinguished 15 minutes later, Hanoi police said on
By Joyce Lee and Kyu-seok Shim SEOUL, Sept 16 (Reuters) – A Seoul court on Wednesday ordered North Korea to pay 44.6 billion won ($32.5 million) in damages over its 2020 demolition of an inter-Korean liaison office, South Korean media reported, marking the first ruling in a lawsuit brought by South
By Stephanie van den Berg and Fatos Bytyci THE HAGUE/PRISTINA, Sept 16 (Reuters) – The Kosovo war crimes tribunal on Wednesday will deliver its judgement in the case of former president Hashim Thaci and several wartime commanders accused of murder and torture during the territory’s violent break fro
(Fix spelling of name in byline to ‘Gunawan’ from ‘Goenawan’. No change in text) By Johan Purnomo and Soepriyadi Gunawan PONTIANAK, Indonesia, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Indonesian housewife Mimi Marlina rode a motorbike through thickening haze blanketing the city of Pontianak on Borneo island, making a fo
Israel, 7 Arab States Hold Secret Military Talks on Iran, Houthis in Germany By The Media Line Staff Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir joined the military chiefs of seven Arab countries for a secret meeting in Germany last week, where commanders discussed the war with Ir
Malaysia Expands Scrutiny of Israel-Bound Cargo, Detains 3 More Containers By The Media Line Staff Malaysia has detained three containers headed for Israel at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas as authorities investigate their cargo, Bloomberg reported, less than two weeks after another Israel-linked shipm
JAKARTA, Sept 16 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s anti-graft agency said it has detained eight people, including the president director of property developer Summarecon Agung and government officials, in an alleged bribery case involving land-use rights. Electronic evidence and cash in rupiah and foreign cur
At Least 13 Saudis Injured by Houthi Strikes,100,000 Displaced in Yemen By The Media Line Staff Houthi missile and drone attacks struck civilian areas in Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, injuring 13 people, as escalating fighting between the Iran-backed group and Saudi-backed government forces has dis
US Sanctions Russia’s VTB Bank Over Iran Sanctions Evasion, Banking Ties By The Media Line Staff The US Treasury Department sanctioned VTB Bank Public Joint Stock Company on Tuesday over its financial dealings with Iran, accusing one of Russia’s largest financial institutions of helping Tehran evade
