UK, EU leaders to discuss Brexit, free trade talks
London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday will “take stock” of negotiations on a post-Brexit free trade deal and to “discuss next steps,” officials said. The announcement by both sides came as they were winding up another weeklong session of detailed negotiations on a rudimentary free […]
World leaders, virtual meeting 1.0: Was anybody listening?
Washington: In the space of a few minutes, on a prerecorded video filmed thousands of miles from where it was shown, the tech-savvy president of El Salvador captured the two strikingly different sides of this year’s unprecedented – and virtual – “gathering” of world leaders “at” the UN General Assembly in 2020. On one hand, […]
EU takes legal action against UK over planned Brexit bill
Brussels: The European Union took legal action against Britain on Thursday over its plans to pass legislation that would breach parts of the legally binding divorce agreement the two sides reached late last year. The EU action underscored the worsening relations with Britain, which was a member of the bloc until January 31. Both sides […]
Suicide bomber kills 9 at checkpoint in south Afghanistan
Kabul: An Afghan official says at least nine people including four civilians were killed when a suicide car bomber attacked a military checkpoint in southern Afghanistan. Omer Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor in Helmand, said Thursday a small child and three security personnel were wounded in the late Wednesday night attack in Nahri […]
Germany welcomes China climate goal, sees need for EU action
Berlin: German Chancellor Angela Merkel has welcomed China’s plan to be carbon-neutral by 2060, contrasting it with the US failure to abide by the goals of the Paris climate accord. In a speech on Wednesday to Germany’s Parliament, Merkel stressed the significance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s announcement last week as the European Union debates […]
Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf sworn in as new ruler of Kuwait
Dubai: Kuwait’s Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah was sworn in Wednesday as the ruling emir of the tiny oil-rich country, propelled to power by the death of his half-brother after a long career in the security services. At age 83, Sheikh Nawaf is not expected to deviate from the diplomatic path charted […]
Child poverty likely to increase in EU amid virus pandemic
Brussels: The European Union’s external auditor said Tuesday that child poverty has reached an “unacceptable” level across the world’s largest economy, a situation likely to worsen during the coronavirus pandemic. According to EU data, almost 23 million people under 18 — approximately one in four children — are at risk of poverty or social exclusion […]
Trump, Biden prepare to debate at a time of mounting crises
Cleveland (US): In an election year like no other, the first debate between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, could be a pivotal moment in a race that has remained stubbornly unchanged in the face of historic tumult. The Tuesday night debate will offer a massive platform for Trump and Biden to […]
Ethics experts see national security concern in Trump’s debt
Washington: Revelations that President Donald Trump is personally liable for more than USD 400 million in debt are casting a shadow that ethics experts say raises national security concerns he could be manipulated to sway U.S. policy by organisations or individuals he’s indebted to. New scrutiny of Trump, who claims great success as a private […]
UN failures on coronavirus underscore the need for reforms
United Nations: The coronavirus that has claimed nearly 1 million lives has underscored the failure of the United Nations to bring countries together to defeat it, prompting renewed calls to reform the world body so that it can meet challenges far different — and more daunting — than those it faced at its birth. As […]
