French President Emmanuel Macron sees himself as Europe’s savior and next week’s European Parliament elections as a make-or-break moment for the beleaguered European Union. But Mr. Macron is no longer the fresh-faced force who marched into a surprising presidential victory to the rousing EU anthem two years ago. His pro-Europe vision has collided with populists […]
Tag: International
Saudi Arabia says it seeks to avert war, ball in Iran’s court
Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with “all strength” following last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets, telling Iran that the ball was now in its court. Riyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday’s drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in […]
Justin Amash becomes first Republican lawmaker to call for Trump impeachment
Republican lawmaker Justin Amash said on Saturday that he believed Donald Trump has engaged in “impeachable conduct,” becoming the first politician of his party to call for removing the president from his party. The Michigan representative also accused Attorney General William Barr of “deliberately” misleading the public over the actual content and tenor of Special […]
U.K. law secures rights of Sikhs to carry kirpans
The U.K. government has passed an amendment by which Sikhs in the country will be allowed to carry kirpans and use it during religious and cultural functions. The ‘Offensive Weapons Bill’ received the royal assent this week. The Bill had been amended late last year to ensure that it would not impact the right of […]
Why has the U.S. raised trade war stakes?
The story so far: On July 6, 2018, the United States administration slapped a tariff of 25% on $50 billion worth of imports from China. China responded immediately with retaliatory tariffs on a similar scale. On May 10, 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump raised the tariff rate to 25% (from the existing level of 10%) […]
Austrian far-right leader resigns after video scandal
Austrian Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, a key figure of the European far-right, resigned on May 18 after explosive revelations from a hidden camera sting, just days before key EU elections. “I tendered my resignation as Vice-Chancellor of Austria to Chancellor Kurz, and he accepted this decision,” an emotional Mr. Strache said in a televised statement. Media […]
Australian federal election 2019: Citizens vote to elect PM in climate-dominated election
Australians today have voted to elect their next parliament and prime minister, in what has been widely referred to as the climate-change election, with the first exit poll showing a victory for the opposition Labor Party. After five weeks long election campaigning across the country, around 16 million Australians swarmed to the polling booths across […]
Former CIA official gets 20 years’ imprisonment for spying for China
A former official of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was on Friday sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for spying for China. The former official, Kevin Mallory, was convicted under the Espionage Act for selling classified US “defense information” to a Chinese intelligence agent for $25,000. “Former US Intelligence officer Mallory will spend the next […]
Defiant Iran says it can easily hit US ships, works to counter sanctions
Iran said on Friday it could “easily” hit US warships in the Gulf, the latest in days of saber rattling between Washington and Tehran, while its top diplomat worked to counter US sanctions and salvage a nuclear deal denounced by President Donald Trump. Tensions have risen in recent days, with concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran […]
Sri Lanka: awaiting justice for a decade
Given a choice between living in a camp for displaced persons and in a home of his own, Dinesh Kumar would have chosen the latter any day. But nothing prepared him for the daily battle at his new house. “I go to the sea to fish, but the catch has fallen drastically in the years […]