Local German conservatives cause uproar with call for talks with far right
A group of eastern German conservatives have caused outrage within Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) and among Jewish groups by demanding the party hold talks with the far right in the eastern state of Thuringia.
Explainer: Why is Lebanon in an economic and political mess?
Demonstrations have convulsed Beirut and other cities across Lebanon since mid-October, forcing the prime minister to resign and shaking confidence in an economy that was already in crisis.
World Bank ready to support Lebanon, urges quick formation of new cabinet
The World Bank said on Wednesday it stood ready to back a new Lebanese government, warning the country had no time to waste to tackle an emerging economic crisis worsening by the day.
Slovakia’s president digs in to fight law banning pre-election polls
Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova on Wednesday vetoed a new law extending a ban on publishing opinion polls up to 50 days before elections and vowed to challenge it at the Constitutional Court if the parliament overturns her veto.
Moon-Abe meeting ‘encouraging’ for Seoul-Tokyo ties: top U.S. diplomat
The United States was very encouraged by a recent meeting between the leaders of South Korea and Japan, a senior U.S. diplomat said on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions that could undercut three-way security cooperation on North Korea.
Two Jordanians detained by Israel return home after handover deal
Two Jordanians, whose detention without charge by Israel led Jordan to recall its ambassador, returned home on Wednesday in a handover deal that defused a diplomatic crisis, officials said.
Chilean police officers set on fire by Molotov cocktails
Reuters photographers covering protests in the central Santiago rallying point of Plaza Italia were getting ready to capture images on Monday as the police set about clearing the square for the evening.
Second Dutch lawyer working on drug cases shot within months: ANP
A Dutch lawyer on Wednesday was shot and seriously injured by unknown assailants just across the border in Germany, the second time an attorney from the Netherlands was targeted in two months, news agency ANP reported.
Mexican president says his government does not use Pegasus spyware
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Wednesday that his government does not use spy software known as Pegasus, which Israeli company NSO Group allegedly sold to the country’s previous government.
Water crisis builds in Egypt as dam talks falter, temperatures rise
Ahmed Abd-Rabo used to get all the water he needed to feed his crops 50 km (30 miles) from Egypt’s River Nile. Then supplies in the canal linking his seven acres to the river dwindled as other farmers drew more water, and he had to abandon half the plo…
