Iraq’s Kurdish regional parliament elects interim speaker amid boycott
Iraqi Kurdish lawmakers on Monday elected an interim speaker of parliament, an assembly key to regional stability, although the Kurds’ second largest party boycotted the vote due to a rift between the main political forces in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
Ukraine seeks more EU aid for south, east regions as elections near
Ukraine’s foreign minister asked the European Union on Monday for hundreds of millions of euros in loans and aid for infrastructure and businesses in its troubled east and south, regions he said Russia was trying to “suffocate”.
‘Wake up’, Macron will tell Europe in major pre-Brexit speech: sources
French President Emmanuel Macron will describe Brexit as a wake-up call in a speech in coming weeks in which he will outline how Europe must be more assertive in the face of rival world powers, sources close to Macron said.
Saudi visit highlights Pakistan’ search for investment
The lavish welcome for visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Islamabad this weekend could hardly have made more clear Pakistan’s dependence on foreign investments to prop up its stumbling economy and plug its depleted reserves.
Mexican president will not ‘confront’ church over sexual abuse claims
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday he would not confront the country’s Catholic Church over sexual abuse allegations and that it would fall to the prosecutor’s office to investigate such claims.
No need for Shinzo Abe: Trump already nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is not saying whether or not he nominated Donald Trump for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, but the question may be moot: the U.S. president has been put forward by others for the prestigious award.
Trump to say Venezuela’s military at risk for supporting Maduro
U.S. President Donald Trump will say in a speech on Monday that Venezuela’s military officials should “work toward democracy” or risk losing everything they have.
Americans arrested in Haiti with weapons: media
Haitian police arrested a group of foreign nationals including Americans armed with semi-automatic weapons, Haitian newspapers reported on Monday, adding to uncertainty in the poor Caribbean country after more than a week of anti-government protests.
Brazil bans upstream mining dams after deadly Vale disaster
Brazil’s government on Monday banned new upstream mining dams and ordered the decommissioning of all such dams by 2021, targeting the type of structure that burst last month in the town of Brumadinho, killing hundreds of people.
Yemen’s parties agree to start stalled troop withdrawal from main port
Yemen’s warring parties have agreed to start withdrawing forces from the main port of Hodeidah under a U.N.-sponsored deal, the United Nations said, following weeks of diplomacy to salvage a pact that stalled over control of the Red Sea city.
