Lebanon announces formation of new government
Lebanon’s presidency announced the formation of a new national unity government on Thursday, ending months of wrangling over the make-up of the cabinet.
U.S. will act if Turkish trade violates Venezuela sanctions, official says
The United States is monitoring trade between its NATO ally Turkey and Venezuela and will take action if it judges any sanctions have been violated, a senior U.S. official said on Thursday.
Venezuela’s Guaido says special police force at his house
Venezuela’s self-proclaimed president, Juan Guaido, said on Thursday that agents from a feared special police unit were at his home asking for his wife, in a sign of increasing pressure on the opposition leader trying to topple the government.
German region tells parties: put equal numbers of men and women up for election
The regional parliament of the German state of Brandenburg voted on Thursday to make political parties put an equal number of men and women up for elections.
Social Democrats put brakes on German fighter-jet replacement
Germany’s Social Democrats (SPD), junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition, are putting the brakes on plans to buy some U.S. warplanes as part of broader plans to replace the German military’s 85 ageing Tornado fighter jets.
Fifteen candidates join presidential race in Slovakia
Fifteen candidates including an experienced diplomat backed by the ruling party and a political newcomer promising to fight corruption announced bids to become Slovakia’s president by Thursday’s deadline.
UAE souvenir shops stock up for pope’s visit
Souvenir shops in the United Arab Emirates are stocking up with Christian memorabilia to mark the visit of Pope Francis, who begins the first ever papal tour of the Arabian Peninsula on Sunday.
Indian court holds two more people sent from UAE in helicopter bribery case
An Indian court has ordered two men sent to India from the United Arab Emirates to be held pending trial over alleged bribery of government officials to buy helicopters, in a case which has become an issue in India’s upcoming general election.
Amid cries of ‘traitor,’ Canada’s Trudeau set for ugly election
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who swept to power on a wave of optimism in 2015, is set for an ugly reelection campaign this October, judging by exchanges with voters in public town halls this month where he was grilled on topics ranging from …
Knowledge is power: Uzbekistan lifts ban on political science
Uzbekistan will resume teaching political science this year, according to a presidential decree signaling the return of a subject said to have been decried as pseudoscience by the previous leadership.
