Newspaper owned by Lebanon’s Hariri prints last edition
Readers of the Lebanese daily Al-Mustaqbal leafed through its last print edition on Thursday, its move online underscoring the challenges ailing Lebanon’s press industry.
U.S. does not expect European SPV to affect U.S. pressure campaign on Iran
The United States does not expect a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) being set up by European nations to facilitate trade with Iran to affect its “maximum economic pressure” campaign against Tehran, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman said on Thursday.
Aid effort brings little relief for migrants trapped in Libya
A bigger presence of relief agencies, U.N. workers and diplomats in Libya has done little to ease the plight of migrants abused in detention centers and blocked from crossing the Mediterranean, migrants and aid workers say.
Bill targeting ‘yellow vest’ ‘hooligans’ ignites French freedom debate
French lawmakers have backed a bill banning protesters from hiding their faces during demonstrations, reinforcing President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to push back against violent members of the “yellow vest” movement.
Serbia to resume Kosovo talks only after it scraps tariffs, Vucic tells Trump
Serbia is ready to resume dialogue with Kosovo over the normalization of ties only after Pristina lifts import tariffs on Serbian goods imposed last year, President Aleksandar Vucic said in a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday.
Russia’s Putin accuses Kiev of meddling in Orthodox faith
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the government in Kiev of flagrantly meddling in the life of Orthodoxy in Ukraine where a new national church has broken away from Moscow’s orbit.
Zimbabwe’s public sector baulks on strike, teachers to stop work
Zimbabwe’s main public sector union has backed down from plans for a national strike, citing the volatile situation after security forces cracked down on protesters this month, but teachers will go ahead with a work stoppage.
French police rubbish claim that death of China’s HNA executive was deliberate
French police on Thursday reaffirmed that the death of HNA Group Co-Chairman Wang Jian during a business trip in France last summer was accidental, dismissing a newspaper report that he more likely committed suicide.
EU parliament recognises Guaido as Venezuelan interim president
The European Parliament recognised Venezuela’s self-declared interim president Juan Guaido as de facto head of state on Thursday, heightening international pressure on the OPEC member’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro.
Spain court agrees to extradite former Venezuelan deputy minister to U.S.
A Spanish court agreed on Thursday to extradite former Venezuelan deputy energy minister Nervis Villalobos to the United States, to face charges related to a scheme to solicit bribes in exchange for favorable treatment from state oil company PDVSA.
