UK to formulate Irish border proposals ‘in a few days’: Hunt
Britain will take a few days to formulate proposals to put to the European Union in an attempt to resolve the issue of Irish border arrangements after Brexit, foreign minister Jeremy Hunt told BBC radio on Thursday.
Miners BHP, Rio urge permanent voice for First Nations in Australia’s parliament
Australia’s two biggest miners on Thursday backed calls for an indigenous advisory body in parliament, saying Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s opposition to the proposal did not “stand up to scrutiny”.
Zimbabwe’s public sector union backs down on strike, cites volatile situation
Zimbabwe’s umbrella public sector union has backed down from plans for a national strike, an official said on Thursday, citing the volatile situation in the country after this month’s violent protests were met by a brutal security crackdown.
Cost-conscious Chinese tourists staying closer to home for Lunar New Year
Trade tensions with the United States and a slowing economy are keeping Chinese tourists to budget-friendly destinations closer to home for the Lunar New Year holiday, with more likely opting for Bangkok than Sydney or San Francisco.
China’s military-run space station in Argentina is a ‘black box’
LAS LAJAS, Argentina – When China built a military-run space station in Argentina’s Patagonian region it promised to include a visitors’ center to explain the purpose of its powerful 16-story antenna.
Russia, U.S. last-ditch talks to break nuclear pact deadlock fail: agencies
Russia and the United States failed to bridge their differences over a landmark Cold War-era arms treaty at last-ditch talks in Beijing, Russia’s deputy foreign minister was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies on Thursday.
Watchdog shows Afghan defense forces declining as peace talks edge forward
The strength of the embattled Afghan defense forces has declined to its lowest level in four years, a U.S. watchdog said on Thursday, as talks between Washington and the Taliban continue over the possible withdrawal of foreign troops.
African churches boom in London’s backstreets
On a cold, grey Sunday morning, in a street lined with shuttered builders’ yards and storage units, songs of prayer in the West African language of Yoruba ring out from a former warehouse that is now a church.
Soft power: Australia uses hard game to tackle China in Pacific
Australia will direct more foreign aid to develop the sport of rugby league in the Pacific, officials say, bolstering a soft power offensive against China’s growing influence in the region.
Citgo expatriate workers in U.S. ordered to return to Venezuela: sources
Venezuela has told dozens of expatriate staff working for Citgo Petroleum Corp in the United States that they must return to Caracas by the end of February, people familiar with the matter said, following U.S. sanctions aimed at forcing socialist Presi…
