As rift lingers with neighbors, Qatar ramps up air and seapower
Qatar will more than double its naval forces by 2025 as a massive new base comes online and it expands a national service program amid a protracted dispute with neighbors which it says requires greater self-reliance.
Trump adviser Bolton hones ties with Brazil’s far-right leader
U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton met Brazil’s far-right President-elect Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday to draw closer the two biggest economies in the Americas, whose leaders are ideologically in lockstep.
Germany prepared to keep providing aid for Ukraine’s Donbass region
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday that Germany was prepared to continue providing aid to the Donbass region of Ukraine, which he said needed a lasting ceasefire.
Ukraine to only allow Ukrainian citizens to travel to Crimea
Ukraine’s border service said on Thursday it would only allow Ukrainian citizens to travel to Crimea following the imposition of martial law until Dec 26.
Portugal’s parliament passes deficit-shrinking 2019 budget
Portugal’s parliament on Thursday approved in the final reading the minority Socialist government’s 2019 budget bill that aims to nearly eliminate the deficit in an election year, further reducing Portugal’s debt burden, still one of Europe’s heaviest….
Sri Lanka signs port deals with China amid political upheaval
Sri Lanka penned two multi-million dollar contracts with Chinese firms for a port upgrade project on Thursday in the middle of a political hiatus that has raised doubts over the legitimacy of the government and the legality of the deals.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro says he discussed Cuba, Israel, trade with Bolton
Brazilian President-elect Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday that he and U.S. national security adviser John Bolton talked about improving trade ties between the two most populous countries in the Americas, as well as discussing Cuba and Israel during a o…
EU court adviser gives mixed view on Belgian nuclear reactors
Belgium may have breached EU law in extending the life of two nuclear reactors because it failed to carry out a full assessment of the environmental impact, an adviser to the European Union’s top court said on Thursday.
OSCE says ruling party’s candidate had ‘undue advantage’ in Georgia poll
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said on Thursday that one side in Georgia’s presidential election had enjoyed an “undue advantage” after the candidate backed by the ruling party won a run-off.
Moscow’s new cable car closed by cyberattack
Moscow’s latest tourist attraction, a cable car over the Moskva River, has been shut the day after it opened because of what the operator said was a cyberattack.
