U.S. Treasury places sanctions on Libyan Islamist commander Badi
The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it had imposed sanctions on Libyan Islamist commander Salah Badi, accusing him of undermining security by directing attacks on groups aligned with Libya’s U.N.-backed Government of National Accord.
South African opposition wants payment to Ramaphosa campaign fund investigated
South Africa’s main opposition party has called for an independent inquiry into a $36,000 payment made to a fund that financed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s successful campaign for leader of the African National Congress last year.
Nobel literature body rejigs committee after sex scandal
The body that picks the winner of the annual Nobel Prize in Literature is setting up a new selection committee in a bid to draw a line under a sex scandal that forced it to cancel this year’s prize.
EU backs Iran sanctions over foiled France attack plot: diplomats
European Union foreign ministers on Monday endorsed a French government decision to sanction Iranian nationals accused of a bomb plot in France, a move that could enable EU-wide enforcement of the measures, diplomats said.
Canadian diplomats hit by Cuba illness feel ‘abandoned’: paper
A group of Canadian diplomats who left the embassy in Cuba after suffering unusual health symptoms say their foreign ministry has abandoned them, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Monday.
U.N. envoy to Yemen welcomes Houthis’ decision to halt missile attacks: tweet
The U.N. special envoy to Yemen welcomed the Houthis’ announcement to halt drone and missile strikes on the Saudi coalition, his office said on Monday.
Spain seeks assurances over Gibraltar in draft Brexit deal
Spain will not back the European Union’s draft Brexit agreement unless it makes clear that Madrid must specifically agree on the status of Gibraltar, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said on Monday.
‘Missing Picasso’ found in Romania may be hoax – media
A painting that Romanian prosecutors said on Sunday might be a work by Pablo Picasso stolen in 2012 is more likely a forgery created as a publicity stunt, Dutch media reported.
Russia accuses Kremlin critic Browder of ordering lawyer’s murder
Russian prosecutors said on Monday they suspected Kremlin critic Bill Browder of ordering the murder of a lawyer whose memory he has championed, but he dismissed the accusation as a cynical ploy to tar him for lobbying for sanctions on Moscow.
Brexit turmoil delays deal on Britain’s EU defense ties
British plans for a swift inclusion in the European Union’s new flagship defense pact are being undermined by political turmoil in London and uncertainly over the terms of Britain’s exit from the bloc, EU diplomats say.
