China engages in Australia’s largest maritime drill for first time
China is participating for the first time in Australia’s largest maritime exercise as more than 3,000 personnel from 27 countries engage in joint training off the strategic northern port of Darwin.
Support for Merkel’s coalition parties hits record low: poll
Combined support for German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative alliance and their partners, the left-leaning Social Democrats (SPD), has hit a record low for any such ‘grand coalition’ government, according to a survey published on Sunday.
Anti-immigration party set for election gains as Sweden swings right
Swedes voted on Sunday in an election dominated by fears over asylum seekers and welfare, with the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats vying to become the biggest party in a country long seen as a bastion of liberal values.
UNHCR says Tripoli facility ready to help refugees caught up in fighting
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Saturday recommended that thousands of refugees who escaped from detention centers amid clashes between militia in Tripoli be directed to a facility in the capital to help them to safety.
Iraqi officials lift curfew in Basra
Iraqi officials in Basra lifted a curfew on Saturday night that had been in place since 4 p.m. (1300 GMT), the military said.
Fresh from end of bailout, Greek PM announces tax breaks
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday unveiled plans for tax cuts and pledged spending to heal years of painful austerity, less than a month after Greece emerged from a bailout program financed by its EU partners and the IMF.
Trump cuts $25 million in aid for Palestinians in East Jerusalem hospitals
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered that $25 million earmarked for the care of Palestinians in East Jerusalem hospitals be directed elsewhere as part of a review of aid, a State Department official said on Saturday.
Flush from end of bailout, Greek PM announces tax breaks
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Saturday unveiled plans for tax cuts and pledged spending to heal years of painful austerity, less than a month after Greece emerged from a bailout program financed by its EU partners and the IMF.
Google pulls Russian opposition leader’s YouTube advert ahead of vote
Google removed a YouTube advert by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after authorities complained that the videos would violate an election silence law before Sunday’s vote for regional governors, an aide to Navalny said on Saturday.
Shaken Dutch lawmaker Wilders says no more Prophet cartoons, for now
Dutch lawmaker and anti-Islam campaigner Geert Wilders has said he has no plans, for now, to revive a competition of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed after it emerged as a motive for a stabbing in Amsterdam last week.
