U.N. fears chemical weapons in Syria battle with ‘10,000 terrorists’
The United Nations called on Russia, Iran and Turkey on Thursday to forestall a battle in Syria’s Idlib province which would affect millions of civilians and could see both militants and the government potentially using chlorine as a chemical weapon.
Kremlin says no sign that U.S. seeking sanctions compromise
The Kremlin said on Thursday there was no sign that the United States wanted to reach a compromise with Moscow to avoid imposing a new round of sanctions on Russia.
Despite tensions, China says navy chief plans to visit U.S. next month
China’s defense ministry said on Thursday that navy chief Shen Jinlong plans to visit the United States in September, despite an escalating trade row that threatens to spill into other areas of tension between the two countries.
Macron rejects cronyism accusations after author gets top L.A. posting
French President Emmanuel Macron rebuffed accusations of cronyism on Thursday after an author close to him landed a top diplomatic post in the United States, just weeks after coveted foreign ministry posts were opened up to non-diplomats.
China says it is helping Afghanistan with defense, counterterrorism
China’s defense ministry said on Thursday that it was supporting Afghanistan’s defense and counterterrorism efforts, a day after Beijing denied a plan to build a base in Afghanistan and to send Chinese forces to the war-torn country.
PM May says Britain committed to free trade with Kenya after Brexit
Britain is committed to free trade with Kenya after it leaves the European Union, British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday on a visit to Nairobi as her government plays up increased trade with non-EU nations as a Brexit selling point.
Russia to hold Mediterranean naval drills as Syria tensions rise
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on Thursday it would hold a major naval exercise in the Mediterranean Sea from Sept. 1 to Sept. 8, the TASS news agency reported, a move that coincides with rising tensions between Moscow and Washington over Syria.
Archbishop who called on Pope to resign says corruption reaches the top
The archbishop who sparked a crisis in the Catholic Church by calling on Pope Francis to resign has denied he was motivated by personal vendetta and said he sought to show that corruption had reached the top levels of the Church hierarchy.
Portugal seduces parched investors with water: plenty of it
As wildfires scorched California yet again this summer, Jose Dariush Leal da Costa, a Bay Area native with Portuguese roots, was harvesting his first almonds in a sun-drenched, watery oasis in southern Portugal.
Myanmar aid restrictions ‘could be war crime’, says rights group
Government restrictions on lifesaving aid for displaced people in northern Myanmar could constitute a war crime, advocacy group Fortify Rights said on Thursday, as pressure grows for accountability for rights abuses in the country.
