WORLD

WASHINGTON | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday morning that the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is “very close to being over.” In an interview with Fox Business, Trump also indicated U.S. strikes would continue as long as necessary to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, repeating threats …

I watched Artemis II lift off — and witnessed the first humans venture to the Moon since 1972   COMMENT | GORDON OSINSKI | Even from a distance of several kilometres, the Artemis II rocket looked huge. Then, there was a moment that felt like an eternity, as around 2,600 metric …

COMMENT | FEDERICO FUBINI | Although one might be hard-pressed to find similarities between the wars in Ukraine and Iran, Donald Trump’s April Fools’ Day speech from the White House has brought the parallel into sharper focus. To be sure, Ukraine is a democracy (however imperfect) aspiring to European integration, …

CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | After negotiations with Iran failed to yield any agreement, the United States took drastic measures on Monday by blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial artery for the global energy market. Experts say that, given the complexity of the strait and the potential blowback to …

VIENNA | Xinhua | The International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum, which concluded over the weekend, marked the first major global energy gathering since the latest U.S.-Israel-Iran tensions, a conflict that erupted on Feb. 28 and sent global energy prices sharply higher amid fears of supply disruptions. Under the theme …

  COMMENT | MOHAMMED AL DHAHERI & RIKARD JALKEBRO | Diplomatic instinct suggests that, when conflicts intensify, parties should head to the negotiating table. That impulse might be rooted in genuine moral concern, but there are times when heeding it is dangerous. Now is just such a time: negotiations to …

BEIJING | Xinhua | Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday morning met with Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, in Beijing. Invited by the CPC Central Committee and Xi, Cheng is the first KMT chairperson to have led …

BEIJING | Xinhua |  The Chinese mainland on Sunday rolled out a package of 10 policies and measures — spanning inter-party communication, infrastructure, travel, trade and culture — aimed at boosting exchanges and cooperation with Taiwan. The announcement by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) …

TEL AVIV | TASS | The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are preparing to resume military operations against Tehran after the negotiations between the United States and Iran “collapsed,” The Times of Israel reported, citing what it called a coordinated leak by Israeli defense officials to three major TV channels. Channel 12 reported, …

WASHINGTON | TASS | US President Donald Trump sharply criticized Pope Leo XIV, saying the pontiff was elected only thanks to the United States. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he was dissatisfied with the pope, who does not approve of US actions against Venezuela. “Leo should be …