WORLD

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain’s parliament will vote Tuesday on whether to confirm Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez as prime minister at the helm of the country’s first-ever coalition government. Sanchez, who has stayed on as a caretaker premier since inconclusive elections last year, is seeking to be reappointed for another …

Paris, France | AFP |  French officials prepared to restart talks with unions Tuesday over a pension overhaul that has sparked the country’s longest transport strikes in decades, which labour leaders say could force millions of people to retire later than they thought. Public support appears to be shifting in the …

Washington, United States | AFP | As a real estate magnate and politician, Donald Trump has always loved breaking rules and putting on a show. Now in Iran he’s following the same pattern — only this time as commander in chief of the world’s biggest military. Whether negotiating skyscraper deals or …

Tehran, Iran | AFP | Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday warned his American counterpart Donald Trump to “never threaten the Iranian nation”, after he issued a US strike list of 52 targets in the Islamic republic. “Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. #IR655 …

Paris, France | AFP | Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire called Monday on the United States to not follow through on threats to impose sanctions on France in a dispute over taxation of tech giants and warned of retaliation. “This trade war is in no one’s interest and I call on …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | US President Donald Trump’s threat to slap sanctions on Iraq should Baghdad expel US troops based there “is not very helpful”, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Monday. “I don’t think you can convince Iraq with threats, but with arguments,” Maas told Deutschlandfunk radio, warning that …

Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | Pressure against the US in Iraq ramped up Sunday, as rockets hit near the American embassy and parliament demanded the ouster of thousands of US troops over the killing of a top Iranian general. Ties have deteriorated after an American precision drone strike Friday on the …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP |  War epic “1917” shocked the Golden Globes on Sunday by claiming the top prize for best drama film, while Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” won the most honors, massively boosting their prospects for next month’s Oscars. “Once Upon a Time…” — …

Berlin, Germany | AFP |  The leaders of Germany, France and Britain on Sunday agreed to work towards bringing about de-escalation in the Middle East amid heightened tensions following the US drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, a German government spokesman said. “The chancellor, the French president and …

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP |  Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned the Turkish parliament’s approval of a military deployment to Libya, which is aimed at shoring up the UN recognised government in Tripoli. Turkey’s parliament approved the deployment on Thursday following a request for assistance by the beleaguered Government of …