President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as the US ambassador to France, in the latest of several controversial picks. Kushner “is a tremendous business leader, philanthropist, & dealmaker, who will be a strong advocate representing our Country & its interests,” Trump said on his Truth Social website, adding…
Russia launched attack drones at Kyiv in its latest overnight air strike on the Ukrainian capital, city officials said on Sunday. Air defenses destroyed around a dozen drones over the city, according to military administrator Serhiy Popko. No injuries were reported after debris fell on one city district, he said. Reuters correspondents heard explosions above…
Republican President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he wanted former National Security official and loyalist Kash Patel to lead the FBI, signaling an intent to drive out the bureau’s current director, Christopher Wray. Patel, who during Trump’s first term advised both the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense, has previously called for…
US President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he discussed the border, trade and energy in a “very productive” meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau amid fears of a trade war. Trudeau paid an unannounced visit to Florida on Friday evening and had dinner with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence, days after Republican Trump pledged to impose…
The Russian defense ministry said on Sunday its forces had gained control over two settlements, Illinka and Petrivka, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region. It also said that Russian air defense shot down 55 Ukrainian drones for the past 24 hours. Reuters could not independently verify battlefield accounts from either side. Russian forces hold a little…
A Russian missile strike on a town in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region on Saturday killed at least four people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. More than a dozen others were wounded, including a child, while a residential building and shop were damaged, according to officials. “A rescue operation is currently underway in the Dnipro region after…
US charity World Central Kitchen said Saturday it was “pausing operations in Gaza” after an Israeli airstrike killed three of its contractors, including one who Israel’s military said was involved in Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack. Earlier Saturday, Gaza civil defense agency spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP that five people were killed, including “three employees of World…
Israel’s former defense minister Moshe Yaalon on Saturday accused the Israeli army of “ethnic cleansing” in the Gaza Strip, sparking an outcry in the country. “The road we are being led down is conquest, annexation and ethnic cleansing,” Yaalon said in an interview on the private DemocratTV channel. Pressed on the “ethnic cleansing” appraisal, he…
The United States on Saturday said Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad lost control of Aleppo because of his reliance on Russia and Iran. Syria’s “reliance on Russia and Iran,” along with its refusal to move forward with a 2015 peace process outlined by the UN Security Council, “created the conditions now unfolding,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett…
European Council President Antonio Costa and Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign policy chief, arrived in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Sunday, using the first day in their new roles to send a message of support for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Their visit comes as Ukraine struggles to fend off a grinding Russian offensive…
Russia’s military said Friday its air force had bombed anti-government forces in Syria to repel opposition fighters that have launched a major offensive on the city of Aleppo, Russian state news agencies reported. Opposition and their Turkish-backed allies reached Syria’s second city on Friday, pressing a lightning offensive against forces of the Iranian- and Russian-backed…
France’s President Emmanuel Macron vowed Friday to give Ukraine intense support in its battle against Russia’s “escalation” of its invasion, his office said. Macron condemned Russia’s “indiscriminate” strikes against Ukraine’s cities and power infrastructure in a telephone call with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Elysee Palace said. “These strikes, the growing cooperation with North Korea…
The US State Department has approved the potential sale of spare parts for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan for an estimated $385 million, the Pentagon said on Friday, a day before Taiwan President Lai Ching-te starts a sensitive Pacific trip. The United States is bound by law to provide Chinese-claimed Taiwan with the means…
An explosion on Friday damaged a canal supplying water to Kosovo’s two main coal-fired power plants, Prime Minister Albin Kurti said, blaming a “terrorist attack” by neighboring Serbia. “This is a criminal and terrorist attack aimed at damaging our critical infrastructure,” Kurti told a press conference late Friday. “The attack was carried out by professionals….
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and agreed to boost military cooperation between the two nations, Pyongyang state media said Saturday. The US and South Korea have accused the nuclear-armed North of sending more than 10,000 soldiers to help Russia fight Ukraine, with experts saying Kim is eager to gain…
