A ceasefire between Turkey and the US-backed Kurdish Syrian Forces (SDF) around the northern Syrian city of Manbij has been extended until the end of this week, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday.Washington brokered an initial ceasefire last week but it had expired, Miller said, adding Washington would like the ceasefire to be…
Russia has used North Korean troops at the heart of an “intensive offensive” in its western Kursk region seeking to push out Ukrainian forces, Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Tuesday. Kyiv has been occupying part of the border region since August when it launched a shock cross-border incursion to seize Russian territory. “For three days…
The killing of a senior Russian military official, Igor Kirillov, in Moscow on Tuesday was a “special operation” by Ukraine’s SBU security service, a source inside the agency told AFP. Kirillov is the most senior Russian army official to be targeted on Russian territory, killed with his assistant when an explosive device attached to a…
EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said Monday the bloc would raise the issue of Russian bases with Syria’s new leadership, arguing Moscow has no place in the country’s future. Russia, along with Iran, were the key backers of ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and propped him up militarily during the brutal civil war. “Russia and…
TikTok made a last-ditch effort on Monday to continue operating in the United States, asking the Supreme Court to temporarily block a law intended to force ByteDance, its China-based parent company, to divest the short-video app by Jan. 19 or face a ban. TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency request to the justices for an…
Drone sightings to date do not include any unlawful activity or any national security or safety risk to the United States, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday. Kirby said the assessment came from US law enforcement. The spate of reported drone sightings began in New Jersey in mid-November but has spread in recent…
South Korea’s acting president Han Duck-soo on Tuesday called for next year’s government budget to be swiftly implemented from the start of 2025 in order to help revive the country’s slowing economy. Han has been working to reassure South Koreas allies and calm financial markets, since President Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and suspended from his duties…
In his first news conference since his election victory six weeks ago, President-elect Donald Trump covered the Ukraine war, mysterious drones flying over New Jersey, the future of TikTok and lawsuits aimed at the media he often loves to hate. Trump displayed the loquaciousness and bravado of his 2017-2021 White House years as he held court in…
Canadian Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland quit on Monday after clashing with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on issues including how to handle possible US tariffs, dealing an unexpected blow to an already unpopular government. Freeland said she was quitting in the wake of a meeting last Friday with Trudeau, who asked her to take on a lesser…
China’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Beijing and Washington can achieve “many great things” if they work together, ahead of next month’s inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump. But top diplomat Wang Yi also warned against what he called the US’ “crude interference” on the issue of Taiwan. The world’s two largest economies have butted heads…
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday thanked deep-pocketed Democratic donors who raised record sums in last month’s election loss to President-elect Donald Trump and urged them not to lose hope and to remain politically engaged. Biden and Harris, along with their spouses, in remarks at the Democratic National Committee holiday reception sought to…
South Korean authorities made a new attempt on Tuesday to search the presidential office and obtain evidence as part of a probe into the legality of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived bid to impose martial law, the Yonhap news agency reported. Yoon was impeached on Saturday over his martial law decree and suspended from his…
Two people were killed in an explosion on Moscow’s Ryazansky Prospekt, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported on Tuesday, citing emergency services.Baza, a Telegram channel close to Russia’s security services, said that two military personnel were killed.Reuters was not able to independently verify the reports.
The US government deported drug lord Osiel Cardenas Guillen to Mexico on Monday, transferring custody of the ex-leader of the Gulf Cartel to Mexican authorities at the border city of Tijuana, two federal government officials told Reuters. One of the sources noted that the one-time cartel chief had been taken to Mexico’s Almoloya prison, and that he…
President-elect Donald Trump said on Monday he had a “very good talk” with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, about the war in Gaza and reiterated his threat that “all hell is going to break out” if Hamas does not release its hostages by Jan. 20, the day Trump takes office. “As you know, I gave a…
