World

China's Top Diplomat to Visit EU, Germany, France Next Week
China's Top Diplomat to Visit EU, Germany, France Next Week

China's top diplomat Wang Yi will head to Europe next week for talks with counterparts from the European Union, Germany and France, Beijing said on Friday as it seeks to shore up fraught ties with the bloc. Beijing has sought to improve relations with Europe as a counterweight to superpower rival United States, though frictions remain over trade ...

Police, Clergy Scuffle in Armenia as Standoff Escalates
Police, Clergy Scuffle in Armenia as Standoff Escalates

A scuffle broke out in Armenia on Friday between clergymen and police, part of an escalating standoff between the influential Church and the Caucasian nation's authorities. The two sides have been at loggerheads since Catholicos Garegin II -- the church's spiritual leader -- began calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign over ...

US Envoy Leaves Russia as Detente Faltering
US Envoy Leaves Russia as Detente Faltering

The US ambassador to Russia, Lynne Tracy, is departing Moscow, leaving Washington without a top envoy in the country as a rapprochement being pushed by US President Donald Trump falters. Moscow earlier this week accused Washington of not being "ready" to take steps to restore the normal functioning of their embassies, hobbled by years of ...

US Says Giving $30 mln to Back Controversial Gaza Relief Effort
US Says Giving $30 mln to Back Controversial Gaza Relief Effort

The United States said Thursday it has approved its first direct funding for a controversial Israeli-supported relief effort in the Gaza Strip and urged other countries to follow suit. "We have approved funding for $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. And we call on other countries to also support the GHF, the Gaza Humanitarian ...

Auspicious Signs: How the Dalai Lama is Identified
ExplainerAuspicious Signs: How the Dalai Lama is Identified

Fourteen Dalai Lamas have guided Tibet's Buddhists for the past six centuries, which believers say are reincarnations of each other, identified in opaque processes ranging from auspicious signs to divination. China says Tibet is an integral part of the country, and many exiled Tibetans fear Beijing will name a rival successor, bolstering control ...

Rwanda, DRC to Ink Peace Deal in US But Questions Remain
Rwanda, DRC to Ink Peace Deal in US But Questions Remain

Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo will sign an agreement in Washington on Friday to put an end to a conflict in the eastern DRC that has killed thousands, although broad questions loom on what it will mean. President Donald Trump has trumpeted the diplomacy that led to the deal, and publicly complained that he hasn't received a Nobel ...

After NATO Deal, How Far Will EU Go for Trade Peace with Trump?
SpotlightAfter NATO Deal, How Far Will EU Go for Trade Peace with Trump?

After satisfying Donald Trump's calls for Europe to ramp up defense spending in NATO, EU leaders in Brussels turned Thursday to the next big challenge ahead: how to seal a trade deal with the US leader. Time is running out. The European Union has until July 9 to reach a deal or see swingeing tariffs kick in on a majority of goods, unleashing ...

US and China Reach Understanding on Rare Earth Exports
US and China Reach Understanding on Rare Earth Exports

China confirmed on Friday details of a trade deal with the United States, saying Washington would lift "restrictive measures" while Beijing will "review and approve" items under export controls. "It is hoped that the United States and China will meet each other halfway," a spokesperson for the commerce ministry said ...

Iran Denies Existence of Any Plan To Resume Talks With Washington
Iran Denies Existence of Any Plan To Resume Talks With Washington

Iran on Thursday denied it is set to resume nuclear talks with the United States after the end of a 12-day war with Israel, and accused Washington of exaggerating the impact of US strikes. The most serious conflict yet between Israel and Iran derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, but President Donald Trump said Washington ...

When Faith Challenges Power: Armenia’s Deepening Rift
When Faith Challenges Power: Armenia’s Deepening Rift

A political bombshell in an already turbulent Armenia. On June 26, Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian, a rising figure in the opposition, was placed in pre-trial detention in Yerevan. As leader of the Srbazan Paykar (“Sacred Struggle”) movement, he stands accused of plotting to overthrow Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s government by force. ...

Netanyahu Sees Chance to 'Enlarge Peace Accords' After Iran-Israel War
Netanyahu Sees Chance to 'Enlarge Peace Accords' After Iran-Israel War

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he saw an opportunity to "enlarge peace accords" after the end of a 12-day war against Iran. "We have fought with determination against Iran and achieved a great victory. This victory opens the path to dramatically enlarge the peace accords," he said in a video address. His comment was an ...