Georgia suspends talks on joining the EU for 4 years, accusing the bloc of 'blackmail'
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia suspends talks on joining the EU for 4 years, accusing the bloc of 'blackmail.'
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Georgia suspends talks on joining the EU for 4 years, accusing the bloc of 'blackmail.'
American aircraft reportedly attacked Iranian-backed fighters in Syria as a renewed civil war threatened to engulf the country.
(Bloomberg) -- The biggest challenge to Bashar al-Assad’s regime seemingly came out of nowhere, and as the city of Aleppo fell to rebels in a matter of days, the Syrian president reportedly flew to Moscow.Most Read from BloombergRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic JamsAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionRussia’s intervention in Syria’s civil war almost a decade ago turned the tide in Assad’s favor, but this time around his two biggest backers are s
Iraq will not act as a mere spectator in Syria where it believes groups and sects are victims of ethnic cleansing, Iraq's prime minister said on Tuesday, according to a readout from his office of a phone call to Turkey's president. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who discussed the situation in Syria with Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, said Iraq would exert all efforts to preserve the security of Iraq and Syria, according to the official readout of the call.
Dozens of Syrian government troops have been filmed surrendering to rebels after they were abandoned by their comrades at a town south of Aleppo.
(Bloomberg) -- German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that NATO membership for Ukraine could be part of a potential peace deal with Russia, which could also include conceding some occupied Ukrainian territory.Most Read from BloombergAs Wars Rage, Cities Face a Dark New Era of Urban DestructionRiyadh Metro Partially Opens in Bid to Ease City’s Traffic Jams“There are different elements of a peace standing in the room: political and material security guarantees, NATO membership, an internat
Iran has sent militia groups into Syria to prop up Bashar al-Assad, as China also gave its backing to the regime.
Russia is landing military aircraft on newly refurbished runways under its control in Libya as the Kremlin quickly expands its footprint in Africa, satellite images show.
The U.S. and the United Arab Emirates have discussed with each other the possibility of lifting sanctions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad if he peels himself away from Iran and cuts off weapons routes to Lebanon's Hezbollah, five people familiar with the matter said. The conversations intensified in recent months, the sources said, driven by the possible expiry on Dec. 20 of sweeping U.S. sanctions on Syria and by Israel's campaign against Tehran's regional network, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and Iranian assets in Syria.
The difference between them is a matter of perception and interpretation by the (indirect and direct) belligerents involved.
STORY: The U.S. launched yet another crackdown on China's semiconductor industry on Monday (Dec 2).Its the third such move in three years, and curbs exports to 140 companies.Those targeted include chip equipment maker Naura Technology Group, as well as other Chinese market leaders.The export restrictions also take aim at shipments of advanced memory chips and more chipmaking tools to China.The move is one of the Biden administration's last large-scale efforts to weaken China's ability to access and produce chips.It comes just weeks before the swearing-in of Republican President-elect Donald Trump.He is expected to retain many of Biden's tough-on-China measures.Washington believes Beijing could use chips to advance AI for military applications, and threaten U.S. national security.The latest package includes curbs on China-bound shipments of high bandwidth memory chips, which are critical for high-end applications like AI training.Chinese companies facing new restrictions include nearly two dozen semiconductor companies. Two investment companies and over 100 chipmaking tool makers also face being hit.Some of the impacted firms work with China's Huawei Technologies.The tech giant has faced U.S. sanctions for years, and is now at the center of China's advanced chip production and development.Beijing argued the U.S. move undermined the international economic trade order and disrupted global supply chains.It further said China will take measures to safeguard the rights and interests of its firms.On Tuesday, Beijing responded with export restrictions of its own.It said it would ban the export of "dual-use items" related to gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials to the U.S. with immediate effectChina has stepped up its drive to become self-sufficient in the semiconductor sector in recent years.But it is still well behind chip industry leaders like Nvidia in AI chips and chip equipment maker ASML in the Netherlands.
China is closely monitoring the effects of Western sanctions on Russia to prepare for a possible invasion of Taiwan, The Wall Street Journal reported.
A summit of the BRICS countries held in the Russian city of Kazan in October was a slap in the face for Western nations which imposed sanctions on Russia, the CEO of Russia's second largest lender VTB Andrei Kostin told Reuters in an interview. This is a certain statement, even a slap in the face to the Americans.
White Helmets say at least 18 people killed in strikes on five healthcare facilities including maternity hospital
The United States announced new export restrictions Monday targeting China's ability to make advanced semiconductors, drawing swift condemnation from Beijing as competition deepens between the world's two biggest economies.Beijing vowed Monday to defend its interests, with a Chinese commerce ministry spokesperson saying the United States "abuses export control measures" and has "hindered normal economic and trade exchanges."
BEIJING (Reuters) -China's foreign ministry said on Monday that it strongly condemns and firmly opposes Lithuania declaring three Chinese diplomats stationed in the country's Office of the Charge d'Affaires personae non gratae. The ministry said in a statement that Lithuania had not provided a reason for the diplomats' expulsion on Friday and that it strongly opposed the decision. Lithuania's foreign ministry cited violations of the Vienna Convention and Lithuanian legislation as reasons for the expulsions, though no details were given.
President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic partnership on Monday aimed at deepening bilateral ties and de-escalating conflict in the Middle East, including Lebanon, where the two leaders called for presidential elections. The two leaders also "agreed to make every effort to contribute to de-escalation in the region", including helping to consolidate the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Defence spending is set to reach €326 billion (1.9% of EU GDP) in 2024, but despite the increase in military spending, national efforts alone are not enough for the EU to be ready for high-intensity warfare, said outgoing top diplomat and EDA chief Josep Borrell.View on euronews
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday warned her Chinese counterpart that Beijing's support for Moscow would impact ties and instead urged China to help end the Ukraine conflict.Baerbock had earlier told Wang that "increasing Chinese support for Russia's war against Ukraine has an impact on our relations," according to a readout by the German foreign ministry.
Ukraine insisted Tuesday that NATO membership was the only "real guarantee" for its security, but foreign ministers from the alliance sidestepped Kyiv's push for an invite ahead of Donald Trump's return to the US presidency."We are convinced that the only real guarantee of security for Ukraine, as well as a deterrent to further Russian aggression against Ukraine and other states, is Ukraine's full membership in NATO," the foreign ministry in Kyiv said.
President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have signed a strategic partnership aimed at deepening bilateral ties and de-escalating conflict in the Middle East, including Lebanon, where the two leaders called for presidential elections. The French leader arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday for a three-day state visit just as a political crisis threatens to topple the French government.After a meeting with Prince Mohammed – the de facto ruler of the oil-rich Gulf kingdom –