American troops are to be permanently stationed in Taiwan, according to Taipei, a huge move that will likely send tensions with China soaring as it president Xi Jinping covets the island. Taiwan has officially confirmed the presence of US troops stationed on its islands in the Taiwan Strait permanently, a development that could further escalate…
CNN — Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has announced his resignation, citing “personal and political, but mainly political reasons” in a surprise move. Flanked by colleagues outside government buildings in Dublin on Wednesday, Varadkar said he felt he was no longer the “best man” for the job. He said he would stay as prime minister until a…
JERUSALEM/CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) – Israel’s military said on Wednesday it had killed around 90 gunmen and arrested 160 in a raid on Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital, an allegation the Islamist Hamas group denied. Al Shifa, the Gaza Strip’s biggest hospital before the war, is now one of the few healthcare facilities even partially operational…
Hong Kong on Tuesday passed national security laws at the behest of Beijing, thwarting decades of public resistance in a move that critics say will strike a lasting blow to the partial autonomy the city had been promised by China. Hong Kong already had a national security law, one that was imposed directly by China’s…
Hong KongCNN — Japan has ended its negative interest rate policy, marking a historic shift away from an aggressive monetary easing program that was implemented years ago to fight chronic deflation. As part of the decision, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years, lifting its short-term rate to…
The Supreme Court has allowed Texas to enforce one of the toughest immigration laws enacted by any US state in recent memory. The measure allows police to arrest and prosecute those suspected of illegally crossing the US-Mexican border. The Biden administration has challenged the law, calling it unconstitutional. Crossing the US border illegally is already…
Niger is pulling its military cooperation deal with the United States and ordering some 1,000 American military personnel to leave the country, a startling development that comes after U.S. officials last week traveled to the capital of Niamey to “raise a number of concerns” about Niger growing closer to Russia and Iran, the Pentagon said Monday. The ruling military junta on…
Buckingham Palace was forced to deny reports that King Charles III died on Monday after Russian media ran wild with reports based on a dubious-looking “announcement.” The statement, dated March 18 and featuring the seal of the British monarch’s official London residence, said: “The following announcement is made by royal communications. The King passed away…
March 18 (UPI) — Russian election watchdog, the Golos Movement, said the nation’s three-day election that saw Vladimir Putin elected to a new six-year term did not meet the standards of its constitution. Russia’s recent election that saw President Vladimir Putin secure another six-year term, is being condemned as unfair and fraudulent, according to the…
WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) – SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space company and national security agencies. The network is being built by SpaceX’s Starshield business unit…