World

Friday’s phone call between the leaders of China and the United States could deliver a marked – if fragile – improvement in stability in the world’s most consequential relationship, Chinese observers said. However, they also sounded a note of caution. One analyst highlighted serious sources of friction, such as confrontations in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, while …

Kiev’s heavy-handed mobilization tactics have driven a large-scale exodus of potential conscripts Authorities in Poland have detained two Ukrainian train drivers and the two passengers they had tried to smuggle into the country illegally. The railway workers have been accused of participating in a human trafficking operation, according to a statement from the Polish Border Guard. Kiev has turned to …

“Dictators,” Churchill observed, “ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount.” “And,” he added, “the tigers are getting hungry.” EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — Churchill penned those words when mankind was on the precipice of what would be the most devastating conflict in human history. The men who took it over the edge – Adolf Hitler, …

One of Spain’s busiest airports is about to get a major upgrade thanks to an eyewatering €1.5 billion (£1.3 billion) expansion plan. Once the upgrades are complete, passengers travelling through Malaga Airport – a gateway for holidaymakers in the Costa del Sol and the rest of Andalusia – will no longer need to remove liquids or laptops from their bags. …

A new accountability system for senior civil servants is targeted at strengthening the fitness of government departments and raising public trust in authorities, Hong Kong’s leader has said. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu told a radio programme on Saturday the measure would push department heads to consistently look for areas for improvement, likening the practice to regular exercise. In his …

The meeting in Washington was held ahead of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly South African Trade, Industry, and Competition Minister Parks Tau has described his visit to Washington to discuss bilateral commercial ties with the US as “constructive.” Tau and Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, were sent to the US ahead of the …

Venezuela on Friday accused the United States of waging an “undeclared war” in the Caribbean and called for a UN investigation of American strikes that killed over a dozen alleged drug traffickers on boats in recent weeks. Washington has deployed warships to international waters off Venezuela’s coast, backed by F-35 fighters sent to Puerto Rico in what it calls an …

The hostilities are being entirely “funded” by NATO, the American president said President Donald Trump has said that the US is profiting from the Ukraine conflict, contrasting his approach with the unconditional military aid provided to Kiev by the previous administration. Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday, Trump praised the deal he signed in July under which …

The first deployment of the US Typhon missile system in Japan is designed to “complicate” China’s military planning and may prompt it to improve its counterstrike systems, according to defence analysts. On Monday, the US military showcased the weapons system at a marine base in Iwakuni in the southwest of Honshu ahead of the annual two-week Resolute Dragon field training …

A top Russian businessman has died in mysterious circumstances, as fears grow that Vladimir Putin is carrying out a ruthless purge of his Kremlin elite. Alexander Tyunin, 50, was found dead with a bullet wound and a rifle near his corpse in the village of Kokoshkino in the Moscow region. He was the head of a chemicals plant that makes …