8 h. ago How US actions in Venezuela and beyond could spell opportunity for China

America’s military action in Venezuela and President Donald Trump’s talk of owning Greenland are stoking concerns that the United States is dismantling the rules-based global order. But this could also be a diplomatic opening for China as it tries to portray itself, in contrast, as a more responsible and stabilising power. Analysts said while this aligned with Beijing’s push to strengthen ties with its neighbours – a strategic move as its rivalry with Washington has intensified – concrete...

Politics

34 h. ago Putin offers Moscow as mediator in Iran crisis amid tensions with Israel, Trump threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Iran in separate calls on Friday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, and said that Moscow was willing to mediate in the region, the Kremlin said. Tehran has cracked down hard on nationwide protests that broke out late last month, prompting US President Donald Trump to warn he might intervene. Last year, Israel and the United States both bombed Iranian nuclear sites, and Iran fought...

Politics

59 h. ago Russia says NATO talk of Moscow and Beijing being a threat to Greenland is a myth to create hysteria

Russia says NATO talk of Moscow and Beijing being a threat to Greenland is a myth to create hysteria  Reuters

Events

3 d. ago Iran signals fast trials and executions for detained protesters after Trump warning

The head of Iran’s judiciary signalled on Wednesday there would be fast trials and executions ahead for those detained in nationwide protests despite a warning from US President Donald Trump. The comments from Iran’s judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei come as activists had warned hangings of those detained could come soon. Already, a bloody security force crackdown on the demonstrations has killed at least 2,571, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported. That figure...

Events

5 d. ago China Issues Blunt Warning Over Donald Trump's Greenland Talk

China Issues Blunt Warning Over Donald Trump's Greenland Talk  HuffPost

Events

6 d. ago Zheng Yongnian on Trump, Venezuela and why China doesn’t want ‘a separate kitchen’

Zheng Yongnian is a leading Chinese political scientist and government adviser, with a focus on the country’s transformation and foreign relations. In his third interview for the Open Questions series, Zheng discusses the “Donroe Doctrine” and its implications for the existing world order – and an emerging one. For other interviews in the series, click here. On Venezuela, you have noted that the US pivot to Latin America could reshape the regional order and that Donald Trump’s warnings to other...

Politics

9 d. ago Why US move against Maduro unlikely to drive China from Latin America

The US decision to raid Venezuela, detain its President Nicolas Maduro and bring him to the United States, ostensibly on drug trafficking charges, will have serious downstream effects, but of what variety? US President Donald Trump has already sent ominous warnings to other Latin American countries whose leaders oppose all or parts of his agenda – from Colombia to Cuba to Mexico – and threatened Maduro’s successor with similar, or worse, treatment if she does not cooperate. Does this suggest...

Politics

1 week ago Donald Trump tells Venezuelan VP Delcy Rodriguez to cooperate, or else

US President Donald Trump issued a stark warning on Sunday to Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, saying she would pay a potentially larger price than her former boss, ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, if she does not cooperate with the United States. In the early hours of Saturday morning, US forces staged a complex raid that saw Maduro and his wife seized from their home, jailed and airlifted to New York to face trial on “narcoterrorism” and illegal weapons charges. “If she...

Politics

2 w. ago Iran’s Khamenei demands rioters ‘be put in their place’ as protests grow amid Trump warning

Iran’s supreme leader insisted on Saturday that “rioters must be put in their place” after a week of protests that have shaken the Islamic Republic, likely giving security forces a green light to aggressively put down the demonstrations. The first comments by 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei come as violence surrounding the demonstrations sparked by Iran’s ailing economy has killed at least 10 people. The protests show no sign of stopping and follow US President Donald Trump warning Iran on...

Events

2 w. ago Trump warns of ‘hell to pay’ if Hamas fails to disarm, says Israel is complying

US President Donald Trump warned on Monday that Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it does not disarm quickly as part of a Gaza deal, which he said Israel was complying with. “If they don’t disarm as they agreed to do, they agreed to it, and then there will be hell to pay for them,” Trump told a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the US president’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. “They have to disarm in a fairly short period of time,” Trump said. Trump publicly...

Events

2 w. ago Trump warns Hamas and Iran after meeting with Israel’s Netanyahu

US President Donald Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes and said Hamas would have “hell to pay” if it fails to disarm in Gaza, as he presented a united front with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Speaking at a news conference with Netanyahu in Florida, Trump threatened to “eradicate” any attempt by Tehran to rebuild its nuclear programme or ballistic missile arsenal following US and Israeli strikes earlier this year. Trump also played down reports of tensions with Netanyahu...

Events

2 w. ago US pledges US$2 billion for UN humanitarian aid as Trump slashes funding

The United States on Monday announced a US$2 billion pledge for UN humanitarian aid as President Donald Trump’s administration continued to slash US foreign assistance and warn United Nations agencies to “adapt, shrink or die” in a time of new financial realities. The money is a small fraction of what the US has contributed in the past but reflected what the administration believes is a generous amount that would maintain the United States’ status as the world’s largest humanitarian donor. The...

Politics

3 w. ago Jimmy Kimmel takes aim at Trump in ‘alternative Christmas message’ to UK

Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at US President Donald Trump as he warned on Thursday about the rise of fascism in an address to UK viewers dubbed “The Alternative Christmas Message.” The message, aired on Channel 4 on Christmas Day, reflected on the impact from the second term in office for Trump, who Kimmel said acts like he is a king. “From a fascism perspective, this has been a really great year,” he said. “Tyranny is booming over here.” The channel began a tradition of airing an...

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