Hamas softens stance on Israel, drops Muslim Brotherhood link The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Monday dropped its longstanding call for Israel's destruction, but said it still rejected the country's right to exist and backs "armed struggle" against it. In a policy document presented in Doha by its leader Khaled […]
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China tightens rules on online news, network providers China on Tuesday issued tighter rules for online news portals and network providers, the latest step in President Xi Jinping's push to secure the internet and maintain strict party control over content. Xi has made China's "cyber sovereignty" a top priority in […]
Without school, children of Mosul feared lost to poverty and conflict Ahmed Abdelsattar was 14 when Islamic State swept into Mosul and declared a caliphate in 2014. Fearing he would be indoctrinated and sent to fight by the militants, his parents took him out of school. Three years later, he […]
German official sees promise in expanding Russia-backed Syrian peace talks Expanding the number of countries involved in Russian-backed peace talks for Syria could offer a chance to jumpstart negotiations on a political solution, Germany's top official for Russia policy said in an interview published on Tuesday. Gernot Erler suggested that […]
Turkey's EU dream is over, for now, top official says Turkey under President Tayyip Erdogan has turned its back on joining the European Union, at least for now, the bloc's top official dealing with Ankara said, offering economic cooperation instead if both sides can restore friendly ties. After years of […]
French voters skeptical Macron, Le Pen have answers on key issues A week before the decisive second round in France's presidential election, many voters are skeptical that either of the two candidates can solve chronic unemployment or tackle security concerns, a poll published on Sunday found. The Ifop survey for […]
Iraqi commander says to complete capture of Mosul in May An Iraqi commander expects to dislodge Islamic State from Mosul in May despite resistance from militants in the densely populated Old City district. The battle should be completed "in a maximum of three weeks", the army's chief of staff, Lieutenant […]
White House defends Trump invitation to Duterte despite human rights criticism The White House on Sunday defended President Donald Trump's decision to invite Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to Washington, saying his cooperation was needed to counter North Korea, even as the administration faced human rights criticism for its overture to […]
U.S. says time to act on North Korea, China says not up to Beijing alone U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned on Friday that failure to curb North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs could lead to 'catastrophic consequences,' while China and Russia rebuked Washington's threat of military force. […]
ASEAN firms up South China Sea stance as Beijing lobbies over statement Southeast Asian countries have altered a statement to be issued at Saturday's ASEAN summit to include references to militarization and island-building in the South China Sea, the latest draft shows, in a move likely to frustrate Beijing. Chinese […]
