Top World News

Nov 22, 2024 - World

Government protests ‘unfriendly and inappropriate’ comments by French president caught on cameraHaiti’s government has summoned the French ambassador to the country to protest about “unfriendly and inappropriate” comments from Emmanuel Macron, who was caught on camera calling the country’s leaders “morons”.The French president had on Wednesday described the decision of the Caribbean country’s transitional presidential council to oust the prime minister earlier this month amid an escalation in gang warfare as “completely dumb”. Continue reading...

Nov 22, 2024 - World

Pro-Kremlin Muscovites voiced confidence in President Vladimir Putin on Friday, a day after Russia test-fired a new intermediate-range missile at Ukraine in a stark escalation of tensions.Putin delivered an unscheduled TV address after the strike, in which he told Russians that the Ukraine conflict had taken on "elements of a global character".He also threatened more strikes with new weapons on Ukraine and did not rule out strikes on the West."Russia will overcome everything... Nobody can defeat it," said Alexei Peshcherkin, a 57-year-old plumber.He said Putin was "doing everything very well", adding: "He does not give a chance to anyone threatening Russia."Russia said its launch of a nuclear-capable missile was a response to the first strikes by Ukraine with US- and UK-supplied long-range missiles at Russian territory in recent days.Putin supporters welcomed the hawkish rhetoric.Alexander Timofeyev, a 72-year-old railway company employee, said the speech "made me feel secure"."There are no questions if you have someone and something protecting you," he said."They're not stupid, the people who are trying to intimidate us" in the West, he added."But they are afraid. And fear is good sometimes."Timofeyev said he believed a Third World War was "not very likely".- 'Russia will overcome' -Yulia Kim, a 52-year-old doctor, said there was an "escalation" underway between Moscow and the West."I am worried that a nuclear war will start," she said, as she walked through a central Moscow square."But we have to fight for our independence and resist to the end."Andrei, a 61-year-old economist, said he was sure "Russia has sufficient means to defend its independence"."Russia will overcome everything, together with its president," he said.Russia is under heavy Western sanctions and faces rising inflation.In recent days, the ruble has been weakening sharply against the euro."Inflation is tough. What can we do?" said Peshcherkin, calling the economic difficulties "temporary".During the Second World War "we had nothing to eat... and people survived... We still have something to eat," he said."Of course it is not at all good when there is a war, when people die," he said as an icy wind blew through the Russian capital."Everyone just has to be sensible and get around a negotiating table and talk," he said.

Nov 22, 2024 - World

President-elect Donald Trump needs to change the tone of his love letters, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un reportedly said this week. Kim belittled and rebuffed Trump — who once boasted "'We fell in love, okay? No, really, he wrote me beautiful letters" — and the prospect of reviving nuclear diplomacy with the U.S., the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.“We have already explored every possible avenue in negotiating with the U.S.,” said Kim, according to North Korea's state media. According to the Journal, Kim vented about the U.S.’s “unchanging aggressive and hostile policy” toward North Korea.Kim reportedly flaunted North Korea’s nuclear capabilities in a direct message to the Trump administration not to mount a pressure campaign against him, Hong Min, a senior researcher at Korea Institute for National Unification, told the Journal. “North Korea is requesting a change in attitude," Hong said, "in order to make dialogue possible again."ALSO READ: A giant middle finger from a tiny craven manNorth Korea’s nuclear program represents a major foreign policy challenge to Trump because Kim has both expanded his arsenal and deepened ties with Russia, the Journal reported.Trump boasted at the Republican National Convention in July that Kim probably missed him, but Hwang Ji-hwan, a professor of international relations at the University of Seoul, told the Journal he had doubts. “Trump may think love letters are enough," he said, "but for the past five years Kim has shown he’s determined not to lose face again."Trump’s preference for Secretary of State Sen. Marco Rubio has compared North Korea to a “criminal syndicate" and Rep. Mike Waltz, Trump’s pick for national security adviser, called North Korea's ties to China and Russia an “unholy alliance," the Journal reported."During his speech on Thursday, Kim accused the U.S. of sowing chaos around the world through 'unscrupulous tactics' that aim to retain America’s sphere of interest globally," the Journal wrote. Kim was reportedly quoted as saying, “We are currently witnessing the most chaotic and violent world since World War II."

Nov 22, 2024 - World

As Russia's remorseless offensive keeps gaining ground in the east, Ukraine's besieged security service is working overtime to catch the enemy from within -- a network of Russian saboteurs, collaborators and secret sympathizers with deep roots throughout the large part of the country still controlled by Kyiv.

Nov 22, 2024 - World

Trudeau adviser shuts down foreign ministry’s allegations that Indian government was behind intimidation plotCanada, which expelled six Indian diplomats over allegations they were involved in a plot against Sikh separatists, has denied it has evidence Narendra Modi was linked to violence on Canadian soil.The Canadian foreign ministry last month alleged Amit Shah, considered the number two in Modi’s government, was behind a campaign of intimidation in Canada. Ottawa says it has evidence linking Indian government agents to the 2023 murder of the Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Continue reading...