The latest international news stories and analysis from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Updated daily.
A senior Taiwan security official said China had nearly 90 navy and coast guard ships near Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands and the East and South China Seas, of which around two-thirds were naval. Read more
Media reported the resignation in parliament shortly before midday, which came ahead of a motion for a vote of no confidence expected to be put to the assembly. Read more
All across Syria, families wept as they were reunited with children, siblings, spouses and parents who vanished years ago into the impregnable gulag of the Assad dynasty’s five-decade reign. Read more
Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, added that Russia and Iran, Assad’s other main backer, “are in a weakened state right now.” Read more
Macron is a strong supporter of the NATO alliance and Ukraine’s fight, while Trump feels European nations need to pay more for their common defense. Read more
The failed vote was a reversion to political deadlock in the deeply divided country, despite large-scale protests calling for the president’s removal. Read more
Iran’s embassy was stormed by Syrian rebels following their capture of Damascus. Read more
Rebel sources said the military agreed to make an orderly withdrawal from Daraa under a deal giving army officials safe passage to the capital Damascus, about 60 miles north. Read more
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said he would not seek to avoid legal and political responsibility for his decision, which he said was born of desperation. Read more
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China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, is expected to launch another round of exercises in response to Lai’s trip to the Pacific, which has included stopovers in Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam, according to security sources. Read more
One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said planning had been underway for a trip in the near term but it was determined now was not the appropriate time. Read more
Meanwhile, platforms including Bluesky, Reddit and X sprouted hundreds of posts from amateur gumshoes poring over video and photos. “Dude had a suppressor, which is an extremely difficult thing to acquire, especially in a state like New York,” wrote one Reddit user. Read more
The commander of U.S. Forces-Korea, Gen. Paul LaCamera, warned American troops to stay vigilant and avoid areas with protest. Read more
The political turmoil further weakens a European Union already reeling from the implosion of Germany’s coalition government, and comes weeks before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. Read more
China considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory without any right to the trappings of a state, and has condemned Washington for allowing Lai to stop over in both Hawaii and Guam during a visit to the Pacific. Read more
The United States has provided a $550 million loan to support the Lobito venture, which involves refurbishing an existing railway through Angola and extending it into Congo’s mining heartland as part of the first phase. Read more
Lai stopped in Hawaii over the weekend, before heading on to the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu. Read more
China has held two rounds of war games around the island so far this year, and its forces operate nearby on a daily basis. Read more
Yoon told the nation in a TV address that martial law was needed to defend the country from nuclear-armed North Korea and pro-North anti-state forces, and protect its free constitutional order, although he cited no specific threats. Read more
A record 219 people were victims of bear attacks, six of them fatal, in the 12 months through March 2024, while more than 9,000 black and brown bears were trapped and culled over that period, according to Japan’s environment ministry. Read more
Beijing’s directive on so-called dual-use items with both military and civilian use, which cites national security concerns and takes immediate effect, also requires a stricter review of end-usage for graphite items shipped to the U.S. Read more
