Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim reviews an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Government House in Bangkok, Thailand on Feb 9, 2023. Anwar said on Feb 14, 2023 Malaysia has no plans to reintroduce a goods and services tax (GST) or any other broad-based consumption tax. (PHOTO / AP) KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia […]
The Sydney Opera House and city centre skyline are seen in Sydney, Australia, April 20, 2020. (PHOTO / REUTERS) SYDNEY – An Australian court on Tuesday overturned a controversial decision by the previous prime minister to block a gas exploration project off the country's east coast, opening the door for the project to be reconsidered. […]
In this Nov 5, 2022 photo, handwritten tributes are displayed as part of a makeshift memorial for the 156 people killed in a Halloween crowd crush, in the district of Itaewon in Seoul. The Republic of Korea lawmakers voted on Feb 8, 2023 to impeach the interior minister over his responses to the deadly Halloween […]
This photo released by Afghan foreign affairs spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi on his official Twitter account shows Amir Khan Muttaqi (right), the Taliban administration's acting foreign minister, greeting Mutlaq Bin Majed Al-Qahtani, the special envoy of Qatar's foreign minister, at Storay Palace, in Kabul, Feb 5, 2023. (PHOTO / TWITTER@QAHARBALKHI) KABUL – An envoy for […]
Saudi Arabian Minister of Energy Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud graces the inauguration of the 44th International Conference of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb 4, 2023. The IAEE is being held for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region from Feb […]
Indonesia's Foreign Minister Rento Marsudi (right) welcomes her East Timor's counterpart Adaljiza Magno (left) during the 32nd ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting in Jakarta on Feb 3, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) JAKARTA – Timor-Leste made a debut at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held here on Friday, marking a move closer […]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State (not in image) , on Jan 30, 2023 in Jerusalem. (PHOTO / AFP) JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must stay out of his government's push to overhaul the Israeli judicial system, the country's attorney-general said on Thursday. Netanyahu […]
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (third from left) and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (fourth from left) mix a Chinese New Year dish, yusheng, in Singapore on Monday. (PHOTO / REUTERS) The leaders of Malaysia and Singapore have met in the city-state as Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim continues to reach out to close […]
In this file photo dated Feb 23, 2015, Nir Barkat, then Jerusalem mayor and the current Israeli economy minister, speaks during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (unseen). (PHOTO / AFP) TEL AVIV – Israel's economy minister dismissed fears on Wednesday that the new right-wing coalition's judicial reform plans would harm […]
In this file photo taken on Jan 25, 2023, New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins smiles as he is sworn in by Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro during a ceremony at The Government House in Wellington. (PHOTO / AFP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will travel to Canberra next Tuesday for […]
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida answers question to lawmaker Yasuhiko Funago during a plenary session of the upper house of parliament in Tokyo on Jan 27, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida came under continued fire Tuesday from the opposition camp over allegations his son used taxpayers' money for sightseeing […]
Then acting prime minister and current Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon attends a meeting in Bangkok, Thailand on Aug 25, 2022. (PHOTO / THAILAND GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE VIA AP) BANGKOK – Thailand's ruling pro-military Palang Pracharat party has chosen political veteran and former army chief Prawit Wongsuwon as its prime minister candidate, a senior official […]
New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins watches Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro during his swearing-in ceremony at The Government House in Wellington on Jan 25, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP) WELLINGTON – Chris Hipkins was sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister in a formal ceremony on Wednesday, following the resignation of outgoing Prime Minister […]
The risks for Australia in joining another “failed” American war, this one contrived to crush China, are worse than even-money, and climbing. The consequences verge on existential. This photo taken on Sept 8, 2019 shows the Chinese and Australian national flags on a celebration event in Sydney, Australia. (PHOTO / XINHUA) Australia’s wartime Prime Minister […]
This handout photo taken and released on Jan 24, 2023 by the New Zealand Prime Minister's Office shows outgoing New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, seen wearing a ceremonial Maori cloak, during her last public engagement visiting the Maori settlement of Ratana in the North Island. (HANDOUT / NEW ZEALAND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE / AFP) […]
New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins (left) and his Depute Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni attend their first press conference at Parliament in Wellington on Jan 22, 2023. (MARTY MELVILLE / AFP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand's incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday that his government would be "making haste" on reprioritizing and looking […]
New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks at his first press conference at Parliament in Wellington on Jan 22, 2023. (MARTY MELVILLE / AFP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand's incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Monday that his government would be "making haste" on reprioritizing and looking at whether current policies need to be […]
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) speaks with Interior and Health Minister Aryeh Deri at a weekly cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, Jan 8, 2023. (RONEN ZVULUN / POOL PHOTO VIA AP) JERUSALEM – Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday dismissed a senior cabinet ally to comply with a Supreme […]
New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks at his first press conference at Parliament in Wellington on Jan 22, 2023. (MARTY MELVILLE / AFP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand's ruling Labour Party on Sunday selected Chris Hipkins to replace Jacinda Ardern as its leader and the 41st prime minister of the country. Hipkins, 44, was […]
New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins speaks at his first press conference at Parliament in Wellington on Jan 22, 2023. (MARTY MELVILLE / AFP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand's ruling Labour Party on Sunday selected Chris Hipkins to replace Jacinda Ardern as its leader and the 41st prime minister of the country. Hipkins, 44, was […]
Sweden's Defence Minister Pal Jonson speaks to members of the media in the north east of England on Nov 9, 2022. (ANDY COMMINS / POOL / AFP) ISTANBUL – Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday that a planned visit by his Swedish counterpart to Ankara has been canceled after Swedish authorities granted permission […]
Minister for Police, Education and Public Service Chris Hipkins speaks to the media outside Parliament in Wellington on Jan 21, 2023. (MARTY MELVILLE / AFP) WELLINGTON – Chris Hipkins, who led New Zealand's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is set to replace Jacinda Ardern as the country's next prime minister after emerging as the only […]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern addresses members of the media during a joint news conference hosted with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, following their annual Leaders' Meeting, at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Sydney, Australia, July 8, 2022. (LOREN ELLIOTT / FILE PHOTO / REUTERS) WELLINGTON – Candidates to replace Jacinda Ardern as New […]
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern grimaces as she announces her resignation at a press conference in Napier, New Zealand, Jan 19, 2023. (WARREN BUCKLAND / NEW ZEALAND HERALD / AP) WELLINGTON – New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Thursday made a shock announcement she had "no more in the tank" to continue leading […]
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on Jan 17, 2023. (FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP) DAVOS, Switzerland – Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said the kingdom was trying to find a path to dialogue with Iran as the […]
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a transition ceremony for the Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi in Jerusalem, Jan 16, 2023. (MAYA ALLERUZZO / POOL VIA REUTERS) JERUSALEM – Israeli leaders vowed on Monday to keep the country's conscript military free of politics after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave far-right coalition […]
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speaks during the 13th Ambassadors Conference in Ankara, Türkiye, on Aug 8, 2022. (ADEM ALTAN / AFP) ANKARA – Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday called on the United States to strike a balance in its relations with Türkiye and Greece.Cavusoglu made the remarks at a press conference in […]
A protester holds a Transgender pride flag in Tel Aviv, Israel, to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government, Jan 7, 2023. (TSAFRIR ABAYOV / AP) JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended on Friday a proposed shakeup of the judiciary but also indicated changes could be made to draft legislation that critics […]
Sri Lanka military personnel take part in an Independence Day parade rehearsal in Colombo on Feb 3, 2022. (ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP) COLOMBO – Sri Lanka will slash its army by a third to 135,000 personnel by next year and to 100,000 by 2030, the state minister of defense said on Friday, as the […]
This handout image provided by the UAE Presidential court on Jan 12, 2023 shows UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (right) posing for a picture with Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan (left), prior to their meeting, at Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi. (UAE PRESIDENTIAL COURT / AFP) The United Arab Emirates agreed […]