French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a strategic partnership deal in Riyadh and pledged to help de-escalate the Middle East conflict, particularly in Lebanon, with a call for the holding of long-delayed presidential elections. Source link
Vietnamese courts said that property developer Truong My Lan’s sentence could be reduced to life imprisonment if she pays back three quarters of the assets she is accused of stealing from Saigon Commercial Bank. Source link
Police fired water cannons and tear gas at demonstrators who gathered for a fifth consecutive night outside Georgia’s parliament building in Tbilisi to protest a government decision to delay EU accession talks. Source link
The destruction caused by the devastating 2019 fire that ripped through Paris’s Notre-Dame Cathedral triggered an avalanche of donations to help rebuild the monument. The surplus – which amounts to €140 million – will be used for a “Phase 3” of restoration beginning next year. Source link
Amnesty Int’l is imploring Canada to “respect indigenous rights on Wet’suwet’en territory” and put an end to “megaprojects” by “destructive industries” that include the multibillion dollar Coastal GasLink pipeline. For an intimate look at the native peoples’ on-going fight to save their land, way of life, & their very existence, François Picard welcomes Freda Huson, … Read more
Despite Germany pledging a €650 million aid package on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his second-largest backer not to reduce its backing of Ukraine’s efforts to defeat Russia, saying Ukraine’s allies could only “ensure peace through strength” by sending more weapons, financing, and diplomatic support. Source link
Hezbollah said it launched projectiles towards Israeli military positions on Monday in response to “repeated violations of the ceasefire”, after Israel carried out at least four airstrikes on southern Lebanon earlier in the day. The ceasefire, which was meant to last 60 days, officially came into effect last Wednesday. Source link
As French President Emmanuel Macron began a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called for Lebanon to hold fresh presidential elections in the wake of a shaky ceasefire between Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel. Read our liveblog for the latest developments. Source link
France 24 correspondent Gulliver Cragg unpacks the new €650 million in aid German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pledged to Ukraine on Monday, unveiling what it could mean for Ukraine’s chances at repelling Russian forces. Source link
Bashar al-Assad, head of the Syrian regime, continued his counter-offensive after insurgents’ captured Aleppo last week, vowing to carry on towards the country’s capital of Damascus. Both Iran and Russia said they would help al-Assad’s government fight back against the Islamist-led offensive, while Turkey said the flare-up in the country’s civil war was due to … Read more