US Republicans plan to vote on deal to avert shutdown, lift debt ceiling

Republicans in the US Congress voted on Thursday for a new spending package that would avert a looming government shutdown, this time with the support of President-elect Donald Trump, who defeated an earlier bipartisan version. It was unclear whether the measure would survive an evening vote in the House of Representatives. House Democrats emerged from … Read more

United Arab Emirates’ pledges not to arm paramilitaries ‘are very thin’, campaigner says

The United Arab Emirates has promised the United States not to arm paramilitaries in Sudan’s brutal civil war, US lawmakers said Thursday. The assurance came as the US announced $200 million in new aid for Sudan, one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters where tens of thousands have died in fighting since April 2023. We … Read more

Trump says Canadians ‘want’ to become the 51st US state. Is this even possible?

US President-elect Donald Trump has been repeatedly taunting counterpart Justin Trudeau about Canada becoming the ’51st state’ of the US. He’s publicly referring to Trudeau as a “governor”, and claimed Canadians are keen. This comes amidst a tariff dispute and a political crisis in Canada, and whilst unlikely, it raises the question if Trump’s theory … Read more