Category: World

KINGSTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has admitted that adding a journalist to a group military chat was a “big mistake” and has vowed to introduce reforms to ensure it does not happen again. “Obviously, someone made a mistake – someone made a big mistake – and added a journalist. Nothing against journalists, but you ain’t supposed to be on that thing,” Rubio told a news conference in Jamaica, as the row dominated headlines for a third day. “I think there will be reforms and changes made so this never…

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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered tighter controls on federal elections, including requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote, as the Republican continues to attack a system he insists remains tilted against him. Experts swiftly denounced his executive order as an abuse of presidential power that could ultimately prevent millions of Americans from casting ballots, and rights groups already have vowed to challenge it in court. Trump, now in his second term, has never acknowledged his defeat to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, and he maintains…

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US President Donald Trump and his top intelligence officials have downplayed concerns over a security breach in which a journalist was inadvertently added to a Signal group chat where senior officials discussed planned US airstrikes in Yemen. During a tense Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe insisted that no classified information had been disclosed in the chat. However, Democratic lawmakers strongly criticised the officials, calling the incident an “embarrassment” and a breach of national security. Journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of…

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WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance has announced he will join his wife Usha on a visit to Greenland this Friday, a trip that comes amid heightened tensions over Donald Trump’s push to bring the Arctic territory under US control. Vance, who has become Trump’s attack dog on foreign policy matters, said he would visit US Space Force members based there but also “check out what’s going on with the security” of Greenland. “There was so much excitement around Usha’s visit to Greenland this Friday that I decided that I didn’t…

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ISTANBUL: A court in Istanbul has jailed seven journalists, including an AFP photographer, for covering protests over the arrest of opposition leader Ekrem Imamoglu, as thousands take to the streets in defiance of a government crackdown. The demonstrations erupted after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s main political rival, in a crackdown that has seen more than 1,400 people arrested, including 11 Turkish journalists. Seven of them were remanded in custody by an Istanbul court on Tuesday, among them AFP photographer Yasin Akgul, drawing…

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Germany’s new parliament sits for the first time on Tuesday, with a record number of MPs from the far-right AfD expected to lay claim to several senior positions in the chamber. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) came second only to the conservative CDU-CSU alliance, which is currently in negotiations to form a government with the Social Democrats (SPD) of outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Julia Kloeckner of the CDU is expected to be elected as the new president of the Bundestag after it convenes at 11:00 am (1000 GMT). The AfD…

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A strong earthquake, measuring a magnitude of more than six, struck off New Zealand’s South Island on Tuesday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) said. The tremor — initially recorded with a magnitude of 7.0 — hit at 2:43pm at a depth of 10 kilometres (6.2 miles) off the southwest tip of New Zealand’s South Island, according to the USGS. It was centred around 160 kilometres (100 miles) from the nearest mainland settlement. There was no tsunami warning or immediate reports of damage, according to the Honolulu-based Pacific Tsunami Warning…

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WASHINGTON: Three Democratic senators urged the White House on Monday to seek authority from Congress to extend a deadline for China’s ByteDance to sell TikTok to safeguard the popular video sharing app from a potential ban. Trump in January unilaterally extended the sale deadline from January 19 to April 5 by postponing enforcement of a law passed last year that requires ByteDance to sell a majority stake to US owners or face a ban on the app in the United States. Trump said last month that he could further extend…

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US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that his administration will impose a 25% tariff on imports from countries that purchase Venezuelan oil and gas, in a move that could disrupt global trade and impact major economies like China and India. Since returning to office in January, Trump has ramped up trade tariffs on allies and rivals alike, using them as a tool to influence both economic and diplomatic affairs. New Tariff Targets Oil Buyers The new levy—set to take effect from 2 April—will apply to both direct and indirect…

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OTTAWA: Canada’s intelligence agency has warned that China and India are likely to use artificial intelligence to interfere in the country’s upcoming election, amid growing concerns over foreign meddling in its democratic process. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) made its comments at a time when Ottawa’s relations with both India and China remain strained. Beijing and New Delhi have denied previous allegations of interference. Canada was slow to respond to attempts by China and India to interfere in the 2019 and 2021 elections, but an official probe concluded in…

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