India set to miss divestment targets by more than half this year
India will struggle to raise even half the proceeds it had targeted from planned sales of state-run firms this year and will miss divestment targets for the fifth straight year, sources said, as elections shift government priorities.
Britain pledges additional aid to Gaza
Britain will provide another 30 million pounds ($37.38 million)of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Foreign Secretary David Cameron said on Friday as he travels to the occupied Palestinian territories on the second day of his visit to the region.
UK consumer confidence jumps despite lingering inflation pain
British consumers have turned more optimistic about the outlook for the economy and their personal finances this month but their mood remains a long way off pre-COVID levels, market research firm GfK said on Friday.
Taiwan opposition rushes to register candidates after talks implode on live TV
Taiwan’s opposition parties rushed to register their candidates for president on Friday with hours to go before a deadline, after talks on running a joint ticket collapsed in dramatic fashion on live television amid bitter arguments.
Bahrain seeks to balance anger over Gaza with ties to Israel, US
Bahrain has been walking a political tightrope since war erupted in Gaza as it seeks to ease public fury at a conflict that has killed thousands of Palestinians while preserving a deal with Israel that brought the Gulf state closer to the United States.
Philippines considers return to “fold” of International Criminal Court
The Philippines is considering resuming membership of the International Criminal Court (ICC) nearly five years after it withdrew over objections to a bid by the court to investigate a bloody anti-narcotics campaign, the president said on Friday.
Romania is not ready to uphold same-sex couples’ rights
Romanian society is not ready to uphold the rights of same-sex couples in line with a European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling, leftist Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said late on Thursday.
North Korea’s Kim says satellite launch was exercise of right to self-defence
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said the country’s recent launch of a spy satellite was an exercise of its right to self-defence, as Pyongyang celebrated the event as showing it could strike anywhere in the world, state media reported.
New Zealand’s National, ACT NZ and NZ First ink coalition agreement
New Zealand’s National Party, ACT New Zealand and New Zealand First have signed an agreement to form a new coalition government with populist NZ First leader Winston Peters taking on the role of Foreign Minister.
Israel, Hamas to start first truce in Gaza war
Israel and Hamas start a four-day truce on Friday morning with the militants to release a first group of 13 Israeli women and child hostages later in the day, the first break in a war that has devastated the besieged Gaza enclave.