World

An American on trial over an alleged coup bid in DR Congo told a court on Friday that he had been forced into participating by his father who led the plot and was later killed.

The alleged coup bid struck on May 19 when armed men attacked the home of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe before raiding the building housing the offices of President Felix Tshisekedi.

Experts are calling Donald Trump's former national security advisor's proposal to resume detonating nuclear weapons after a three-decade pause a "terrible idea," as he insists that "if you want peace, prepare for war."

Robert C. O’Brien made his case in the July-August issue of Foreign Affairs magazine that the United States ought to bring back nuclear weapons testing as China and Russia have "modernized their nuclear arsenals."

A Romanian court on Friday eased travel restrictions on controversial influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, allowing them to travel within the European Union while awaiting trial over human trafficking and rape charges.

U.S.-born Briton Tate and his brother Tristan, who say they are innocent, are accused of having formed an organised criminal network in early 2021 in Romania and in Britain.

Newly-minted Prime Minister Dick Schoof faced a baptism of fire at the opening of the Dutch parliament over remarks by two cabinet ministers about a conspiracy theory with neo-Nazi roots.

Schoof was inaugurated on Tuesday with pomp and fanfare to head a coalition government dominated by far-right leader Geert Wilders and his anti-immigration Freedom Party, the PVV.

The Vatican has excommunicated Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, one of Pope Francis's most virulent critics, after judging him guilty of splitting the Church, the dicastery in charge of doctrine said Friday.

The 83-year-old ultra conservative, who has called in the past for Francis to resign as pope, has been on trial since last month after being accused by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith of the crime of schism, or splitting the Catholic Church.

All prime ministers bring their own personality and approach to the job. Each has a different style of leadership, which can shape how things work and what gets done. Herbert Asquith famously summed it up when he said being prime minister is all about “what the holder chooses and is able to make of it”.

When searching for clues as to how Keir Starmer will choose to be Britain’s prime minister, there isn’t too much to go on. When asked directly on a recent podcast, he declared “an inclusive, determined prime minister who will look out for everyone in the country”. This only takes us so far, as it’s rather hard to imagine anyone saying the opposite (except, perhaps, Nigel Farage). But sifting through what we know, we can at least make a start at piecing together the puzzle.

In terms of his personality and approach, Starmer has been described as “methodical, professional, good on detail but lacking in flair”. He is very likely to be what the late MP and historian David Marquand called a “pragmatic operator”. Not for Starmer the visionary appeal or oratory fireworks of a Tony Blair or Harold Wilson. But nor is he simply a “machine politician”.

Catania airport on the Italian island of Sicily was closed on Friday after Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, erupted and spewed ash into the sky, disrupting air travel.

"The runway at Catania Airport is unusable due to volcanic ash fall: both arrivals and departures are suspended," the company managing the airport said in a statement.

Polls opened Friday for Iran's runoff presidential election, the interior ministry said, pitting reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili in the race to succeed Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash.

The Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say in all state matters, cast his ballot when the polls opened at 08:00 am (0430 GMT), state TV showed.

The European Union will impose additional provisional duties of up to 38 percent on Chinese electric cars from Friday after concluding manufacturers in China benefited from unfair state support.

Here's why the Chinese electric vehicle market has raised hackles among European policymakers -- and what impact the move could have:

A routine political summit has become "a moment of trepidation and peril" as world leaders cast their gaze on the U.S. and a former president they are terrified might reclaim the White House, according to a new political analysis.

The Washington Post's foreign affairs columnist David Ignatius wrote Thursday about an upcoming NATO summit where he says President Joe Biden will carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Three planes, 270 tons of equipment, 800 square meters of stage: the figures from Madonna's massive free concert in Rio in May sounded like they came from another age.

These days, megastars are usually keener to claim a smaller footprint.