Latest International agreements News

US and UK criticize Pakistani military court convictions of civilian supporters of Imran Khan

Dec. 24, 2024 11:00 AM EST

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The United States and the United Kingdom have expressed concern over convictions imposed by Pakistani military courts to 25 civilian supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan over their alleged involvement in riots last year. The convictions had previously...

Kurdish-led forces push back Turkish-backed Syrian rebels in a tense offensive

Dec. 24, 2024 08:32 AM EST

QAMISHLI, Syria (AP) — The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said Tuesday they have launched a counter-offensive against the Ankara-backed Syrian National Army to take back areas near Syria’s northern border with Turkey. The SDF is Washington’s critical ally in Syria,...

Today in History: December 24, World War I ‘Christmas truce’ begins

Dec. 24, 2024 00:01 AM EST

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 24, the 359th day of 2024. There are seven days left in the year. This is Christmas Eve. Today in history: On Dec. 24, 1914, during World War I, impromptu Christmas truces began to take hold along parts of the Western Front between British and...

A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can't take it back on his own

Dec. 23, 2024 16:28 PM EST

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Teddy Roosevelt once declared the Panama Canal “one of the feats to which the people of this republic will look back with the highest pride.” More than a century later, Donald Trump is threatening to take back the waterway for the same republic. The...

Kosovo election authority bans main ethnic Serb party from parliamentary vote

Dec. 23, 2024 12:57 PM EST

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s election authority on Monday barred the main ethnic Serb party from competing in the upcoming parliamentary election, justifying the move by pointing to its nationalist stance and close ties to Serbia. The Central Election Commission declined to...

Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion

Dec. 23, 2024 08:15 AM EST

PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation...

Colombia's ELN rebels announce Christmas truce

Dec. 22, 2024 11:40 AM EST

BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s largest remaining rebel group announced a unilateral truce on Sunday, to last until Jan. 3, the first since the previous ceasefire broke down in August. In a statement posted on X, the National Liberation Army said that it will halt attacks on...

Tensions over Essequibo region resurface as Venezuela completes a bridge to a disputed border base

Dec. 21, 2024 13:49 PM EST

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Guyana’s government Saturday formally protested to Venezuela following the completion by Venezuela's armed forces of a bridge built on a remote river island shared by both countries. Work on the bridge, which links Venezuela’s mainland to a military base, has caused...

Cyprus can help rid Syria of chemical weapons and search for its missing, Cypriot top diplomat says

Dec. 21, 2024 10:55 AM EST

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus stands ready to help eliminate Syria’s remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and to support a search for people whose fate remains unknown after more than a decade of war, the top Cypriot diplomat said Saturday. Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos...

Hungary’s Orbán says European leaders must change strategy on Ukraine

Dec. 20, 2024 09:12 AM EST

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said Friday that European leaders must acknowledge the need to change their strategy regarding Ukraine. In comments to Hungary’s state broadcaster on Friday, Orbán argued that the current strategy was not working...