All posts tagged: conflict

Keir Starmer’s leadership vacuum threatens to swallow him up – POLITICO

Keir Starmer’s leadership vacuum threatens to swallow him up – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Many of those who spoke to POLITICO described a lack of “curiosity” in the PM. “He just doesn’t ask questions, on policy, politics or apparently propriety either,” another former official said. Some ministers agree.  A current government official described Starmer’s approach to interrogating policies and other decisions as “hear no evil, see no evil.” The official added: “You can’t claim to be this meticulous lawyer, this micro-manager, this mandarin and then not care for stuff like this.” Boris Johnson vibes   One bizarre example of his passivity is that Starmer apparently does not even express a strong preference about how he wants to spend his own time. “He is so hands-off about his diary,” another former No. 10 official said. Referring to Jill Cuthbertson, a top aide who used to run Starmer’s diary, this person said: “It’s kind of like, ‘what has Jill put in my diary today,’ and then if it was something he didn’t enjoy doing, someone else would bear the brunt of it, but he’d never be involved in the front end of …

How the Iran war set Beijing up for global clean energy dominance – POLITICO

How the Iran war set Beijing up for global clean energy dominance – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Thailand imports solar panels from China but also Sweden and elsewhere, he said. Ultimately, Nitithanprapas said Thailand wants to create domestic production using foreign direct investment so it doesn’t have to rely on any particular country. That’s a common view in much of Southeast Asia, where the creation of local solar manufacturing and EV plants won’t happen overnight. “In the short term, most countries don’t have a viable alternative to Chinese clean-tech supply chains,” said Vicky Janita, an analyst at Rystad Energy.  Even if they were to buy more supplies from countries like India, which has grown its solar panel manufacturing capacity, those producers still rely heavily on China for wafers and other parts of the supply chain, she said. That doesn’t mean they aren’t also trying different strategies to reduce that dependence and build their economies. Many countries in Southeast Asia have welcomed Chinese investment in domestic production, through both carrots, such as tax breaks, or sticks, such as Indonesia’s export ban on raw nickel. Similarly, Brazil is imposing tariffs on EVs, forcing Chinese …

Iran: Prolonged conflict reshapes view of the regime, analyst says

Iran: Prolonged conflict reshapes view of the regime, analyst says

Published by Sam Flores

FRANCE 24’s guest Mehran Kamrave, Director of the Iranian Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, analyses Iran’s strategy towards the United States, highlighting three key levers the regime can rely on: sanctions, the nuclear programme, and control over the Strait of Hormuz. He also notes that, despite the war, the Iranian government is tightening its grip on the population. According to him, the longer the conflict drags on, the less unpopular the Islamic Republic becomes domestically. Keywords for this article Source link

Europeans tried to win over the US this week in DC. Their efforts were lost in translation. – POLITICO

Europeans tried to win over the US this week in DC. Their efforts were lost in translation. – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Growing pains At finance industry gatherings in D.C.’s office buildings and historic hotels, the EU’s efforts to boost growth and stimulate investment by removing fragmentation in European capital markets was seen by industry and regulators alike with either curiosity, because they don’t understand the project, or skepticism because they doubt the EU can get over its internal rivalries and integrate. This week Bessent reiterated the U.S. mantra that “the biggest risk to financial stability is a lack of growth,” accusing the EU of being “unable to follow the Draghi Report … on how it would increase growth.” The existence of the bloc should “facilitate trade among the members, make it more seamless, create more prosperity, and it turns out it has probably been a hindrance,” he said. The Europeans struck a more conciliatory tone. U.K. Finance Minister Rachel Reeves said Britain’s trade deal with the U.S. is “in both of our countries’ interests,” and said technical work with U.S. counterparts on the future of capital markets and financial services is moving forward. “That relationship and …

Displaced Lebanese return as Israeli shelling violates ceasefire in south | Israel attacks Lebanon News

Displaced Lebanese return as Israeli shelling violates ceasefire in south | Israel attacks Lebanon News

Published by Sam Flores

Al Jazeera correspondents on the ground report that Israeli bulldozers are also continuing home demolitions. Published On 18 Apr 202618 Apr 2026 Beirut, Lebanon – Tens of thousands of displaced Lebanese families are returning home despite ongoing reports of Israeli shelling and demolitions of homes near the country’s southern border. Cars loaded with mattresses, bags and salvaged belongings continued streaming south on Saturday as families went back to see if their homes remained. “There’s destruction and it’s unliveable. We’re taking our things and leaving again,” said Fadel Badreddine, displaced from Nabatieh. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list “May God grant us relief and end this whole thing permanently – not temporarily – so we can return to our homes and livelihoods.” A preliminary assessment by Lebanese authorities conducted before the truce found that nearly 40,000 homes had been destroyed or damaged. Beirut’s southern suburbs were among the worst-hit areas, followed by districts across southern Lebanon. “I came to check on my house and take a few things,” said Samia Lawand, a resident of Beirut’s …

Macron demands assurances after Iran opens Strait of Hormuz | Military

Macron demands assurances after Iran opens Strait of Hormuz | Military

Published by Sam Flores

NewsFeed French President Emmanuel Macron said he welcomed the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the Lebanon ceasefire, as the US and Iran declared the key waterway open. His comments came as European leaders discuss a post-war Hormuz maritime force. Published On 17 Apr 202617 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Source link

EU to ‘play its part’ to restore energy and trade flows from Middle East – POLITICO

EU to ‘play its part’ to restore energy and trade flows from Middle East – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called fully reopening the strait “an urgent, shared priority,” adding the EU could contribute by “reinforcing Operation Aspides,” the EU’s naval mission in the Middle East. The mission’s mandate covers the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman but stops short of the Strait of Hormuz. EU leaders rejected expanding it at a summit in March and Kallas and von der Leyen did not say Friday whether doing so now was in the cards. Tehran said Friday it was “completely” opening the strait in response to a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, allowing gas and oil tankers to transit through it once again. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the news on his social media platform Truth Social, adding a full ceasefire was close to being agreed. “Iran has agreed to never close the Strait of Hormuz again. It will no longer be used as a weapon against the World!” the American leader wrote. Markets reacted euphorically, with the price of oil falling sharply amid hopes …

‘Waiting without answers’: Gaza mother’s fear for her three imprisoned sons | Israel-Palestine conflict News

‘Waiting without answers’: Gaza mother’s fear for her three imprisoned sons | Israel-Palestine conflict News

Published by Sam Flores

Gaza City, Gaza Strip – In her makeshift canvas tent, Inaam al-Dahdouh sits with her six grandchildren, turning over a photograph of her three sons, detained two years ago in the first few months of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. As Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is marked on Friday, the 62-year-old mother finds herself living a different kind of pain this year. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list It is no longer only the anguish of imprisonment and separation, but a looming fear shaped by new and uncertain scenarios following the approval of an Israeli law allowing the execution of Palestinian prisoners in late March 2026. Palestinians mark Palestinian Prisoners’ Day annually on April 17. This year, it comes amid an unprecedented surge in the number of detainees and worsening conditions. According to prisoners’ advocacy groups, more than 9,600 Palestinians are currently held in Israeli prisons as of early April 2026, compared with about 5,250 before the war – an increase of nearly 83 percent. They include 350 children, and more than 3,530 administrative …