Abidjan (AFP) May 16, 2024 A US delegation is discussing the withdrawal of its troops from military-led Niger as Washington prepares to abandon its strategic position in the Sahel where Russia and Iran are gaining ground. The demand for US troops to exit comes after French troops were also forced to withdraw last year by Niger's new ruling...

Taipei (AFP) May 16, 2024 Son of a coal miner, Taiwan's Lai Ching-te takes the helm Monday as president of the self-ruled island, tasked with navigating the widening rift with an increasingly assertive China. The 64-year-old Harvard graduate swept to the presidency in January's elections on the promise he would defend Taiwan's democracy and...

Beijing (AFP) May 16, 2024 Beijingers praised Vladimir Putin's "charisma" on Thursday and expressed hopes that China would deepen ties with Moscow as the Russian leader paid a two-day visit. Putin's war in Ukraine, which began with the February 2022 invasion, is believed to have killed hundreds of thousands of people and has made the Russian...

Kampong Chhnang, Cambodia (AFP) May 16, 2024 China's military showed off its machine gun equipped robot battle "dogs" Thursday at the start of its biggest ever drills with Cambodian forces, as the United States frets about Beijing's growing influence in the Southeast Asian country. Cambodia has long been a staunch ally of China, receiving...

Kharkiv, Ukraine (AFP) May 16, 2024 Ukraine warned on Thursday it faced a "very difficult" military situation in its northeast Kharkiv region, where Moscow has made its largest territorial gains in 18 months since launching a surprise offensive last week. As Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was sending yet more reinforcements...

Beirut (AFP) May 16, 2024 Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it launched on Thursday "more than 60" rockets at Israeli military positions in retaliation for overnight air strikes on the country's east. Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily fire following the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel...