Author: Prima News

China, home to the world’s biggest oil refining sector, said it was ready ​to work with Southeast Asia in addressing energy problems ‌stemming from the war in Iran and called on the parties involved to immediately cease military operations. China’s show of willingness to work with the ​region of more than 700 million people would be ​welcome relief to Southeast Asian oil importers after an order ⁠by Beijing earlier this month to ban Chinese exports of diesel, ​gasoline and jet fuel. The ban would worsen shortages and further hike ​prices for some of China’s strategic partner-nations in Southeast Asia, which have already…

The United States hosted representatives from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in Washington on Tuesday and Wednesday, with talks ​centering on the stalled peace process in eastern Congo. It marked the ‌first encounter between the parties since the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the Rwanda Defence Force and four senior officers on March 2. Washington has blamed Rwandan support for the M23 rebel ​group for continued violence in eastern Congo. Rwanda denies backing M23. ​M23 staged a lightning advance in eastern Congo in January 2025 ⁠and still holds large swathes of territory. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and ​Rwanda “agreed…

The German government has set a mid-April deadline for reaching ​an agreement with France on ‌the crisis-hit FCAS fighter programme, a government official said on Thursday. “Germany and France have ​agreed on a final attempt ​at mediation between the industries, to ⁠be carried out by experts,” ​the official said. “Due to the upcoming decisions ​on the federal budget, a result must be reached by mid-April,” they added. The news ​comes after French President Emmanuel Macron ​and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met late Wednesday ‌ahead ⁠of a March 19-20 EU leaders’ summit. Plans to develop a futuristic air combat system together…

Iran seeks compensation from the ​United Arab Emirates, ‌accusing it of enabling U.S. attacks against Iranian ​territory, Iran’s U.N. ​Ambassador told the UN ⁠Secretary General in ​a letter according to ​a Nournews report published on Thursday. In the letter, ​Amir Saeid Iravani ​said the UAE’s decision to ‌allow ⁠its territory to be used for the strikes constituted “an internationally ​wrongful act ​that ⁠entailed state responsibility.” Tehran said the ​UAE had an ​international ⁠responsibility to provide reparation, including compensation for ⁠all ​material and ​moral damages incurred.

European Union leaders piled pressure on Hungarian ‌Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Thursday to lift his blockade on a vital 90-billion-euro ($103 billion) EU loan to Ukraine to keep up its fight against Russia’s invasion. EU leaders agreed to the loan in December but Orban, who has cordial ties with Russia and has clashed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, blocked ​its implementation last month, citing a dispute over a war-damaged pipeline. Orban’s stance has angered other EU leaders as Kyiv ​could run short of money in weeks if it does not receive new funding and his ⁠U-turn has called into question the credibility…

A forthcoming Italian referendum on judicial reform will test right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s political strength and could give the ​fragmented opposition the impetus to forge a broad alliance ahead of next year’s general election. Italians will vote on ‌March 22-23 on a proposal to separate the careers of judges and public prosecutors, splitting the self-ruling High Council of the Judiciary (CSM) into two bodies whose members would be chosen by lot rather than elected. Though centred on the governance of the judiciary, the referendum has become a political showdown between the government-backed ‘Yes’ ​camp and the opposition, which supports ‘No’. There is no…

President Donald Trump may use a White House meeting with Japan’s prime minister on Thursday to press for help in the war on Iran, placing Sanae Takaichi in an awkward ​position as Tokyo weighs how much support it can provide. Trump has lashed out at allies for their lukewarm support for the U.S.-Israeli military campaign ‌and said the U.S. doesn’t need any help. However, he is still pushing for more ships to clear mines and escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, largely closed by Iran in the conflict. Trump hosts Takaichi for a long-scheduled White House visit aimed at burnishing the decades-old security and economic partnership…

An immigration judge has ended the asylum claim of the Ecuadorean boy who was detained during an immigration raid in Minneapolis, Minnesota ​Public Radio reported on Wednesday, citing a lawyer for the boy ‌and his family. Liam Conejo Ramos was taken into custody at the age of five along with his father in late January and spent 10 days in a detention facility in Texas before ​both of them were released and returned home. A photograph showing Liam ​in a blue bunny hat outside his house, with federal agents standing ⁠nearby, drew national attention. U.S. Immigration Judge John Burns issued the decision…

Former Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, has revealed why the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, emerged as the party’s flagbearer for the 2023 general election. Shettima noted that Tinubu’s promise of better days for Nigerians across all divides resonated with party members, stakeholders and delegates that voted at the party’s primary. He said aside from the endorsement of Tinubu by six other presidential aspirants, his personality and nationwide acceptability played a crucial role in his emergence. “Asiwaju emerged as victor against all odds because you elected to see through the mud thrown at him by those who couldn’t…

Moments that matter rarely announce themselves. They arrive inside larger events, dressed in ceremony, and reveal their true significance only to those already positioned to act on them. The UK-Nigeria state visit is one of those moments. What happens beyond the handshake will determine whether it becomes a legacy or a footnote. For those working at the serious end of this bilateral relationship, the diagnosis has been clear for some time. The UK-Nigeria corridor does not lack talent, commercial foundation, or human connectivity. What it has lacked, with a consistency that has been commercially consequential for both economies, is the…