Japan’s new leader said he wants to break through a diplomatic standoff with South Korea to encourage cooperation in handling the coronavirus pandemic and strengthening a trilateral security alliance with the U.S. “I said that we can’t afford to leave our relations in the current dire state,” Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said after a 20-minute … Read more
KABUL—Deadly violence in Afghanistan has marred the first-ever direct talks between Kabul and the Taliban, underscoring the high stakes that face the warring sides as they struggle to get negotiations off the ground to end nearly two decades of fighting. Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban kicked off a historic first round of … Read more
HONG KONG—Chinese state media took turns denouncing a White House-approved plan to turn TikTok into a U.S.-based company, casting more doubt over the fate of the Chinese-owned short-video app that needs nods from both Beijing and Washington to avoid a ban in the U.S. Over the weekend, TikTok appeared to narrowly avoid having to shut … Read more
BRUSSELS—In a troubled part of West Africa, Europe is fielding a military force intended to show it can handle its own security and reduce its reliance on the U.S. The coalition of European countries, led by France, is assembling based on a calculation that helping each other overseas will cement security and defense back in Europe. But the … Read more
BEIRUT—A large explosion shook a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon on Tuesday, sending a thick plume of smoke over a country still reeling from the deadly Beirut explosion last month that devastated parts of the capital. Smoke was seen rising from the area surrounding the towns of Ain Qana and Kafarfila, the state-run National News … Read more