NAIROBI, Kenya, March 18 – Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has welcomed the United Kingdom’s commitment to supporting economic investments across Kenyan counties in a bid to end aid-dependency. Odinga said that the UK’s shift from traditional aid to economic investment reaffirms a commitment to maintaining the long-standing relationship between the two countries. Odinga endorsed the UK’s approach when he met United Kingdom High Commissioner to Kenya, Neil Wigan, on Tuesday. “I was happy to learn that the UK is keen to strengthen ties with our counties through a shift from traditional aid to economic investment,” he stated. UK and Kenya agreed on a £3.4 billion package of green investment deals positioning the UK as a key investment partner during COP27 as part of an effort to support low-carbon growth.
Tag Archives: internationalrelations
Mar
United States (US) officials are in Moscow to discuss a potential ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. Special envoy Steve Witkoff arrived on Thursday morning to try to convince Russia to accept a 30-day ceasefire, which Ukraine agreed to earlier this week in talks with the US. Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov says talks were “taking place in a calm manner” – but rejected the proposal, saying it would amount to nothing more than a temporary respite for the Ukrainian military and a chance for it to regroup. The US visit comes as the Russian military claimed to have recaptured Sudzha – a key town in the Kursk region that Ukraine invaded last year in a surprise attack. President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk on Wednesday and met military commanders, who told him
Mar
Is Trump’s approach one of strategic diplomacy, or could it be a potentially dangerous posture that puts the remaining captives at risk? By JPOST EDITORIAL MARCH 7, 2025 05:51 Updated: MARCH 7, 2025 06:00 US President Donald Trump meets with a delegation of former hostages in the Oval Office, and shows off a plaque of gratitude from Hostage Families Forum, March 5, 2025. (photo credit: SCREENSHOT/X/POTUS) It was impossible to not be moved by Wednesday’s emotional meeting at the White House between US President Donald Trump and a group of freed Israeli hostages – Eli Sharabi, Keith and Aviva Siegel, Naama Levy, Doron Steinbrecher, Iair Horn, Omer Shem Tov, and Noa Argamani. Almost all of them were freed as part of ceasefire deals between Israel and Hamas. During the meeting
Mar
NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 5– The United States has expressed deep concern over reports that Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups have signed a “transitional constitution,” warning that such actions could further destabilize the country. In a statement on Wednesday, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs cautioned that any attempt to establish a parallel government in Sudan would be detrimental to peace and security, potentially leading to the country’s “de facto partition.” “The U.S. is deeply concerned by reports that the RSF and aligned actors have signed a ‘transitional constitution’ for Sudan,” the statement read. “Attempts to establish a parallel government are unhelpful for peace and security and risk further instability and de facto partition of the country.” The RSF, which has been sanctioned by the
Mar
China’s growing foreign policy budget signals a proactive approach to deepening ties with the Global South and expanding its Belt and Road Initiative, at a time when the US is taking an isolationist turn under “ America first ”, according to observers. The Chinese finance ministry on Wednesday proposed that the “diplomatic endeavours” budget for 2025 be raised by 8.4 per cent to over 64.5 billion yuan (US$8.87 billion), marking a bigger jump than the 6.6 per cent last year. The hike for the military budget, meanwhile, was set at 7.2 per cent, the same as in 2024 and 2023. The proposed budget was submitted to China’s top legislature as Premier Li Qiang delivered the government’s annual work report to top lawmakers at the “ two sessions ”, the country’s
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, seen here in early February, has pledged to collaborate with Washington. Photo: Yuri CORTEZ / AFP/FileSource: AFP Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Thursday that she hoped to talk to her US counterpart Donald Trump as part of efforts to avoid being hit with his threatened tariffs. She spoke shortly after Trump wrote on social media that he would move ahead with imposing levies on Mexico and Canada next week. A high-level Mexican delegation is in Washington in search of an agreement and “we hope that we can talk to President Trump once these meetings take place,” Sheinbaum said at her morning news conference. “I hope we can reach an agreement,” she added. Sheinbaum has repeatedly expressed optimism that tariffs between the two countries can be avoided.
Feb
A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world. By THE MEDIA LINE FEBRUARY 15, 2025 00:08 US PRESIDENT Donald Trump meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem, 2017. (photo credit: PPO via Getty Images) Trumpism: Risks and opportunities Asharq Al-Awsat, London, February 6 For more stories from The Media Line go to themedialine.org Many assert that the words of Donald Trump, the returning American president, are mere bluster. In my view, Trump could be anything – either an empty sound bomb or a truly destructive force. We are on the brink of four potentially extraordinary years that could either morph into our worst fears, leaving Palestinians without a land, or realize the dream of a Palestinian state. His policies might ignite a dangerous regional
Feb
Detained in Russia since 2021, Marc Fogel landed back in the U.S. on Tuesday. February 12, 2025, 5:28 AM LONDON — A Russian held in a U.S. prison will be repatriated to Russia following the release of U.S. citizen Marc Fogel, who was returned to the United States on Tuesday, Moscow said. “In exchange for Fogel, a Russian citizen imprisoned in the United States will be returned to Russia in the coming days,” Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, said on Wednesday. Peskov did not disclose which Russian citizen held in a U.S. jail would be repatriated, but said the United States had agreed to the release during negotiations for Fogel’s retun. U.S. President Trump didn’t on Tuesday discuss the negotiations that led to Fogel’s release or describe any conversations with
US President Donald Trump’s proposal to resettle Gaza’s population would only be temporary, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said. It follows Trump’s suggestion that the US could “take over” Gaza and resettle the millions of Palestinians living there – an idea that has drawn criticism from the UN, human rights groups and Arab leaders. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt further clarified Trump’s comments, saying the US was not planning to put “boots on the ground” in the territory. Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said Gazans “should be allowed to enjoy freedom of exit and immigration”, but gave few details on how this would work. On a trip to Guatemala, Marco Rubio said Trump’s proposal was not “hostile”, but a “generous move”, showing “the willingness of the United
![Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva poses for a photo after his first cabinet meeting of 2025, at the Granja do Torto country residence in Brasilia, Brazil, on January 20 [Eraldo Peres/AP Photo]](https://esbecgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Brazils-Lula-says-any-US-tariffs-would-be-reciprocated.jpg)
The Brazilian leader says he is looking for a relationship based on mutual respect after Trump threatens tariffs. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that, if the United States imposes tariffs on his country, he will respond in kind. Speaking at a news conference in the capital Brasilia, on Thursday, Lula said his country seeks a relationship based on mutual respect. His comments came in response to US President Donald Trump’s threat of heightened tariffs. “It is very simple: If he taxes Brazilian products, there will be reciprocity,” Lula told reporters. “Trump was elected to run the US, and I was elected to run Brazil. I will respect the US and want Trump to respect Brazil. That’s all.” The comments are the latest signal that Trump’s efforts
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged “full support and solidarity” for Russia’s war in Ukraine during a meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang. Putin expressed gratitude for Kim’s “unwavering” support on Ukraine and asserted that Moscow is combating the “hegemonic and imperialist policy” of the United States and its allies. Putin’s visit to […]