Merkel urged to budge on Brexit

Boris Johnson made his first overseas trip since becoming British prime minister when he visited German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Wednesday. He repeated his demand that the Northern Ireland backstop be dropped from any withdrawal terms for the United Kingdom's divorce from the European Union.

Panama Canal is 'innocent passage'

Famously neutral Panama is resisting pressure from the United States to stop allowing Venezuelan vessels to traverse the Panama Canal, the key link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and one of the most important passageways for global trade.

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Trump urges India, Pakistan to reduce tensions in call with PMs

NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD - US President Donald Trump spoke with the leaders of India and Pakistan on Monday, discussing prospects for improved trade ties with Washington and stressing the need to reduce tensions over Kashmir between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Scientists hail hydrogen clean-energy breakthrough

PARIS - Scientists said on Tuesday that they have developed a way of extracting hydrogen from oil without releasing greenhouse gases - a breakthrough they hailed as a "silver bullet" for cleaner energy and the climate.

Japan urged to explain plan for Fukushima water

SEOUL - South Korea on Monday urged Japan to explain a plan to dispose of the water contaminated by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown amid the growing worry in South Korea about Japan's possible discharge of the water into the Pacific Ocean.

US: Release of Iranian tanker 'very unfortunate'

WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed frustration on Monday over the "very unfortunate" decision to release an Iranian tanker held off Gibraltar, in an implicit rebuke to its United Kingdom ally.

Tusk rejects Johnson's Irish border proposal

European Council President Donald Tusk has dismissed British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's proposal that the so-called Irish backstop arrangement - included in the exit terms brokered by his predecessor - be scrapped to lessen the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit.

G7 braces for summit in France

Leaders of the G7 countries will meet in Biarritz, France, on Aug 24-26, with an ambitious focus on tackling inequality and climate change. They will also discuss a wide range of other issues from the economy to foreign policy and security, such as relations with Iran and Russia.

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Iran's tanker departs for Greek port

TEHERAN - An Iranian tanker caught in a standoff between Teheran and the West was sailing to Greece on Monday after leaving Gibraltar, and Iran warned against any US move to seize the vessel after Gibraltar authorities rejected a request from the United States to detain it.

Indonesia set to move capital city

At last it is official. Indonesia is to get a new capital.