Author: Daily Sabah With Reuters

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino reaffirmed the country’s sovereignty over the Panama canal on Sunday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to retake the canal. “Every square meter of the Panama canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue belonging so,” Mulino said in a recorded statement released on X, adding that Panama’s sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable.

Panamanian President Jose Raul Mulino reaffirmed the country’s sovereignty over the Panama canal on Sunday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to retake the canal. “Every square meter of the Panama canal and the surrounding area belongs to Panama and will continue belonging so,” Mulino said in a recorded statement released on X, adding that Panama’s sovereignty and independence are non-negotiable.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he considered the sometimes harsh criticism of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to be unjustified, news wire DPA reported. Although Germany has been a vital ally of Ukraine, its hesitation in providing long-range Taurus cruise missiles has been a source of frustration in Kyiv, which is battling a foe armed with a powerful array of long-range weaponry. “I have often told Zelenskiy that he should stop criticising Olaf Scholz, because I think it is unfair,” DPA quoted Rutte on Monday as saying in an interview. Rutte also said that he,…

An earthquake of magnitude 5.9 struck Cuba on Monday, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said. The quake was at a depth of 25 km (15.53 miles), EMSC said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday there were risks of North Korea sending more troops and military equipment for the Russian army. Zelensky said on X that, according to preliminary data, more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers were killed and wounded in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine holds a chunk of land after a major cross-border incursion in August.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum expressed support for Panama’s government on Monday after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump threatened to reassert U.S. control over the Panama Canal on Sunday. “Indeed, the Panama Canal belongs to the Panamanians,” Sheinbaum said, speaking during her regular morning press conference. Sheinbaum’s comments came one day after Trump accused Panama of charging excessive rates to use the Central American passage while speaking to a crowd of supporters in Arizona. After the event, he posted an image on Truth Social of an American flag flying over a narrow body of water, with the comment: “Welcome to the United…

The head of a Canadian political party that has been keeping Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in power says he will vote in favor of a motion of no-confidence, effectively assuring the Liberals will be removed from power early next year. Trudeau has been under increasing pressure to quit since Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland resigned over a policy clash. Here are some potential ways forward for Canada: WHAT HAPPENS IF TRUDEAU RESIGNS? If Trudeau resigns, the Liberals will name an interim leader to take over as prime minister while the party sets up a special leadership convention. The challenge for the…

Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said on Monday that several countries had already offered to host talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, though he declined to say which. Trump has said he wants to swiftly end the war in Ukraine, though he has yet to set out publicly how he plans to do so. Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to compromise over Ukraine in possible talks with Trump and had no conditions for starting talks with the Ukrainian authorities. But Putin said any talks should take as their starting point a…

Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk defeated Britain’s Tyson Fury by unanimous decision at the Kingdom Arena on Saturday, retaining his WBA (Super), WBO and WBC heavyweight titles and preserving his undefeated record in a thrilling bout. Giving up advantages in height, weight and reach to his much bigger opponent, Usyk fought superbly throughout to win 116-112 on all three judges’ scorecards as he again defeated Fury after his success in May made him the undisputed champion. Fury, 36, was much improved from that first encounter where he wilted in the ninth round but could still not solve the puzzle posed by the…

Russian forces executed five Ukrainian prisoners of war, Ukraine’s Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said on Sunday. Lubinets said on the Telegram messenger app that Russian troops shot the five unarmed soldiers after capturing them. He gave no details, but will report this fact to the UN. “Russian war criminals who shoot Ukrainian prisoners of war should be brought before an international tribunal and punished with the most severe punishment provided for by law,” Lubinets said. Russia did not immediately comment on the incident, but has previous denied committing war crimes.