TOP NEWS

The nuclear weapons of the major powers
US in nuclear talks with both Russia and China

The US is meeting with both Russian and Chinese delegations to talk about the countries' nuclear arsenals in Geneva, Switzerland, AFP and Bloomberg report.

The US and Russia held talks on Monday, almost three weeks after the “New Start” disarmament agreement expired. Meetings with China will take place on Tuesday.

A source told AFP that the three countries have already had “preparatory meetings”. The talks in Switzerland are “more substantial”, although the exact details are still unknown.

The “New Start” agreement limited the countries' nuclear warheads to 1,550 each. Donald Trump wants to see a new agreement that also includes China.

Philippine Drug War
Hague raises issue of Duterte trial

Today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague began hearings on whether former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte should be tried for crimes against humanity, several news agencies report. Duterte is charged with three counts relating to at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018.

“He approved the killings,” said Deputy Prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang when the hearings began.

The defense claims that Duterte’s statements were misinterpreted and that the prosecution chose examples of “bombastic rhetoric.”

80-year-old Duterte will not participate in the hearings in person after the court approved his request for absence, despite the fact that he was deemed to be in sufficient health to participate. 

The Future of the EU
Sources: Iceland Considering EU Vote in August

Iceland is considering holding a referendum on EU membership as early as August this year, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Politico.

The coalition government in Reykjavik has previously promised a vote by 2027 at the latest, after a previous government froze accession negotiations in 2013. The new timetable is expected to be announced within a couple of weeks.

The information comes after a series of intensive visits by EU politicians to Iceland and by Icelandic politicians in Brussels. At the same time, the union is stepping up its enlargement work. The EU is working on a plan that could grant Ukraine partial membership as early as next year.

“The conversation about enlargement is changing. It is increasingly about security, about belonging and about preserving our ability to act in a world with competing spheres of influence. It concerns all Europeans, EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told Politico. 

Middle East crisis  Syria's new regime
Sources: US forces to leave Syria within a month

All US forces will leave Syria within a month, three sources told AFP. Already on Monday, US soldiers have begun withdrawing from a significant base in northeastern Syria, according to the sources.

The information comes after Kurdish forces, who have long been supported by Washington in the fight against the terrorist group IS, have handed over territory to Damascus and agreed to be integrated into the state.

The US has about 1,000 troops left in Syria.

Snowstorm in the US – could be one of New York's worst

A snowstorm is moving in over the northeastern US. More than 41 million people from Maryland to Maine are affected by weather warnings, NBC reports.

In New York City, a couple of inches of snow has already fallen and since last night there has been a ban on non-essential travel on all streets, writes AP. The ban is in effect until noon on Monday, local time. Authorities fear that the storm could be one of the ten worst in 150 years in the city.

Travel restrictions are also in place in the states of Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Connecticut and states of emergency have been declared. Many schools are closed and thousands of flights have been canceled across the United States.