Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to head Thursday on the first trip by an Israeli premier to Brazil, where he will attend the inauguration of incoming president Jair Bolsonaro. Netanyahu will also hold talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the sidelines of …
Read More »Egypt voices support for protest-hit Sudan
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Egypt’s foreign minister on Thursday voiced support for Sudan’s embattled government, as Khartoum grapples with demonstrations against price hikes in which a disputed number of protesters have been killed. Cairo’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and intelligence chief General Abbas Kamel arrived in Sudan’s capital on …
Read More »Eight-nation summit discusses DR Congo
Brazzaville, Congo | AFP | Eight nations in southern and central Africa met on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Democratic Republic of Congo, a country that has been a regional battleground twice in the last quarter-century. The one-day mini-summit was being staged in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic …
Read More »UN hopes Congolese can ‘freely’ vote after delay
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United Nations Security Council on Saturday said it hoped a week-long delay in DR Congo’s election will allow Congolese “to express themselves freely” during the ballot. Presidential, legislative and provincial elections had been scheduled for Sunday in the vast, volatile African country, …
Read More »UN fails to reach deal on budget shortfall as US funding dips
United Nations, United States | AFP | United Nations member states failed to come up with a deal Friday to make up for a $220 million budget black hole left by the United States downsizing its contribution to peacekeeping operations, diplomats said. The United States had paid around 28 percent …
Read More »EAC Burundi crisis summit postponed again
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | An East African summit scheduled for December 27 to help broker an end to Burundi’s political crisis has been postponed for a second time, according to a regional bloc organising the talks. Burundi has been caught up in crisis since President Pierre Nkurunziza sought a …
Read More »N. Korea says denuclearisation depends on removal of US threat
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea said Thursday its commitment to denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula was bound up with a “complete removal of US nuclear threats”. Following a rapid diplomatic rapprochement this year, the North’s leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump signed a vaguely-worded statement …
Read More »US approves $3.5 billion Patriot missile sale to Turkey
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States said Wednesday it approved the sale of $3.5 billion in missiles to Turkey, offering an ultimatum after US outrage over the NATO ally’s plans to buy from Russia. The announcement came as President Donald Trump said that US forces would withdraw …
Read More »Ethiopian Airlines reopens Moscow route after 27 years
ethip Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopian Airlines on Monday resumed flights to Moscow after a gap of 27 years stretching back to the demise of the Soviet Union, which saw relations with Moscow dive. “Moscow is a vital addition to our European service, a very important region. It’s …
Read More »France ‘the sick man of Europe’: Polish foreign minister
Warsaw, Poland | AFP | France is “the sick man of Europe” and its problems are hurting the region, Poland’s foreign minister said Monday, citing the “yellow vests” protest movement and last week’s jihadist attack. “France is the sick man of Europe, it is a drag on Europe while Poland …
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