Washington, United States | AFP | Former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson says that President Donald Trump repeatedly wanted to violate the law, describing him as “undisciplined” and uninterested in details. Tillerson, who was fired in March, made no attempt to deny his poor relationship with Trump during a …
Read More »Trump to pick State Dept spokeswoman Heather Nauert as UN envoy: reports
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump is expected Friday to nominate State Department spokeswoman and former Fox TV news anchor Heather Nauert as US ambassador to the United Nations, according to multiple reports. If confirmed by the Senate, she would take over from Nikki Haley, who announced …
Read More »Conditions met for Assange to leave Ecuador embassy in London: president
Quito, Ecuador | AFP | Ecuador’s president said Thursday that conditions have been met for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to leave the country’s embassy in London, which would end a six-year standoff with British authorities. “The way has been cleared for Mr Assange to take the decision to leave in …
Read More »Burundi to shut UN rights office: sources
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The Burundi government has ordered the United Nations Human Rights Council to shut its office in the country within two months, foreign ministry and UN sources told AFP. The government on Wednesday sent a verbal note to resident UN coordinator Garry Conille to transmit the …
Read More »US reestablishes permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States has reestablished a permanent diplomatic presence in Somalia nearly three decades after it closed its Mogadishu embassy in January 1991, the State Department said Tuesday. “This historic event reflects Somalia’s progress in recent years and is another step forward in formalizing …
Read More »CIA chief to brief lawmakers on Khashoggi murder
Washington, United States | AFP | CIA director Gina Haspel has agreed to brief a “small group” of US lawmakers about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the chair of the Senate foreign relations committee said Monday. The briefing will take place on Tuesday at 11:00 am (1600 GMT), …
Read More »Britain’s spy chief breaks silence to warn Putin
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s spy chief warned Vladimir Putin on Monday that London would no longer take the Kremlin at its word as it fights Russia’s “perpetual confrontation” with the West. MI6 foreign intelligence agency head Alex Younger came out of the shadows to deliver only …
Read More »Trump says hopes to meet N.Korea’s Kim in January or February
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump said Saturday he hoped to organize a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in early 2019, perhaps as soon as January or February. Trump told reporters traveling home to Washington with him aboard Air Force One from …
Read More »Hopes for second Brexit referendum reach fever pitch
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Hopes for a second referendum on EU membership are rising in Britain amid heightened uncertainty over Brexit, but big hurdles remain — from the timing to legal complexities on both sides of the Channel. Prime Minister Theresa May is struggling to convince British lawmakers …
Read More »Erdogan takes Saudi prince to task, demands extraditions
Buenos Aires, Argentina | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded Saturday that Saudi Arabia extradite suspects in the killing in Istanbul of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, taking to task the kingdom’s crown prince who was basking in his quick return to the world stage at the G20. Crown Prince Mohammed …
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