New York, United States | AFP | The Chinese and Russian foreign ministers called for a peaceful end to the “vicious cycle” on the Korean peninsula as they met in New York for the UN General Assembly, Beijing said Tuesday. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergei …
Read More »Tunisia offers to mediate in Libya crisis
Tunis, Tunisia | AFP | Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar visited neighbouring Tunisia on Monday for talks with President Beji Caid Essebsi, who offered to act as a mediator between rival Libyan factions. Libya, which plunged into chaos after the ouster and killing of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, has two …
Read More »Kiyonga presents credentials to China President Xi Jinping
Beijing, China | MOFA | Crispus Kiyonga has presented his credentials to President Xi Jinping as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uganda to the People’s Republic of China. During the ceremony that took place at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, President Xi welcomed Kiyonga to China and …
Read More »French, Rwandan presidents hold rare meeting amid tense diplomatic ties
Kigali, Rwanda | AFP | Rwandan President Paul Kagame has met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in New York for rare talks, Kigali said Tuesday, as diplomatic ties remain icy over the 1994 genocide. Kigali has long accused France of complicity in the genocide of some 800,000 mostly ethnic …
Read More »Britain’s May says Trump visit still on despite terror tweets
Washington, United States | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted a long-awaited state visit by Donald Trump will go ahead as planned despite a diplomatic spat triggered by the US president’s comments after a terror attack in London. Speaking to ABC News from Downing Street in an interview …
Read More »US role in spotlight as nations meet on Paris climate deal
Montreal, Canada | AFP | A top European environment official said Saturday the United States appeared to be softening its stance on the Paris climate accord, but the White House quickly pushed back. The remark came as environment ministers from some 30 countries gathered in Montreal seeking headway on the Paris …
Read More »Trump plans to visit China, Japan, S. Korea in November
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced he intends to visit China, Japan and South Korea later this year, a blockbuster maiden presidential visit to Asia. Trump said aboard Air Force One that a US delegation would likely make the trip in November, adding that …
Read More »Papal nuncio calls DR Congo a ‘predatory state’
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The pope’s representative in DR Congo said the pontiff will not visit Kinshasa before long delayed elections are held in the strife-torn country, calling it a “predatory state.” In March, Pope Francis cancelled a planned summer visit to Kinshasa owing to the climate of political …
Read More »Qatar emir meets ally Erdogan in first foreign trip since crisis
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Thursday held talks in Turkey with the emirate’s chief ally President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his first visit abroad since the start of a diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia. Erdogan hosted the emir for the talks at his …
Read More »India’s first bullet train project fast-tracks Japanese ties
Ahmedabad, India | AFP | India’s first bullet train project, a $19-billion initiative linking Ahmedabad to Mumbai, was launched Thursday as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe hailed fast-growing ties between Asia’s two biggest democracies. The project is seen as emblematic of warming relations between New Delhi …
Read More »