Beijing, China | AFP | China has expressed “firm opposition” to remarks made by US Pentagon chief Jim Mattis during a regional defence summit over the weekend, after he criticised Beijing’s “militarisation” of the South China Sea. Washington has repeatedly expressed concerns that China’s development of artificial islands in the …
Read More »Egypt cuts diplomatic ties with Qatar, following Saudi, Bahrain
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egypt on Monday announced it was cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting “terrorism”, as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates adopted similar measures. Egypt “has decided to sever its diplomatic relations with the state of Qatar,” the foreign affairs ministry …
Read More »Billionaire Bloomberg pledges $15 million to UN for climate change
New York, United States | AFP | US billionaire Michael Bloomberg has offered $15 million to UN efforts to tackle climate change after President Donald Trump announced he is pulling the United States out of the Paris Climate Accord. The money would support the operations of the UN Framework Convention …
Read More »Morocco king boycotts Africa summit to avoid Netanyahu
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco’s king has cancelled plans to attend a West Africa summit this weekend in Liberia due to the presence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the foreign ministry has said. The North African country is hoping to join the Economic Community of West African States …
Read More »China vows to uphold climate pact ‘as a responsible major country’
Beijing, China | AFP | Beijing vowed Friday to uphold the Paris climate accord after the United States withdrew from the pact, saying it was a “responsibility shouldered by China as a responsible major country”. “We think the Paris accord reflects the widest agreement of the international community with regards …
Read More »Obama slams Trump for exiting Paris climate deal
Washington, United States | AFP | Barack Obama slammed his successor President Donald Trump on Thursday for pulling out of the Paris climate deal, warning that the move would see the United States “reject the future.” “The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap …
Read More »Trump will not move US embassy to Jerusalem for now
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump postponed moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem on Thursday, avoiding what would be a provocative decision as he tries to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. On the campaign trail Trump repeatedly pledged that he would shift the embassy from …
Read More »ANALYSIS: In climate talks, it’s always been America First
Paris, France | AFP | Donald Trump, considering a US withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, is not the first American president to test international partners’ patience by challenging a climate deal that took years to negotiate. Here is a brief history of America’s chequered involvement in the two-decade-old process that …
Read More »China vows to adhere to Paris climate deal
Berlin, Germany | AFP | China will “steadfastly” implement the Paris climate pact, Premier Li Keqiang said Thursday, urging others to do likewise as US President Donald Trump was due to announce whether he will keep Washington in the deal. “China will continue to implement promises made in the Paris …
Read More »Saudi king earns more retweets than Trump, Twiplomacy study says
The pope and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have engaged with Trump via subtweets, a form of posting typically used for criticism Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Donald Trump may be lighting up Twitter with strange new words and attacks on allies but in the battle for most attention per …
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