Washington, United States | AFP | Outgoing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned in his farewell remarks on Tuesday that Washington must do more to respond to Russia’s “troubling behavior and actions.” After he was sacked by President Donald Trump, Tillerson also said US efforts to pressure North Korea had …
Read More »Trump says top diplomat Tillerson out, names Pompeo successor
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the departure of his top diplomat Rex Tillerson, to be succeeded by the current CIA chief Mike Pompeo. A senior US official said the president wanted to reshuffle his team ahead of talks with North Korea. “Mike …
Read More »Exiled DR Congo opposition leader launches presidency bid
Muldersdrift, South Africa | AFP | Exiled Congolese opposition leader Moise Katumbi launched a campaign Monday to be elected president in polls scheduled for December, unveiling his new “Together for Change” party in South Africa. “We will fight the battle to take power — and we will win,” said Katumbi …
Read More »Madagascar summons US envoys over ex-leader’s dairy cows
Antananarivo, Madagascar | AFP | The Madagascar government on Monday summoned the US ambassador after the embassy commented on a court decision that left dairy cows belonging to ex-president Marc Ravalomanana unattended and without food. A court had ordered the closure of AAA, an agribusiness owned by Ravalomanana, over violation of …
Read More »Merkel says she will visit Macron to discuss EU reform
Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday, two days before she is to launch her new government, that she will pay a quick visit to French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss EU reform proposals. Without naming a date, Merkel said she would visit Paris ahead of an …
Read More »Canada’s Trudeau accuses China of ‘dumping’ steel on global markets
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday accused China of flooding global markets with cheap steel, adding that Canada has already taken steps to prevent “dumping” in this country. “We are very concerned about the actions taken by China and the dumping of steel and aluminum on …
Read More »Fresh protests in Guinea after disputed elections
Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Thousands of people demonstrated in central Conakry on Monday while in several other districts of the Guinean capital youths erected roadblocks and set fire to tyres, in the latest wave of unrest after disputed local elections. The country’s main opposition, the Union of Democratic Forces …
Read More »Putin says he ordered plane shot down before Sochi Olympics
Moscow, RUSSIAN FEDERATION | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an order to shoot down a passenger plane he believed would be used in a terror attack at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, he said in a new documentary. The plane was travelling from Ukraine to Turkey when Putin …
Read More »Putin says he will ‘never’ give Crimea back to Ukraine
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that under no circumstances would he give Crimea back to Ukraine, speaking in a new documentary released Sunday ahead of his expected re-election in next week’s poll. “What, have you gone mad?” he told a journalist who asked him if …
Read More »Erdogan slams NATO for failing to back Syria campaign
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday angrily lashed out at NATO, accusing the Western military alliance of failing to back Turkey’s campaign against Kurdish militia in Syria. Erdogan’s latest comments were among the toughest he has directed in recent times against NATO, which Turkey joined …
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