Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Sunday signaled his intent to move forward with controversial tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that have sparked fears of a trade war. “We are on the losing side of almost all trade deals. Our friends and enemies have …
Read More »Mass rally in Niger to back 2018 budget
Niamey, Niger | AFP | Tens of thousands of supporters of Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou marched in the capital Niamey on Sunday after a number of opposition protests against the 2018 budget, which they say favours big business. Wearing t-shirts and brandishing banners in the colours of the ruling party, …
Read More »S. Korea’s Moon to send special envoys to North on Monday
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korean President Moon Jae-in will send a team of special envoys — including Seoul’s spy chief — to the North on Monday to push for talks between Washington and Pyongyang on nuclear weapons. The delegation, announced by Moon’s office on Sunday, is the …
Read More »S.Africa firebrand Malema launches bid for presidency
Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | Radical South African opposition leader Julius Malema launched on Sunday his campaign to be elected president in 2019 by aggressively distancing his party from a one-time coalition partner. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader used a speech at a packed arena in Johannesburg to …
Read More »Netanyahu opposes early polls as graft probes intensify
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he opposes early elections, as corruption probes linked to him intensify speculation over his future. Israeli media have raised the possibility of a June poll, with graft investigations potentially weakening the premier’s ability to hold together his right-wing …
Read More »China downplays lifting of presidential term limit
Beijing, China | AFP | China sought on Sunday to downplay the Communist Party’s move to scrap presidential term limits, a decision that could pave the way for Xi Jinping to remain president for life. The National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s rubber-stamp parliament, will vote on March 11 on constitutional …
Read More »Slovak police free all suspects held after journalist murder
Bratislava, Slovakia | AFP | Slovak police on Saturday said they had released seven Italian businessmen detained after they were named by murdered journalist Jan Kuciak in an explosive report on alleged high-level political corruption linked to the mafia. “The investigator has, within the legal timeframe (48 hours) at his …
Read More »Putin promises ‘victories’ for Russia at star-studded rally
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin on Saturday promised “victories” for Russia at a star-studded rally attended by tens of thousands of supporters ahead of a March 18 election he is all but certain to win. Olympic athletes, celebrities and cosmonauts had taken to the stage to voice …
Read More »Trailed by legal woes, Netanyahu to meet ‘true friend’ Trump
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have a brief respite next week from the deluge of legal woes he faces when he heads to Washington to meet US President Donald Trump. Even as he prepared for his trip, Netanyahu was again questioned by police in …
Read More »Mali insecurity continues, migrating to country’s center: UN
United Nations, United States | AFP | Insecurity in Mali “continues to rage” and is progressing toward the center of the country, according to an interim UN report. Members of Plateforme, an armed pro-government coalition, and the CMA rebel alliance, who were signatories to a 2015 peace deal, are seeing …
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