Venice, Italy | AFP |Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julianne Moore on Saturday weighed in on the debate raging in the United States over statues and other symbols of the pro-slavery side in the American Civil War. The pair spoke out on the issue at the Venice film festival, where …
Read More »Trump announces ambassador picks to Germany, India
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump has announced a series of ambassador nominations to key capitals, including Berlin and New Delhi, more than seven months after taking office. In a statement released late Friday, the White House announced Trump intends to nominate Richard Grenell to be ambassador …
Read More »Zimbabwe opposition hails Kenya poll overturn
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe’s opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai hailed on Saturday the decision by Kenya’s top court to order a new presidential election as a “step towards democracy”. Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has made three failed attempts at the presidency, losing …
Read More »Russia says US plans to search its San Francisco consulate
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia said on Friday the FBI planned to carry out a search of its San Francisco consulate, which Washington has ordered closed along with two other facilities as part of a diplomatic slugging match between the two powers. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the …
Read More »Grace Mugabe steers clear of assault claim
Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe on Friday made her first public comments since facing assault allegations in South Africa, but she avoided any mention of the incident two weeks ago. President Robert Mugabe’s wife was granted diplomatic immunity by South Africa after she was accused …
Read More »Mozambique opposition eyes peace deal by November
Maputo, Mozambique | AFP | Mozambique’s opposition chief Afonso Dhlakama said Friday he expected to sign a peace deal with President Filipe Nyusi by November, as the two sides look to end years of unrest. The two men met last month in the remote Gorongosa mountains, where Dhlakama retreated in …
Read More »Trump, Moon agree to boost S.Korean missile capabilities
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The United States and South Korea agreed Friday to strengthen Seoul’s defenses and Washington gave a nod to billions in arms sales to the country, the White House said, days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan and threatened further launches. In Seoul, the …
Read More »Colombia FARC rebels reborn as ‘revolutionary force’ party
Bogota, Colombia | AFP | Colombia’s FARC former guerrilla force on Thursday re baptized itself the Common Alternative Revolutionary Force, as it transformed into a political party following its disarmament. In spite of earlier resistance from some members of the movement, the name retains the revolutionary spirit of the communist guerrilla group, which …
Read More »Defending human rights ‘not a crime’: freed Sudan activist
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | A leading Sudanese activist who was released after a presidential pardon said Wednesday that defending human rights was “not a crime”, as he vowed to continue fighting against rights abuses. Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, an engineering professor at the University of Khartoum, told AFP in an interview …
Read More »Kremlin confirms Trump lawyer emailed Kremlin during campaign
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman on Wednesday confirmed that the Kremlin last year received an email from a lawyer working for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump about building a Trump Tower skyscraper in Moscow. Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that the Trump Organization’s chief counsel at the …
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