Washington, United States | AFP | Former FBI director James Comey will testify on June 8 before a congressional panel probing allegations of Russian interference in last year’s US election, the Senate Intelligence Committee said Thursday. Comey was fired by President Donald Trump early last month as the FBI’s own …
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 »REMATCH: Trump and Hillary trade jabs in Twitter skirmish
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump has taken a swing on Twitter at one of his favorite punching bags, Democrat Hillary Clinton — and his former presidential rival has hit back with her own zinger. The trouble started Wednesday when Clinton raised questions over whether Trump’s campaign …
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 »Comedian sacked by CNN, isolated over grisly Trump stunt
New York, United States | AFP | US comedian Kathy Griffin may have hoped to make art in holding up a prop depicting Donald Trump’s bloodied, severed head. But the stunt cost her a job with CNN and achieved the unthinkable — uniting conservatives and liberals in outrage. The president …
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 …
Read More »COMMENT: Trump’s strongman weakness
Praising strongmen without also mentioning their human-rights abuses condones repressive practices By Aryeh Neier US President Donald Trump has made his affinity for authoritarian leaders abundantly clear. When Trump entertained Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the White House in April, he praised the Egyptian military ruler for doing “a fantastic job.” …
Read More »LONDON: We can confirm that ‘covfefe’ is not an English word. Yet
Trump cryptic tweet ‘covfefe’ trends on Twitter Washington, United States | AFP | Not for the first time, a Donald Trump tweet has lit up the internet. But this time, users the world over have been left scratching their heads over “covfefe”: a bizarre word apparently created by the president. …
Read More »White House shaken as Russia probe pierces Trump’s inner circle
Washington, United States | AFP | The probe into Russia’s role in the US election pierced the innermost circle of the White House Saturday, with reports that Donald Trump’s son-in-law sought a secret communications line with Moscow — the most damning allegation yet from the scandal. With the president …
Read More »HANDSHAKE: Macron unshaken by Trump power grip
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Diplomacy can be a white-knuckle ride at times, but French President Emmanuel Macron refused to be shaken when he found himself in an unexpected standoff with US counterpart Donald Trump Thursday. Former reality TV star Trump is known to make visitors flinch with a strong …
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