Washington, United States | AFP | The White House on Wednesday rejected growing calls for a special prosecutor to be appointed to look into Russia’s influence in the 2016 president election. “We don’t think it’s necessary” said White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders, after President Donald Trump’s firing of his …
Read More »Trump wants ‘mutually beneficial’ relations with Russia: Lavrov
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump is seeking “mutually beneficial” and “pragmatic” relations with Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday after meeting the US leader in the White House. “President Trump clearly confirmed his interest in building mutually beneficial, business-like pragmatic relations,” Lavrov …
Read More »COMMENT: Grand strategy for Trump?
Trump’s intuitive use of game theory is risky with actors showing zero interest in cooperation By Koichi Hamada As with any human interaction, international relations, whether economic or political, is a combination of cooperation and competition. The “cooperation” part benefits all involved, whether by sustaining world peace or boosting growth …
Read More »Trump sacks FBI director, sparking firestorm
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Tuesday fired FBI director James Comey, ousting the man heading a wide-ranging investigation into whether his aides colluded with Russia to sway last year’s US election. In a shock move that drew comparisons to the Watergate scandal that brought down …
Read More »Shock as Trump fires FBI director Comey
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Tuesday made the shock decision to fire his FBI director James Comey, the man who leads the agency charged with investigating his campaign’s ties with Russia. The surprise dismissal of Comey, who played a controversial role in the 2016 …
Read More »Climate: China’s Xi talks tough as US hesitation frustrates talks
US, China must ‘lead the way’ on climate: Obama Bonn, Germany | AFP | UN climate negotiators in Bonn were left frustrated Tuesday as the White House postponed a meeting to determine whether America will stay in the 196-nation Paris Agreement to curb planet-harming fossil fuel. As uncertainty mounted over …
Read More »Sally Yates to testify as reports say Obama warned Trump not to hire Flynn
Washington, United States | AFP | Barack Obama warned his soon to be successor Donald Trump against hiring Michael Flynn as his national security advisor, a former administration official told AFP Monday. As President Trump sought to blame the Obama administration for missing Flynn’s links with Russian contacts, the former …
Read More »U.S. attacking North Korea?
Surely Donald Trump couldn’t be that foolish By Benjamin Habib As the USS Carl Vinson and its carrier battle group steamed through the Pacific toward the Korean Peninsula in late April, many were wondering if the Trump administration could be so rash as to attack North Korea. Regardless of how …
Read More »Pope Francis to receive Donald Trump on May 24: Vatican
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis will receive US President Donald Trump at the Vatican on May 24, the Holy See said Thursday, ahead of a G7 summit meeting in Sicily. Trump’s audience with Francis in the morning will be followed by meetings with his Secretary of …
Read More »China demands immediate halt to US missile shield in South Korea
Beijing, China | AFP | China called Tuesday for the immediate suspension of a controversial missile defence system hours after Washington confirmed the shield was now operational in South Korea. “China’s position is clear-cut and firm. We oppose the deployment of the THAAD system in (South Korea) and urge relevant …
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