Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, one of Donald Trump’s closest allies in the Middle East, urged the US president to be cautious, his office said Tuesday, after reports Washington was planning to move its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. Trump informed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of his …
Read More »Morocco’s king warns Trump against Jerusalem embassy move
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Tuesday warned US President Donald Trump against moving the American embassy to the contested holy city of Jerusalem. Trump informed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas by phone of his intention to move the embassy from Tel Aviv, Abbas’s office said Tuesday. In …
Read More »Longest-serving US congressman quits after sex harassment claims
Washington, United States | AFP | Veteran US Democrat John Conyers announced Tuesday he is leaving the House of Representatives after more than five decades in office, following a series of sexual harassment accusations by former staffers. “I am retiring today,” Conyers, 88, told a Detroit radio station, as he became …
Read More »Erdogan says Jerusalem ‘red line’, could cut Turkey-Israel ties
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | The status of Jerusalem is a “red line” for Muslims and could even prompt Turkey to cut ties with Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump mulled whether to recognise the city as the Israeli capital. Erdogan said Turkey, which …
Read More »UN envoy arrives in North Korea as nuclear tensions soar
Beijing, China | AFP | A senior United Nations official arrived in North Korea on Tuesday for a rare visit aimed at defusing soaring tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme. Jeffrey Feltman’s visit — the first by a UN diplomat of his rank since 2010 — comes less than a week …
Read More »US, South Korea begin largest-ever joint air drill
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The US and South Korea on Monday kicked off their largest ever joint air exercise, an operation North Korea has labelled an “all-out provocation”, days after Pyongyang fired its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile. The five-day Vigilant Ace drill — involving 230 aircraft, including F-22 …
Read More »Fashion photographer Bruce Weber accused of sexual harassment
New York, United States | AFP | Another big name in fashion photography, Bruce Weber, has been accused of sexually harassment involving a male model, according to a suit filed in New York. The 71-year-old Weber, who worked for Vogue and helped forge the image of such brands as Calvin Klein, …
Read More »Korea tensions rise ahead of US-South Korea joint military drill
Washington, United States | AFP | Tensions were on the rise Sunday ahead of the largest ever US-South Korea air exercise, with Pyongyang calling it an “all-out provocation” that could lead to nuclear conflict as a US lawmaker warned of a growing likelihood of “preemptive war” on the divided peninsula. The …
Read More »US lawmaker: likelihood of ‘preemptive war’ with N.Korea grows
Washington, United States | AFP | A top Republican lawmaker warned Sunday that the United States moves closer to preemptive war with North Korea every time Pyongyang carries out a missile or nuclear test. North Korea’s test launch this week of an intercontinental ballistic missile has sent tensions soaring once again …
Read More »Trump denies asking FBI to drop Flynn probe
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump denied Sunday having asked then FBI director James Comey to stop investigating ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn, as the Russia meddling probe darkened what would otherwise have been a victorious week for the Republican president. Trump appeared to be backtracking …
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