Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday labelled US Vice President Mike Pence “a madman” after he accused Caracas of financing the Honduras migrant caravan marching towards the United States. “What tremendous convening power I have in Central America, Mike Pence! If it wasn’t for an …
Read More »Putin warns of a new ‘arms race’ with America
Moscow, Russia | AFP | President Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday of a new arms race if America pulls out of weapons treaties, and said Russia would respond “in kind” to any new US missiles placed on European soil. At the weekend, US President Donald Trump sparked concerns globally when he …
Read More »Pipe bombs sent to Trump foes Obama, Clinton, CNN
New York, United States | AFP | Pipe bombs were sent Wednesday to Barack Obama, prominent Democrats and CNN — all hate figures for supporters of Donald Trump as political opponents accused the US president of sowing violence. Hillary Clinton was among some of the most high-profile Democrats targeted with …
Read More »Trump wants to meet Putin in Paris on November 11: Bolton
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Donald Trump wishes to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when the two visit Paris on November 11 for World War I commemorations, the US president’s National Security Advisor John Bolton said on Tuesday. “I think President Trump will look forward to seeing you in …
Read More »Facebook simplifies Messenger app
San Francisco, United States | AFP | Facebook on Tuesday announced an overhaul of its Messenger smartphone app in an effort to simplify the service for its 1.3 billion monthly global users. The social network began rolling out a redesigned version featuring three tabs instead of nine, saying it was …
Read More »US sees promise in Zimbabwe economic moves
Washington, United States | AFP | The top US diplomat for Africa on Tuesday voiced optimism over economic reforms by the new government in Zimbabwe, which remains under sanctions dating from Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign. Tibor Nagy, the assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said that Zimbabwe’s level of …
Read More »Trump ‘not satisfied’ with Saudi explanations of Khashoggi death
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump said Monday he was “not satisfied” with Riyadh’s explanation of how journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post contributor, died inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Asked if he believed the Saudis were telling the truth about the circumstances surrounding the …
Read More »Macron defends Russia nuclear treaty’s ‘importance’ in call with Trump
Paris, France | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the importance of a Cold War-era nuclear weapons treaty during a phone call with Donald Trump, his office said Monday, after the US president announced he was pulling out of the deal. “The president noted the importance of this treaty, …
Read More »Japan orders Facebook to improve data protection
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | The Japanese government on Monday ordered Facebook to improve protection of users’ personal information following data breaches affecting tens of millions of people worldwide. Facebook said early this month that hackers accessed the personal data of 29 million users in a breach at the world’s …
Read More »Kremlin says world ‘more dangerous’ if US drops nuclear treaty
Moscow, Russia | AFP | The Kremlin on Monday said the world would be less safe if Washington goes ahead with plans to withdraw from a Cold War-era nuclear weapons treaty that banned intermediate-range missiles. “Such steps, if taken, will make the world more dangerous,” said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov …
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