London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a major parliamentary defeat over his Brexit strategy on Tuesday, which could delay Britain’s exit from the European Union next month and force an early election. Just six weeks after taking office, the Conservative leader was hit by a …
Read More »UK PM to call election if Brexit strategy defeated: top official
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will call an election for October 14 if MPs vote against his Brexit strategy, a top official said Monday on the eve of a parliamentary showdown. MPs from Johnson’s own Conservative Party are preparing to join opposition lawmakers in a …
Read More »Dorian kills five in Bahamas, US evacuates SE coast
Port Saint Lucie, United States | AFP | Monster storm Dorian hovered over the Bahamas Monday as surging seawaters and ferocious winds sowed chaos in low-lying island communities, killing at least five people and spurring mass evacuations on the US east coast. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis termed the hurricane a …
Read More »China runs to the WTO, lodges trade complaint against US
Beijing, China | AFP | China said Monday it had lodged a complaint against the United States with the World Trade Organization (WTO), one day after new tariffs imposed by Washington on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods came into force. The world’s two biggest economies have been embroiled …
Read More »UK PM Johnson threatens Brexit purge in pivotal week
London, United Kingdom | AFP | British Prime Minister Boris Johnson raised the stakes Monday in a pivotal week of the Brexit saga by threatening to purge ruling party lawmakers who try to block a no-deal divorce with the EU. The warning came as heavyweights from the governing Conservatives such as …
Read More »Pope saved by firemen after getting stuck in Vatican lift
Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis said Sunday he was late to his weekly Angelus prayer because he had been stuck in a Vatican elevator and had to be freed by firemen. He followed the tale of his rescue with a surprise announcement about the creation …
Read More »Bahamas braces as monster Hurricane Dorian heads for US mainland
Miami, United States | AFP | Hurricane Dorian roared Sunday towards the Bahamas as the island chain braced for a devastating direct hit, before the monster storm churns up the US coast from Florida towards the Carolinas. Barreling in from the Atlantic Ocean, the core of the extremely dangerous Category 4 …
Read More »Trump moves ahead with new tariffs on Chinese products
Washington, United States | AFP | Washington moved ahead Sunday with new tariffs on Chinese imports as it stepped up a high-pressure campaign aimed at coercing Beijing to sign a new trade deal even amid fears of a further slowing of US and world growth. The additional 15 percent tariffs, affecting …
Read More »Britons protest Johnson’s Brexit ‘coup’ move
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Protesters wielding pro-democracy placards and EU flags rallied on Saturday in dozens of British cities against Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s controversial move to suspend parliament just weeks before Brexit. In the biggest demonstration, thousands of whistle-blowing, drum-banging people gathered raucously outside the gates of Downing …
Read More »UN chief Guterres arrives in Ebola-hit DR Congo
Goma, DR Congo | AFP | UN chief Antonio Guterres started a three-day tour of the Democratic Republic of Congo Saturday, expressing “solidarity” with a region ravaged by violence and an Ebola epidemic. The secretary general first visited Goma, the capital of North Kivu province which is trying to …
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