London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday announced the suspension of parliament in the final weeks before Britain’s EU departure date, enraging anti-Brexit MPs. The pound slid on the surprise news, which opponents branded a “coup” and a “declaration of war”, although US President Donald …
Read More »Trump in Warsaw, 80 years after WWII outbreak
Warsaw, Poland | AFP | US President Donald Trump, fresh from hob-nobbing with his G7 partners at a glitzy French resort town, will on Sunday attend sombre commemorations in Warsaw of the outbreak of World War II 80 years ago. Trump will be the first US head of state to come …
Read More »Could Trump gamble big on Iran? Skepticism reigns
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump is not afraid of surprises but could he take one of the biggest shifts of all in his foreign policy — easing sanctions on Iran? Washington is widely skeptical that Trump will shift course on Iran, with his hawkish advisors long …
Read More »UK’s Johnson urged to embrace no-deal Brexit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday to lead Britain out of the EU without a divorce deal, and threatened otherwise to fight his Conservative party “in every seat”. “Given where we are, no deal is the best deal,” Farage told …
Read More »Tamer Trump on show at G7, but brash US leader never far
Biarritz, France | AFP | Like Superman disguised as the mild-mannered Clark Kent, Donald Trump showed his tamer side at the G7 — but the maverick showman expected by the world didn’t take long to burst back out. Before the summit in France’s Biarritz, speculation was rife over how Trump might …
Read More »30 years after Berlin Wall fell, dashed hopes boost far-right
Chemnitz, Germany | AFP | A giant Karl Marx statue towers in the east German city of Chemnitz but, 30 years after the Berlin Wall fell, another political wind is blowing here as the ex-communist city battles the image of a far-right hotbed. Polls suggest that Sunday the region’s voters will deliver …
Read More »UK opposition seek ways to stop no-deal Brexit
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will on Tuesday attempt to bridge deep divisions with other opposition parties on how to avoid Britain crashing out of the EU on October 31. Corbyn said he would “do everything necessary” to stop a no-deal Brexit, following leaked official warnings …
Read More »Why is China’s currency falling?
Shanghai, China | AFP | China’s yuan has sunk by around four percent in August to its lowest point in more than 11 years on Monday, a decline likely to further exacerbate trade tensions with Washington. Here are five things to know about the yuan’s slide: – Why has the …
Read More »Equities, yuan take hit as Trump dials up trade war with China
Hong Kong, China | AFP | Asian equity markets tanked and the yuan hit an 11-year low Monday after US President Donald Trump ramped up his trade war with China by hiking tariffs on more than half-a-trillion dollars worth of imports. However, dealers pared earlier steep losses after the president said …
Read More »Iran foreign minister Zarif makes surprise visit to G7 summit
Biarritz, France | AFP | Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif flew into Biarritz in southwestern France for the G7 summit on Sunday in a surprise attempt to break a diplomatic deadlock over Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme. Zarif’s presence had not been announced and represented a gamble by French host …
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