Washington, United States | AFP | A recap of key developments in Israeli-US relations, after President Donald Trump on Wednesday recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in a major break with his predecessors. – Recognition, despite divergences – On May 14, 1948, David Ben Gurion founds the Jewish state of Israel, …
Read More »Tillerson plans Africa trip for early 2018
Ramstein, Germany | AFP | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met US military officers on Wednesday to prepare for a trip to better coordinate American security and diplomatic strategy in Africa. Tillerson plans to make the trip in the first quarter of 2018, the State Department said, after he dismissed …
Read More »Netanyahu hails Trump’s Jerusalem declaration as ‘historic’
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on Wednesday as “historic” and a “courageous and just decision”. Netanyahu also pledged no change to the status quo at Jerusalem’s highly sensitive holy sites in the city sacred to …
Read More »France’s Macron says Trump’s Jerusalem move ‘regrettable’
Algiers, Algeria | AFP | French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday branded as “regrettable” his US counterpart Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, calling for efforts to “avoid violence at all costs”. Addressing a press conference during a state visit to Algeria, Macron affirmed “the attachment of …
Read More »World’s nations adopt plan ‘towards a pollution-free planet’
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The world’s nations vowed Wednesday to curb plastic and chemical contamination of the air, soil, rivers and oceans, calling for a steep change in how goods are produced and consumed. Government envoys issued a political declaration outlining the path to “a pollution-free planet” at the third …
Read More »Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israeli capital
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump recognized the disputed city of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Wednesday, a historic decision that overturns decades of US policy and risks triggering a fresh spasm of violence in the Middle East. “Israel is a sovereign nation with the right like every …
Read More »Russia voices regret at Olympic ban, awaits Putin verdict
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia on Wednesday reacted with disappointment but no great surprise after the country was banned from the Winter Olympic Games, while President Vladimir Putin was yet to comment on a possible boycott. Russia was banned Tuesday from the 2018 Winter Games by the International Olympic Committee …
Read More »Britain thwarts plot to kill May: reports
London, United Kingdom | AFP | Two men have been charged with a plot to kill British Prime Minister Theresa May and a court hearing on the case is expected on Wednesday, British media reported. Naa’imur Zakariyah Rahman, 20, and Mohammed Aqib Imran, 21, planned to blow up security barriers outside …
Read More »Britain concerned about US Jerusalem plans: foreign minister
Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Britain is concerned about US President Donald Trump’s plan to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, foreign minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday. A senior US official says Trump will make the announcement later today, ignoring warnings from US allies around the world that the move could trigger …
Read More »Palestinians say Trump told Abbas of ‘intention to move’ embassy to Jerusalem
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP | US President Donald Trump told Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in a phone call Tuesday that he intends to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Abbas’s office said. Trump “informed the president (Abbas) on his intention to move the US embassy from Tel …
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