Munich, Germany | AFP | Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called Saturday for an end to a world order dominated by the West and said Moscow wanted to establish a “pragmatic” relationship with the United States. Lavrov was speaking at the Munich Security Conference shortly after US Vice President Mike …
Read More »Secret Service probes object thrown at Trump motorcade
Palm Beach, United States | AFP | The US Secret Service launched an investigation Friday, after an object was hurled at Donald Trump’s motorcade as it traveled to his Florida resort. As Trump’s motorcade was moving from the airport at West Palm Beach to his Mar-a-Lago home earlier Friday, an …
Read More »Trump vents, insists ‘zero chaos’ in White House
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump insisted there was “zero chaos” in his crisis-hit White House and railed against enemies in the media, politics and the courts Thursday, in a meandering first solo news conference. The 70-year-old US president vented frustrations, wondered out loud about a “nuclear …
Read More »Bird-flu deaths rise in China, shutting poultry markets
Beijing, China | AFP | China is experiencing its deadliest outbreak of the H7N9 bird-flu strain since it first appeared in humans in 2013, killing 79 people in January alone and spurring several cities to suspend live poultry trade. The National Health and Family Planning Commission said on Wednesday that …
Read More »New talks seek to end Syria’s war after nearly six years
Beirut, Lebanon | AFP | As Syria’s war approaches its seventh year, two new rounds of talks on resolving the conflict are scheduled to take place in Astana and Geneva. Here are some questions and answers about the upcoming talks: What talks are scheduled? The first meeting is in the …
Read More »US Secret Service chief to retire
Washington, United States | AFP | US Secret Service chief Joseph Clancy will retire in early March, the elite agency tasked with protecting the US president said Tuesday. A former head of US President Barack Obama’s detail, Clancy returned from a previous retirement to steer the agency two years ago, …
Read More »White House tries to insulate Trump from Russia scandal
Washington, United States | AFP | The White House battled Tuesday to insulate Donald Trump from a scandal over his top aide’s contacts with Russia, as it emerged that the president was aware of the problem for weeks before acting. With calls for an independent investigation gathering pace, the White …
Read More »Melania Trump reopens White House for tours
Washington, United States | AFP | After pressure from lawmakers, First Lady Melania Trump announced Tuesday the White House will reopen to the public in early March, nearly seven weeks after her husband Donald became president. White House tours are highly popular with visitors to Washington, a perk arranged by …
Read More »COMMENT: The global economy’s resilience
COMMENT: By Jim O’Neill Six major indicators suggest the global economy is growing at the fastest rate in many years Disconcerting political developments in the United States and the United Kingdom might lead one to conclude that an already challenged world economy will struggle even more in the near term. …
Read More »Palestinians say US shift on two-state solution ‘doesn’t make sense’
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP | US President Donald Trump’s break with decades of support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is irresponsible and does not advance peace, a senior Palestinian said on Wednesday. “This does not make sense,” Palestine Liberation Organisation executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi told …
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