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 »Trump shuns warnings, vows to move embassy to Jerusalem ahead of speech
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Tuesday slapped down warnings of widespread Middle East unrest as he told anxious Arab leaders he still intends to move the US embassy to Jerusalem, on the eve of a much-anticipated policy speech. Amid a frantic round of telephone diplomacy, Trump …
Read More »Egypt’s Sisi warns Trump over Jerusalem embassy move
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, one of Donald Trump’s closest allies in the Middle East, urged the US president to be cautious, his office said Tuesday, after reports Washington was planning to move its Israel embassy to Jerusalem. Trump informed Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas of his …
Read More »Erdogan says Jerusalem ‘red line’, could cut Turkey-Israel ties
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | The status of Jerusalem is a “red line” for Muslims and could even prompt Turkey to cut ties with Israel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump mulled whether to recognise the city as the Israeli capital. Erdogan said Turkey, which …
Read More »Jordan warns Trump against Jerusalem recognition
Amman, Jordan | AFP | Jordan has warned of “grave consequences” if US President Donald Trump decides to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, state media said. Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told his US counterpart Rex Tillerson by phone Sunday that it was “necessary to preserve the historical and …
Read More »Switzerland to return $320m stolen by Nigerian dictator
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Around $321 million in public funds stolen by former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha will be returned to the African country, Switzerland said Monday. The money, originally deposited in Luxembourg, was confiscated by a Swiss court in late 2014 and in March last year the two …
Read More »Senior UN official to make rare visit to North Korea: official
United Nations, United States | AFP | A top UN official will travel to North Korea this week for talks with officials there, a UN spokesman said Monday, amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The unusual visit by Jeffrey Feltman, which begins Tuesday and runs to Friday, …
Read More »Erdogan says Turkey cannot be ‘condemned by courts’ in US
Ankara, Turkey | AFP | President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said Turkey could never be “condemned by virtual courts” in the US after he was implicated in a scheme allegedly designed to subvert US sanctions on Iran during a trial in New York. Turkish-Iranian gold trader Reza Zarrab had …
Read More »Arctic, major fishing nations agree no fishing in Arctic, for now
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Arctic and major fishing nations, including China, announced Friday that they have agreed to a moratorium on commercial fishing in Arctic waters before a fishery in the icy region is even feasible. The far north is warming at nearly twice the global average rate, causing …
Read More »Kim Jong-Nam was carrying VX ‘antidote’: lawyer
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother was carrying a VX ‘antidote’ when he was assassinated with the deadly nerve agent in a stunning Cold War-style hit, a lawyer said Friday. Kim Jong-Nam had 12 tablets of Atropine in his backpack when he was attacked, said …
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