Washington, United States | AFP | An Afghanistan peace agreement that the US seems close to reaching with the Taliban has prompted worries that President Donald Trump’s desire to quickly withdraw US troops could further plunge the country into civil war. Trump said Friday he was pleased with talks on ending …
Read More »Trump on summer vacation but not in summery mood
Berkeley Heights, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump is on summer vacation. Just don’t call it that. “It’s never a vacation,” he said before leaving the White House last Friday for the 10-day non-vacation at his luxury golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The former real estate dealer …
Read More »Fossil fuels? Plastic? Trump says more is better
Monaca, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump has seen the future and it is oil. And plastic. Where most environmental scientists and most US allies fear that overuse of fossil fuels is driving the planet into crisis, the US president spies only opportunity. In a speech on Tuesday to …
Read More »Jay Inslee, 2020 Democrat battling Trump’s climate ‘degradation’
Clear Lake, United States | AFP | Rarely has a candidate gone far in a US presidential race highlighting a singular issue, but Democrat Jay Inslee is aiming to buck that trend with his commitment to tackling climate change. Unless he does something to dramatically change his trajectory — he has …
Read More »Has Trump ally King gone too far even for conservative northwest Iowa?
Clear Lake, United States | AFP | Amid heightened tensions over US nativism, deeply conservative northwest Iowa finds itself mulling whether to re-elect a firebrand lawmaker accused of espousing white nationalist ideology. Republican Steve King represents Iowa’s fourth congressional district, a largely rural area that voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump …
Read More »Huawei launches own operating system to rival Android
Dongguan, China | AFP | Chinese telecom giant Huawei unveiled its own operating system on Friday, as it faces the threat of losing access to Android systems amid escalating US-China trade tensions. The highly-anticipated software is considered crucial for the tech group’s survival as it confronts a looming White House ban …
Read More »Candidates descend on Iowa state fair to make pitch for 2020
Des Moines, United States | AFP | Deep-fried corn dogs, a blistering summer sun, and discerning American voters greet the presidential candidates at Iowa’s state fair, a must stop on the early road to the White House. Two dozen candidates — 23 Democrats and a longshot Republican primary challenger to President …
Read More »Chinese yuan falls to weakest level against dollar since 2010
Shanghai, China | AFP | China’s decision to let its currency weaken against the dollar on Monday sent global markets diving further into the red and provoked a Twitter tirade from US President Donald Trump. The deteriorating picture appeared to worsen as official Chinese media reported Beijing ceased purchases of …
Read More »Trump condemns racism, white supremacy after US mass shootings
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Monday told a nation mourning the death of 31 people in two weekend mass shootings that he rejected racism and white supremacist ideology, moving to blunt criticism that his anti-immigrant rhetoric fuels violence. As flags flew at half mast at …
Read More »How can China retaliate to Trump tariffs?
Beijing, China | AFP | Beijing says it is ready to retaliate if President Donald Trump goes through with his threat to impose punitive tariffs on another $300 billion in Chinese goods on September 1. The 10 percent duties would extend Washington’s border taxes to almost every import from China, with …
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