Berlin, Germany | AFP | German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday, two days before she is to launch her new government, that she will pay a quick visit to French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss EU reform proposals. Without naming a date, Merkel said she would visit Paris ahead of an …
Read More »Canada’s Trudeau accuses China of ‘dumping’ steel on global markets
Ottawa, Canada | AFP | Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday accused China of flooding global markets with cheap steel, adding that Canada has already taken steps to prevent “dumping” in this country. “We are very concerned about the actions taken by China and the dumping of steel and aluminum on …
Read More »Fresh protests in Guinea after disputed elections
Conakry, Guinea | AFP | Thousands of people demonstrated in central Conakry on Monday while in several other districts of the Guinean capital youths erected roadblocks and set fire to tyres, in the latest wave of unrest after disputed local elections. The country’s main opposition, the Union of Democratic Forces …
Read More »Putin says he ordered plane shot down before Sochi Olympics
Moscow, RUSSIAN FEDERATION | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an order to shoot down a passenger plane he believed would be used in a terror attack at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, he said in a new documentary. The plane was travelling from Ukraine to Turkey when Putin …
Read More »Putin says he will ‘never’ give Crimea back to Ukraine
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that under no circumstances would he give Crimea back to Ukraine, speaking in a new documentary released Sunday ahead of his expected re-election in next week’s poll. “What, have you gone mad?” he told a journalist who asked him if …
Read More »Erdogan slams NATO for failing to back Syria campaign
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday angrily lashed out at NATO, accusing the Western military alliance of failing to back Turkey’s campaign against Kurdish militia in Syria. Erdogan’s latest comments were among the toughest he has directed in recent times against NATO, which Turkey joined …
Read More »Saudi king establishes anti-graft prosecution units
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi King Salman has ordered specialised anti-corruption units to be established in the public prosecutor’s office, the government said Sunday, several weeks after a sweeping anti-graft purge of the kingdom’s elite. The move was intended to “increase effectiveness” and accelerate the process of combating corruption, …
Read More »Israel’s Netanyahu accused of stoking ‘fake’ crisis to force poll
Jerusalem, Undefined | AFP | Members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition accused the embattled premier on Sunday of perpetuating a “fake crisis” over a political dispute to potentially force early elections. The dispute comes as Netanyahu faces a possible indictment on bribery charges in the coming months. Polls suggest …
Read More »Burundi leader dubbed ‘eternal supreme guide’ by party
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Burundi’s ruling party has bestowed the title of “eternal supreme guide” on President Pierre Nkurunziza, a party official confirmed Sunday, as critics claimed he wants to lock in power for life. “He is our elder, our father, our adviser,” CNDD-FDD secretary general Evariste Ndayishimiye said in …
Read More »Pinera, a conservative billionaire, is sworn in as president of Chile
Valparaíso, Chile | AFP | Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera was sworn in Sunday to his second term as president of Chile, replacing socialist Michelle Bachelet in the office for the second time in eight years. An emotional Bachelet helped Pinera put on the sash of office, gave him a kiss and …
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