Washington, United States | AFP | Special counsel Robert Mueller has impaneled a grand jury to investigate Russia’s interference with the 2016 presidential election, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday — a step toward possible criminal indictments. The newspaper, citing two unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reported that the …
Read More »Gambia revokes diplomatic passports of ex-leader Jammeh and family
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The Gambia has revoked the diplomatic passports of ex-leader Yahya Jammeh and his associates, the foreign ministry said Thursday, as the new government pursues former regime figures it believes embezzled state funds. Jammeh plundered an estimated $50 million before leaving for exile in Equatorial Guinea …
Read More »Latest Dow landmark comes as Trump agenda languishes
New York, United States | AFP | The Dow hit another milestone Wednesday, ending above 22,000 points for the first time following another round of strong earnings that have overshadowed the lack of progress on President Donald Trump’s agenda. Trump himself claimed credit for the surge, noting on Twitter Tuesday that …
Read More »Russia says US sanctions ‘dangerous’ and ‘short-sighted’
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russia’s foreign ministry said Wednesday that new US sanctions, signed into law by President Donald Trump, are a “dangerous” and “short-sighted” policy. In a statement, the ministry said the sanctions against Russia had put global stability at risk, a matter Moscow said it and the United …
Read More »Trump grudgingly signs Russia sanctions into law
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump reluctantly signed off on new sanctions against Russia Wednesday, bowing to domestic pressure and putting efforts to improve ties with the Kremlin in peril. Trump signed the legislation behind closed doors, after failed White House efforts to scupper or water down …
Read More »Strains grow in unhappy marriage of Trump, Republicans
Washington, United States | AFP | It may not yet be a full-blown divorce, but the relationship between Donald Trump and the Republican Party is fast unraveling, threatening the president’s prospects of steering legislation through Congress. Trump took barely 18 months to conquer the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, …
Read More »Abbasi, loyal placeholder for Pakistan’s Sharif dynasty
Islamabad, Pakistan | AFP | Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, elected as Pakistan’s new prime minister Tuesday, is expected to act as a placeholder for the Sharif dynasty after three-time premier Nawaz Sharif was ousted by the Supreme Court. Considered highly intelligent and a long-time Sharif loyalist, the 58-year-old is the former federal …
Read More »Scaramucci’s White House — and other — woes
Washington, United States | AFP | After months of being blocked by political rivals, Anthony Scaramucci had finally landed his coveted White House job. Just 10 days later, the fast-talking Wall Street financier was unceremoniously fired, his wife had filed for divorce and he’d missed the birth of their child. And …
Read More »S.Africa’s vexed land reform scores a rare success
Hoedspruit, South Africa | AFP | It was a hard-fought victory for South Africa’s black community seeking to reclaim land, and for the Moletele ethnic group it has become a surprising model of wider racial cooperation. After a 10-year legal battle, the Moletele have taken back the land from which …
Read More »SAfrican activist jumped to death, ex-guard tells apartheid probe
Pretoria, South Africa | AFP | A South African policeman present when an anti-apartheid operative plunged to his death more than 40 years ago insisted on Monday that the victim had jumped to his death. But the judge hearing the inquest into the death of Ahmed Timol warned him that he …
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