London, United Kingdom | AFP | Commonwealth Games chiefs said Monday they were looking for a new venue for the 2022 edition after announcing scheduled hosts Durban had failed to meet “key obligations”. Last month, South Africa sports minister Fikile Mbalula indicated the government might withdraw its financial support because …
Read More »Scotland takes a step towards new independence vote
Edinburgh, United Kingdom | AFP | Scotland’s announcement on Monday that it will begin preparations for a new independence bid raised the spectre of one of Brexit’s most feared consequences — the break-up of the United Kingdom. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would seek the semi-autonomous Scottish parliament’s authority …
Read More »Turkey’s Erdogan compares Dutch rally ban to Nazism as row spirals
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP | Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday said a Dutch ban on his foreign minister’s visit was like Nazism, as tensions rocketed over rallies abroad to help Ankara gain backing for a key vote. His comments came after The Hague said it would refuse Foreign …
Read More »Trump fires prominent US prosecutor who refused order to quit
New York, United States | AFP | High-profile New York prosecutor Preet Bharara — who was among the federal attorneys asked to resign by the White House — was fired Saturday, he announced on Twitter. US President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday demanded the resignations of 46 US prosecutors appointed …
Read More »‘Ghosts’ drive Brazil’s president from residency
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Brazil’s President Michel Temer blames bad vibes and even ghosts for driving him from his sumptuous official residence in the capital Brasilia, a Brazilian news weekly reported Saturday. Temer surprised Brazilian politics watchers this week with the revelation that he has decamped from the …
Read More »China’s first stealth fighter J-20 enters service
Beijing, China | AFP | China has put its first stealth fighter into military service, state-run media reported on Friday, in the latest milestone highlighting the modernisation of the country’s armed forces. Swift, stealthy, and armed with long-range missiles, the J-20 represents a leap forward in China’s ability to project power …
Read More »Baidu CEO defends state support of Chinese firms
Beijing, China | AFP | State support for private firms is crucial in China’s market, the head of the mainland’s online search giant Baidu said Thursday, following complaints from European businesses that Beijing-backed firms are pushing out foreign competitors. “I think state support of private companies is absolutely necessary. In the …
Read More »Gambia coalition near collapse over legislative election
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Gambian coalition parties which united last year to deliver the first new president in 22 years are unlikely to run together for legislative elections next month, a senior government source told AFP. President Adama Barrow said in January his coalition government would “continue as a …
Read More »Republican plan to replace Obamacare: what’s new in it?
Washington, United States | AFP | Congress is currently debating long-awaited legislation endorsed by US President Donald Trump that replaces his predecessor’s health care reforms with what supporters hail as a more free-market, patient-centered system. How would it work? Trump insisted Friday it was time to “act now to save …
Read More »Sudan summons US envoy to protest new Trump travel ban
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan summoned on Thursday US charge d’affaires Steven Koutsis to protest President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban which bars its citizens from entering the United States. “The US charge d’affaires was informed of Sudan’s discontent over the decisions issued by the American adminstration on March 6,” …
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