Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | A former finance minister of Mozambique, who approved secret loans that plunged the country into a crisis, has been arrested in South Africa awaiting extradition to the United States, police said Monday. Manuel Chang, 63, was “arrested on Saturday for… USA extradition”, national police …
Read More »Top Republican says Trump vows to ‘destroy’ IS before leaving Syria
Washington, United States | AFP | A senior Republican senator said Sunday that President Donald Trump had promised to stay in Syria to finish the job of destroying the Islamic State group — just days after announcing he would be withdrawing troops immediately. “The president understands the need to finish …
Read More »White House chief: Trump not building a ‘wall’
Washington, United States | AFP | Outgoing White House chief John Kelly said in an interview published Sunday that he had “nothing but compassion” for undocumented migrants crossing into the US, and undercut President Donald Trump’s claims to be building a “wall” at the Mexico border. As a partial government …
Read More »Bolsonaro’s moment of truth arrives for Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Brazil is about to experience its moment of truth with its new president, Jair Bolsonaro, who takes power on Tuesday as an untested leader vowing a crackdown on crime and corruption and ideological opposition to the left. The 63-year-old former paratrooper, long an …
Read More »N. Korea’s Kim vows more summits with South next year: Seoul
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to meet the South’s President Moon Jae-in “frequently” next year to discuss denuclearisation of the peninsula in a rare letter sent to Seoul, Moon’s office said Sunday. The leader of the isolated North met with Moon three …
Read More »Philippines’ Duterte under fire for saying he ‘touched’ maid
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte drew outrage Sunday after saying he “touched” his maid when he was a teenager, with women’s rights groups accusing him of attempted rape and encouraging sexual abuse. Duterte frequently sparks uproar with his comments on women, including rape jokes and boasting …
Read More »Trump blames Democrats for migrant children’s death, amid govt budget impasse
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Saturday blamed opposition Democrats for the death of two immigrant children in US custody, comments set to heighten tensions as the second week of a government shutdown began over his demands for a border wall. “Any deaths of children …
Read More »Donors cut aid to Tanzania after rights crackdown
Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzania’s tough-talking president John Magufuli has earned respect by fighting corruption, but international donors are now concerned by crackdowns on human rights. The European Union, Tanzania’s biggest development partner, and the World Bank have recently taken measures to sanction repressive policies. Magufuli’s reputation was boosted …
Read More »Netanyahu hails ‘new era’ with Brazil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed what he said would be a “new era” in ties with “great power” Brazil ahead of meeting Friday with the Latin America’s country’s incoming far-right leader, Jair Bolsonaro. Netanyahu also stressed that he would press Bolsonaro on …
Read More »Trump threatens to ‘entirely’ close US-Mexico border unless wall demands met
Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to “entirely” close the southern US border with Mexico if lawmakers refuse his demands to fund a wall. “We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the …
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