New Delhi, India | AFP | India approved a $650 million purchase of six attack choppers Thursday from US aviation giant Boeing, officials said, as it boosts its military might amid border tensions with China and Pakistan. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), which approves big-ticket purchases, gave the green light to …
Read More »Pentagon adjusts to life under unpredictable commander-in-chief
Washington, United States | AFP | After days of fiery talk of possible military intervention in the North Korea nuclear stand-off, Pentagon officials late last week suddenly found themselves digesting a surprising piece of breaking news. President Donald Trump, in the middle of a working vacation, stood before cameras and said …
Read More »South Korea’s Moon: There will be no war on Korean peninsula
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | There will be no war on the Korean peninsula, South Korean President Moon Jae-In said Thursday, saying Seoul effectively had a veto over US military action in response to the North’s nuclear and missile programmes. “All South Koreans have worked so hard together to …
Read More »US Army chief of staff Gen Milley condemns racism after deadly protests
Washington, United States | AFP | US military leaders have been denouncing racism and intolerance since a white supremacist rally in Virginia — with condemnation mounting after President Donald Trump said counter-protesters also were to blame for the violence. Trump on Tuesday held a New York press conference in which he …
Read More »Trump under fire over Charlottesville remarks
New York, United States | AFP | Donald Trump found himself in the eye of a political storm Wednesday after his stunning remarks on the unrest in Charlottesville, which sparked unease within his own camp and could be a turning point in his already chaotic presidency. Just about 200 days into …
Read More »Trump renews attack on Amazon, claiming ‘jobs lost’
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump on Wednesday lashed out at Amazon, claiming the US online colossus is doing “great damage” to other retailers and destroying jobs. Trump, who has criticized Amazon in the past, offered no specific facts to back up his argument. He launched his tirade …
Read More »Obama post-Charlottesville tweet most liked ever on Twitter
Washington, United States | AFP | A tweet by former president Barack Obama about the violence in Charlottesville has become the most liked message in the history of Twitter, the company said Wednesday. The tweet by the country’s first black president quoted Nelson Mandela. “No one is born hating another person …
Read More »Former presidents Bush condemn bigotry, anti-Semitism
Washington, United States | AFP | Former US leaders George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush on Wednesday issued a tough joint statement condemning racial bigotry and anti-Semitism, in a veiled rebuke of President Donald Trump. Trump sparked a political firestorm on Tuesday when he said counter-protesters appeared to be …
Read More »Trump defiant on Charlottesville unrest: ‘Blame on both sides’
New York, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump sparked another political firestorm Tuesday when he doubled down on his initial response to the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that ended in bloodshed, saying there was “blame on both sides.” The Republican president — who one day ago …
Read More »Trump’s morning Twitter habit takes unfortunate turn
New York, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump likes to tweet early in the morning — often while watching television. But on Tuesday, he may have hit the button a bit too quickly. From Trump Tower in New York, where he is spending a few days, the Republican leader …
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