United Nations, United States | AFP | Myanmar has failed to put in place conditions for the safe return of 688,000 Rohingya refugees who fled an army crackdown six months ago, the UN refugee chief said Monday. The refugees are sheltering in makeshift camps in Bangladesh despite an agreement reached between …
Read More »North Korea’s Kim lauds South’s hospitality
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised the welcome the South gave his sister and said it was important to build on the Olympics-driven momentum for dialogue on the divided peninsula. Kim’s younger sister Kim Yo Jong — one of his closest confidantes — …
Read More »US tells DR Congo to scrap electronic voting
United Nations, United States | AFP | The United States urged the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday to scrap plans to use electronic voting for the first time in elections this year, saying it risked undermining the credibility of the historic polls. After much delay, the DR Congo will hold …
Read More »In UAE, India’s Modi inaugurates a summit and a temple
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi capped a whirlwind visit to the UAE on Sunday, giving a keynote address as guest of honour at the World Government Summit in Dubai. Modi praised the United Arab Emirates, home to 3.3 million Indian nationals, for having …
Read More »Touting ‘transformation’, French PM seeks investment in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | France’s Prime Minister Edouard Philippe promised lower taxes and a business-friendly France at a global summit in Dubai on Sunday, seeking investment from the oil-rich Gulf region. “France is undergoing great transformation,” Philippe said, addressing a thousand-strong audience at Dubai’s World Government Summit. …
Read More »UK’s Johnson meets Myanmar’s Suu Kyi on Rohingya crisis
Naypyidaw, Myanmar | AFP | Britain’s foreign minister Boris Johnson met with Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar’s capital on Sunday to press for action on the Rohingya crisis, as the country faces mounting pressure to punish troops accused of atrocities against the Muslim minority. Johnson spoke with the embattled …
Read More »Modi becomes first Indian PM to visit West Bank
Ramallah, Palestinian Territories | AFP | Narendra Modi on Saturday became the first Indian prime minister to visit the occupied West Bank where he held talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas as part of a Middle East tour. The visit, which came weeks after Modi hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin …
Read More »Kim Jong Un invites S. Korea’s Moon to Pyongyang
Gangneung, South Korea | AFP | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un invited the South’s President Moon Jae-in for a summit in Pyongyang Saturday, Seoul said, even as the US warned against falling for Pyongyang’s Olympic charm offensive. The invitation, delivered by Kim’s visiting sister Kim Yo Jong, said Kim …
Read More »UN chief urges dialogue in talks with N. Korea ceremonial leader
United Nations, United States | AFP | UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged North Korea’s ceremonial head of state Kim Yong Nam to engage in dialogue on ending the nuclear crisis during a brief exchange in South Korea, a UN spokesman said Friday. Kim and Guterres attended a dinner ahead of the …
Read More »UN agrees sanctioned N.Korea official to attend Olympics
United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN Security Council on Thursday gave permission for a North Korean official under international sanctions to travel to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics along with Kim Jong Un’s sister, diplomats said. South Korea presented on Wednesday a request to the council’s sanctions committee …
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