Gaborone, Botswana | AFP | The Dalai Lama will visit Botswana next month and meet with President Ian Khama in a trip likely to anger China, a key investor across Africa and its largest trade partner. Beijing views the Dalai Lama as a dangerous separatist campaigning for Tibetan independence and …
Read More »Merkel, Macron put defence at heart of blooming ties
Paris, France | AFP | France and Germany agreed Thursday to begin work on a joint fighter jet, a major advance in their relations designed to underline their united front in the face of fracturing Western relations. Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the …
Read More »Arab states say Qatar-US terror accord ‘insufficient’
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP |An agreement between Qatar and the United States on combating terror funding is “insufficient”, the four Arab states that imposed sanctions on the emirate said in a joint statement Tuesday. The memorandum of understanding announced in Doha during a visit by US Secretary of State …
Read More »Failed coup takes toll on Turkey’s foreign policy
Istanbul, Turkey | AFP |The consequences of the failed July 15 coup in Turkey increased Ankara’s international isolation, exposing shortcomings in the government’s sometimes overambitious foreign policy, analysts say. NATO member and EU membership hopeful Turkey had expected an outpouring of solidarity after the coup attempt one year ago aimed …
Read More »Putin eyes new era of cooperation under Trump
Hamburg, Germany | AFP | President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that he expects Russian-US cooperation will improve under Donald Trump and that the American president is “very different” in real life compared to on TV. The comments came a day after the pair held their first face-to-face meeting, an encounter eagerly …
Read More »122 countries adopt global treaty banning nuclear weapons
United Nations, United States | AFP | A global treaty banning nuclear weapons was adopted at the United Nations on Friday but nuclear powers Britain, France and the United States dismissed it as out of step with reality at a time when the world is grappling with the North Korea crisis. …
Read More »UN set to adopt treaty outlawing nuclear weapons
United Nations, United States | AFP | A global treaty banning nuclear weapons is set to be adopted at the United Nations on Friday despite opposition from the United States, Britain, France and other nuclear powers that boycotted negotiations. Supporters describe the treaty as a historic achievement but the nuclear-armed states …
Read More »Explosions in sky as Pyongyang celebrates ICBM launch
Pyongyang, North Korea | AFP | Fireworks lit up the sky over Pyongyang’s Juche Tower as North Korea celebrated its launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, a milestone in its decades-long weapons drive. The stone monument to the ideology of founder Kim Il-Sung stands in the centre of the capital, …
Read More »Saudi Arabia says Qatar boycott to remain in place
Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Arab states that have cut ties with Qatar vowed Wednesday to maintain their boycott of the emirate, criticising its “negative” response to their list of demands to end the diplomatic crisis. Qatar appealed for “dialogue” to resolve the row while US President Donald Trump spoke to …
Read More »US, S. Korea send North missile warning after ICBM test
Seoul, South Korea | AFP | South Korea and the United States fired off missiles Wednesday simulating a precision strike against North Korea’s leadership, in response to a landmark ICBM test described by Kim Jong-Un as a gift to “American bastards”. Tuesday’s launch — acknowledged as an intercontinental ballistic missile by …
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