Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, made a pre-inauguration proposal to the Russian ambassador to set up a secret, bug-proof communications line with the Kremlin, the Washington Post reported Friday evening. Kushner, then and now a close adviser to Trump, went so far as to …
Read More »Philippines’ Duterte heads to Russia in blow to US
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte flew to Russia on Monday to meet his hero, seek arms and steer his nation’s foreign policy further away from longtime ally the United States. The five-day trip will cement a dramatic improvement in relations with Russia since Duterte came to …
Read More »Putin congratulates Iran’s Rouhani on re-election
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani on his re-election Saturday, calling for deeper ties between Moscow and Tehran. In a telegram to Rouhani, Putin “confirmed the readiness to continue active joint work to further develop the Russian-Iranian cooperation partnership,” the Kremlin …
Read More »Besieged Trump says Russia probe ‘divides’ the country
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump charged Thursday that the stepped-up probe into whether his campaign colluded with Russia to tilt last year’s election was dividing the country. “I respect the move, but the entire thing has been a witch hunt,” the US leader said when asked …
Read More »What is a special counsel, anyway?
Washington, United States | AFP | Special counsels like the one named Wednesday to oversee the probe into Russia’s alleged election interference are rare super sleuths with more power and independence than regular American investigators. This time it is former FBI director Robert Mueller who will take over the probe …
Read More »Justice Department names Special Counsel to probe Trump
Ex-FBI chief Mueller to head Trump-Russia probe Washington, United States | AFP | A former FBI chief was tasked Wednesday with leading a beefed-up investigation into whether Donald Trump’s team colluded with Russia to tilt the 2016 election in the president’s favor. Trump responded by once again denying any links …
Read More »Now, senate panel requests Trump’s fired FBI chief Comey to testify
Washington, United States | AFP | A US Senate panel investigating Russia’s interference in America’s elections and possible collusion with President Donald Trump’s campaign team Wednesday requested that sacked FBI director James Comey testify before its members. The Senate Intelligence Committee’s Republican chairman and Democratic vice chairman sent a letter …
Read More »Putin ready to help Americans to ‘investigate’ Trump
Putin ‘ready to provide recording’ of Lavrov-Trump exchange Sochi, Russia | AFP | Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Moscow could provide a recording of a controversial exchange between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US President Donald Trump that has plunged the White House into turmoil. His comments were …
Read More »Trump to hold press conference Thursday
Washington, United States | AFP | President Donald Trump plans to hold a press conference with Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos on Thursday, officials said, as his administration battles multiple crises. The event will be the first time Donald Trump answers questions from the White House press corps since the …
Read More »ANALYSIS: How Trump might be putting US intelligence ties at risk
Trump putting US intelligence ties at risk: experts Washington, United States | AFP | With his shoot-from-the-hip tweets targeting US spies and alleged Oval Office leak of secrets to the Russians, President Donald Trump has damaged White House relations with American and allied intelligence agencies and put national security at …
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