International

Iran president says US ‘leader of world terrorism’ after US tags Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terror org

  by Kay Armin Serjoie Agence France Presse TEHRAN, Iran (AFP) — Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday accused the United States of being the real “leader of world terrorism”, hitting back after Washington blacklisted Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation. Tehran was quick to retaliate on Monday by declaring US troops “terrorists” following Washington’s move, which was welcomed by Iran’s regional arch-rivals Israel and Saudi Arabia. It was the first time that Washington […]

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Israel votes with Netanyahu’s future at stake

  Israelis voted Tuesday in a high-stakes election that will decide whether to extend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long right-wing tenure or to replace him with an ex-military chief new to politics. The vote is expected to be close and likely lead to frantic negotiations to form a coalition once results are in, with opinion polls having shown Netanyahu best placed to do so. Polls were to close at 1900 GMT in most areas and […]

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Hong Kong democracy leaders convicted in Umbrella Movement trial

  by Yan Zhao and Elaine Yu Agence France Presse HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A group of Hong Kong activists face jail after being convicted Tuesday on colonial-era “public nuisance” charges for their role in organizing mass pro-democracy protests that paralyzed the city for months and infuriated Beijing. The convictions followed a trial that has renewed alarm over shrinking freedoms under an assertive China which has rejected demands by Hong Kongers asking for a […]

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Britain’s May seeks Brexit delay from Merkel, Macron

by James Pheby Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May meets the leaders of Germany and France on Tuesday in a last-gasp bid to keep her country from crashing out of the European Union later this week. Her huddles with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin and President Emmanuel Macron in Paris come on the eve of another tension-packed summit in Brussels focused on the fate of the 46-year-old partnership. […]

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Singapore’s ‘fake news’ laws upset tech giants

  by Theodore Lim Agence France Presse SINGAPORE (AFP) — Tech giants have reacted with horror after Singapore proposed laws against “fake news” allowing authorities to order the removal of content and impose hefty fines, in what critics say is an assault on free speech. The government unveiled a bill last week containing tough measures, including powers for ministers to order social media sites like Facebook to put warnings next to posts authorities believe to […]

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Kirstjen Nielsen: ‘Extreme’ immigration enforcer not tough enough for Trump

Kirstjen Nielsen, the US homeland security chief whose departure was announced by Donald Trump on Sunday, was said to be a frequent target of the president’s ire despite being among the staunchest defenders of his controversial immigration policies. Last summer, as images were broadcast of wailing children being wrested from their parents under the administration’s practice of separating families, she took to the White House podium to defend the “zero tolerance” approach, becoming the face […]

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Cathay Dragon flight makes safe emergency landing in Taiwan

HONG KONG, China (AFP) — A Cathay Dragon flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong made an emergency landing on Monday at the city it departed from after experiencing a “technical issue” shortly after take-off, the carrier said. Cathay Pacific, the parent company of Cathay Dragon, said flight KA451 from Kaohsiung to Hong Kong made an “air return” and landed safely back at the southern Taiwanese city. An official with Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) told […]

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US urges ‘immediate halt’ to military offensive by Libya’s Haftar: Pompeo

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States is “deeply concerned” by fighting near Libya’s capital Tripoli and is seeking an “immediate halt” to an offensive by strongman Khalifa Haftar, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday. “We have made clear that we oppose the military offensive by Khalifa Haftar’s forces and urge the immediate halt to these military operations against the Libyan capital,” he said in a statement. Libya descended into chaos during […]

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Thousands rally in Brazil to protest Lula’s first year in prison

CURITIBA, Brazil (AFP) — Several thousand supporters of former Brazilian president Lula Inacio da Silva rallied on Sunday outside the prison where he has now been held for a year, as they demanded his release and chanted slogans against current leader Jair Bolsonaro. In a letter read by Workers’ Party president Gleisi Hoffmann, Lula, who is 73, insisted that his conviction on corruption charges was “unjust,” designed expressly to prevent him from returning to the […]

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US Homeland Security chief Nielsen ‘leaving her position’: Trump

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) –US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, the front-line defender of the administration’s controversial immigration policies, would leave her position. “Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service,” Trump tweeted. He added US Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would become acting secretary. Nielsen initially joined the Trump administration in January 2017 […]

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Clashes rage in Libya despite UN truce call

TRIPOLI, Libya (AFP) — Fighting raged south of Libya’s capital Sunday despite a UN call for a two-hour ceasefire, as forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar and the internationally recognized government exchanged air strikes. The unity government said the fighting had killed 21 people, while the United Nations said there had been “no truce” despite calls for a two-hour pause in fighting for civilians and the wounded to flee. Oil-rich Libya has been riven by chaos […]

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‘Both sides’ must compromise in cross-party Brexit talks: British PM

by Joe JACKSON LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday conceded that concluding a Brexit deal with the main opposition will need “compromise on both sides” as she faced criticism for being inflexible. The embattled leader opened negotiations this week with the Labour Party in a bid to end months of political crisis over her divorce deal struck with European leaders last year but repeatedly rejected by MPs. However after […]

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