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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States has had contacts at the highest levels with North Korea but Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un have not spoken directly, the White House said late Tuesday. The Washington Post reported that CIA chief Mike Pompeo made a secret visit to Pyongyang over the first weekend of April and met with Kim. The meeting was part of an effort to prepare for a historic meeting in the […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s politically sensitive trade surplus with the US edged down in March, government data showed Wednesday, as the two countries’ leaders held talks over the thorny issue of bilateral trade. Japan logged a surplus in March of 623.1 billion yen ($5.9 billion) with the US, down 0.2 percent, as imports of American-made cars and aircraft climbed, according to the finance ministry data. The fresh data comes as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo […]
by Maya Gebeily Agence France-Presse BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — As its first parliamentary vote in nearly a decade approaches, Lebanon has been swept into campaign fever: posters on every corner, televised debates, and neighbours bickering over new electoral procedures. Stakes are high in the long-awaited May 6 poll, the first test of Lebanon’s 2017 voting law, that will carve out the country’s political and economic trajectory for years to come. Voters and candidates alike are […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US military’s hands-off approach on the ground in Syria is ceding influence to Russia and Iran, a top lawmaker warned Tuesday, as the Pentagon said it has seen the Islamic State “resurge” in parts of the country. Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker said Moscow and Tehran have “significant influence” in the war-ravaged Middle Eastern nation due to their years-long commitment, while President Donald Trump signals the US could […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Former US first lady Barbara Bush died Tuesday at the age of 92, her husband’s office said. “A former First Lady of the United States of America and relentless proponent of family literacy, Barbara Pierce Bush passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2018 at the age of 92,” said a statement from the office of her now widower George H.W. Bush. They were married for 73 years. Barbara Bush has long been considered the rock at the […]
by Rim Haddad with Maya Gebeily in Beirut © Agence France-Presse DAMASCUS, Syria (AFP) — International investigators on Tuesday were awaiting the green light from a UN security team to begin work in a Syrian town hit by an alleged chemical attack, after delays and warnings by Western powers that crucial evidence had likely been removed. The suspected April 7 gas attack on Douma, near Damascus, reportedly left more than 40 people dead and was […]
by Jerome Cartilier with Andrew Beatty in Washington Agence France Presse PALM BEACH, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump confirmed direct contacts between the United States and North Korea and gave his blessing to talks aimed at formally ending the Korean war in a series of diplomatic revelations Tuesday. Setting the stage for a major breakthrough at a series of upcoming summits, Trump said “a great chance to solve a world problem” was […]
By Dario Thuburn with Fabien Zamora in Paris Agence France Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday faced anger from lawmakers for conducting air strikes with the United States in Syria in both leaders’ first major military actions since coming to power. May said lawmakers were right to hold her to account for her actions, after the premier proceeded with the strikes without […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Taiwan’s president Tsai Ing-wen reassured residents that the island was secure Tuesday, a day before China is set to hold live-fire drills in the narrow strait that separates the two. Tsai spoke to reporters as she left for Swaziland, one of Taiwan’s few remaining international allies that have not been wooed away by an ascendant Beijing as cross-strait relations deteriorate. Chinese officials have suggested Wednesday’s military exercise is a warning to […]
by Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump hosts Japan’s Shinzo Abe at his Mar-a-Lago resort Tuesday, with both men under pressure to deliver something more than bonhomie and birdies. The Japanese prime minister will make his second visit to Trump’s ostentatious Palm Beach, Florida estate, when the focus will be on trade and security. Last year, Trump and Abe traded fist bumps and high fives as they […]
(Agence France Presse) — US Senator John McCain, who is battling brain cancer, was in stable condition Monday after undergoing surgery to treat an infection, an aide said. “On Sunday, Senator McCain was admitted to Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, and underwent surgery to treat an intestinal infection related to diverticulitis,” spokeswoman Julie Tarallo said. McCain, 81, was diagnosed last year with an aggressive type of cancer, glioblastoma, after a brain tumor was discovered by […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — China and North Korea have been holding talks about a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pyongyang, a Japanese newspaper reported Monday as regional leaders step up diplomatic dialogue. The North is using its Beijing embassy to arrange Xi’s itinerary with the international department of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, quoting Chinese and North Korean sources. Plans under discussion include a visit to Pyongyang in […]
