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by Anna Smolchenko Agence France Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia on Tuesday rejected concerns that the decision to bar opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running against President Vladimir Putin in a March election could undermine the vote’s legitimacy. Navalny is seen by many as the only Russian opposition leader who stands a fighting chance of challenging Putin. Observers say barring him from running in the polls undermines the legitimacy of the vote and could […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States sanctioned two North Korean officials on Tuesday over the development of ballistic missiles, as Russia and America’s top diplomats held talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Tensions have escalated after the isolated but nuclear-armed regime staged a series of atomic and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, most recently on November 28. US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un have also traded personal insults. “Treasury is […]
by Carlos Mandujano and Francisco Jara Agence France Presse LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s ailing former leader Alberto Fujimori on Tuesday asked the public for forgiveness, two days after receiving a presidential pardon that sparked street protests. “I am aware that the results of my government were well received on one side, but I admit that I have let down other compatriots, and I ask them to forgive me with all my heart,” Fujimori said […]
by Philippe Siuberski and Zoom Dosso Agence France-Presse MONROVIA, Liberia (AFP) — Vote counting has begun in Liberia following a peaceful run-off election for a new president on Tuesday, pitting former international footballer George Weah against Vice-President Joseph Boakai. Voters have chosen a successor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who is stepping down after 12 years as Africa’s first elected female head of state. Results are expected in a few days, in what would be the West […]
YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Foreign and local journalists jailed for flying a drone near Myanmar’s parliament could be released from prison in early January after police dropped additional charges that carried at least three more years behind bars, their lawyers said Tuesday. Lau Hon Meng from Singapore and Mok Choy Lin from Malaysia, who were on assignment for Turkish state broadcaster TRT, were detained late October along with Myanmar journalist Aung Naing Soe and […]
by Sophie Pons Agence France-Presse RABAT, Morocco (AFP) – Unable to reach Europe in search of a better life, Aliou Ndiaye settled in Morocco instead, giving up on his original goal like thousands of other sub-Saharan African migrants. “Everyone has the right to go to another country to try their luck,” the 31-year-old former fish exporter from Senegal told AFP. “Lots of people are trying to reach Europe, but some end up staying to make a living.” […]
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – More than three dozen Syrian rebel groups, including influential Islamists, have rejected a Russian-led initiative for talks next month in Sochi on ending Syria’s war. Russia and Iran, both key allies of Syria’s regime, agreed with opposition backer Turkey on Friday to hold a “Congress of National Dialogue” in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on January 29 and 30. Syria’s government swiftly said it would attend but rebels have pushed back, calling […]
MONROVIA, Liberia (AFP) – Liberia, which elects a new president in a run-off on Tuesday, is an English-speaking nation in West Africa that still bears the scars of a gruesome civil war and a devastating Ebola outbreak. Here is a snapshot of the country: Oldest republic in Africa In 1822 the United States starts sending freed black slaves to a part of West Africa that eventually becomes Liberia. The new arrivals declare independence in 1847, establishing the […]
MONROVIA, Liberia (AFP) – Liberian presidential candidate George Weah’s running mate Jewel Howard-Taylor began life in politics as first lady to former warlord leader Charles Taylor, but has since established a formidable political reputation in her own right. Howard-Taylor was a surprise pick for vice-president on the ticket of the footballer turned politician, as many expected her to run for the top job herself. Her National Patriotic Party (NPP) was formed in 1997 by members of the National […]
TIANJIN, China (AFP) — A Chinese court sentenced an activist known by the online pseudonym “Super Vulgar Butcher” to eight years in prison Tuesday after he refused to plead guilty to charges of “subverting state power.” Wu Gan, who was taken into police custody in May 2015, attracted authorities’ attention with performance art and caustic commentary on Chinese society and politics that he published online. He was “dissatisfied with the current system of governance, and […]
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) — Frequent and increased Chinese military drills pose an “enormous threat” to Taiwan’s security, Taipei warned on Tuesday in an annual defense review that starkly highlighted rising cross-strait tensions. China views Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified at some point — by military force, if necessary. The two sides split after a civil war in 1949. Although Taiwan is a self-ruling democracy, it has never formally declared independence. Beijing […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea is preparing to launch a satellite, a Seoul newspaper said Tuesday, as outside observers warn that the nuclear-armed regime’s space program is a fig leaf for weapons tests. Pyongyang is under multiple UN sanctions over its nuclear and missile tests and is prohibited from carrying out any launch using ballistic missile technology including satellites. “Through various channels, we’ve recently learned that the North has completed a new satellite […]
