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BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) – Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is expected to fly to Paris, said late Friday he was on his way to the airport in the Saudi capital Riyadh where he has been since his shock resignation “To say that I am held up in Saudi Arabia and not allowed to leave the country is a lie. I am on the way to the airport,” Hariri tweeted. Lebanese President Michel Aoun had accused Saudi […]
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Zimbabwe’s former vice president Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose sacking last week triggered the military takeover, has returned to the country, a senior aide told AFP on Friday. “Yes, he is back,” said the aide, who declined to be named, adding that Mnangagwa, who is a potential successor to President Robert Mugabe, had returned on Thursday after nearly a week abroad. In talks with the army chief on Thursday, Mugabe refused to resign, […]
by Peter Stebbings Agence France-Presse SHANGHAI, China (AFP) — A one-legged footballer has captured the hearts of millions of Chinese fans after a widely circulated video showed him holding his own against able-bodied opponents and scoring a rasping right-footed drive. The exploits of 21-year-old He Yiyi, who lost his leg to childhood cancer and uses crutches to support himself when playing, have earned him several endearing nicknames including “Angel with Broken Wings”, “Ball King with […]
(Reuters) — U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in on the sexual harassment allegations against Senator Al Franken on Thursday (November 16), calling the Democrat “Frankenstein” on Twitter. “And to think that just last week he (Franken) was lecturing anyone who would listen about sexual harassment and respect for women,” Trump tweeted. A radio broadcaster accused Franken earlier on Thursday of touching her breasts while she slept and forcing a kiss on her in 2006 when […]
by Susan Njanji Agence France-Presse HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has refused to resign after meeting generals who have seized control of the country, as sources suggested the veteran leader was “buying time” to negotiate his exit. The talks in Harare on Thursday come after soldiers this week put Mugabe under house arrest, took over state TV and blockaded main roads in a stunning turnaround for the 93-year-old leader who has ruled the country with […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is “confident” of progress in amending Japan’s pacifist constitution, he said Friday, in his first policy speech since his landslide election victory. Abe’s conservative coalition held a two-thirds “super majority” in the 465-seat lower house last month, giving him the numbers to realize a long-held dream. “I’m confident that debate on amending the constitution will be able to advance,” he told the newly formed parliament. However, in his […]
by David Harding Agence France Presse DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar has set a temporary minimum wage for migrant workers worth around $200 a month, its labor minister said Thursday, a benchmark reform following widespread criticism of Doha’s preparations for the 2022 World Cup. Issa al-Nuaimi told AFP that the “temporary minimum wage of 750 riyals ($195, 166 euro) per month will immediately come into effect,” while officials work on setting a permanent rate. In […]
UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is “very much disappointed” that the Saudi-led coalition is refusing to lift its blockade of Yemen and has written directly to Riyadh’s representative, his spokesman said Thursday. The coalition shut down Yemen’s sea and air ports as well as borders on November 6 in response to a missile attack by the Iran-backed Huthi rebels near Riyadh. After repeated appeals by UN officials were ignored, Guterres […]
by Susan Njanji Agence France Presse HARARE, Zimbabwe (AFP) — Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, the world’s oldest head of state, refused to resign during a crunch meeting Thursday with military generals who have seized control of the country. The talks in Harare came after tumultuous days in which soldiers blockaded key roads, took over state TV and put the veteran leader under house arrest. “They met today. He is refusing to step down. I think […]
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — A Japanese railway operator has issued a deep apology for the “tremendous nuisance” caused by a train departing 20 seconds early, surprising even a nation renowned for both punctuality and politeness. The Tsukuba Express train linking Tokyo and the capital’s northern suburbs pulled out of Minami Nagareyama Station at 9:44:20 instead of 9:44:40. “We deeply apologize for causing tremendous nuisance to customers,” said the Tsukuba Express company. “There was no complaint […]
by Becky Davis Agence France-Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China is set to dispatch a special envoy to North Korea on Friday, a trip hailed as a “big move” by US President Donald Trump, who has urged Beijing to pile pressure on its nuclear-armed ally. Song Tao is officially traveling to the North to brief officials on the recent Chinese Communist Party congress and “other issues of mutual concern” on behalf of President Xi Jinping. But analysts […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Crisis-plagued Venezuela suffered another blow Thursday as a committee of creditors ruled that state oil company PDVSA has defaulted on its debt, a decision that triggers payment of default insurance to investors. The setback for the oil-rich but cash-poor nation came as no surprise, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro has missed payments on sovereign bonds as well as PDVSA debt, even as the population continues to suffer from […]
