International

Canada PM arrives in Danang for APEC summit

DANANG, Vietnam (Reuters) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrived in Vietnam for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on Friday (November 10). Trudeau and other APEC leaders, including President Xi Jinping of China and U.S. President Donald Trump, will meet later on Friday in the Vietnamese seaside resort of Danang. Trudeau will also be focusing on negotiations for the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal on the sidelines of the summit.

S. Korea to join three US aircraft carriers in drills

SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean warships will take part in upcoming joint drills involving three US aircraft carriers in a fresh show of force against North Korea, a Seoul military official said Friday. The US Navy said Thursday that the three vessels — the USS Ronald Reagan, USS Nimitz and USS Theodore Roosevelt — will conduct “coordinated operations in international waters” in the western Pacific between Saturday and Tuesday. It is unusual for […]

Putin arrives in Vietnam for APEC meet

  Russian Leader Vladimir Putin arrived in Vietnam for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on Friday (November 10). Prospects for a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. counterpart Donald Trump at the summit were unclear after the Kremlin said a meeting was definite before saying it was just a possibility. Putin and Trump had their first face-to-face meeting in July to discuss allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election. Trump […]

Iran still complying with nuclear deal: UN watchdog chief

UNITED NATIONS, United States (AFP) — The UN’s nuclear watchdog director Yukiya Amano Thursday reaffirmed Tehran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal in a meeting with US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, the agency said. It was the second meeting between Haley and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief — with the first taking place in August during Haley’s visit to the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, where she called for more controls […]

Saudi Arabia says 201 people detained in anti-graft swoop

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia said Thursday 201 people are being held for questioning in a massive anti-graft swoop on the elite, with at least $100 billion estimated to have been lost through corruption and embezzlement over several decades. “A total of 208 individuals have been called in for questioning so far. Of those 208 individuals, seven have been released without charge,” the information ministry said in a statement. Billionaire tycoon Prince Al-Waleed […]

Putin says US plotted doping scandal to swing Russian vote

MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin on Thursday accused the United States of inventing doping allegations against Russian athletes to influence next year’s presidential election, which he is widely expected to contest and win. “In response to our alleged interference in their election, they want to create problems for the election of the president of Russia,” Putin said in the Urals city of Chelyabinsk. Putin has not said whether he will contest the March […]

Catalan parliament speaker detained over independence bid

by Patrick Galey Agence France Presse MADRID, Spain (AFP) — The speaker of Catalonia’s sacked parliament was detained on Thursday over her region’s controversial drive for independence from Spain. Carme Forcadell was held by Spain’s Supreme Court in Madrid pending bail of 150,000 euros, a court spokesman said. Forcadell and five other deputies appeared in front of Spain’s highest tribunal on charges of sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds — which carry a maximum […]

Macron arrives in Riyadh on surprise visit

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) –French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Saudi Arabia late Thursday for talks with the kingdom’s powerful crown prince on the rising tensions between Tehran and Riyadh. Macron, on his debut visit to the Middle East, made the surprise announcement at a news conference in Dubai that he would meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. His arrival was confirmed to AFP by the French embassy in Riyadh. Macron’s talks with Prince Mohammed […]

Trump and Xi to set out competing trade visions at APEC

DANANG, Vietnam (AFP) — The leaders of the the US and China, the world’s two largest economies, are expected to lay out competing visions for the future of global trade Friday in closely-watched speeches to Asia-Pacific leaders gathered in Vietnam. President Donald Trump is likely to wield his “America First” doctrine when he address CEOs ahead of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum at the Vietnamese resort of Danang. In a day mixing big […]

Opposition leader: Kenya moving toward ‘outright dictatorship’

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga sharply criticized the role of Western diplomats and election observers in the recent presidential vote and warned Thursday that the country is moving toward “outright dictatorship.” Odinga boycotted the presidential election held in September and has termed it a “sham.” Incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta secured 98 percent of the vote. Eight days before the election, “the chairman of the electoral commission publicly, on live television, said he was not […]

Saudi, Kuwait call on citizens to leave Lebanon

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AFP) — Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on Thursday urged their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately, days after Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation while visiting Riyadh. “Due to the situation in the Republic of Lebanon, the kingdom asks its nationals visiting or living in Lebanon to leave as soon as possible, and advises its citizens not to travel there,” said a Saudi foreign ministry source, quoted by state news agency SPA. Kuwait […]

No decision on Trump, Putin meeting: Tillerson

BEIJING, China (AFP) – Russia and the US disagreed on Thursday over whether US President Donald Trump plans to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam. Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Russian news agencies that the meeting “will be on November 10,” with the exact time still being discussed. But in comments in Beijing, where Trump is on a state visit, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said […]