Tag: diplomacy

Tillerson heads to Pakistan as US warns over Taliban havens

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was to arrive in Islamabad Tuesday as Washington turns up the heat on Pakistan for allegedly providing “safe havens” for Taliban militants. Tillerson’s visit, his first to Pakistan since becoming secretary of state, comes weeks after US President Donald Trump angrily accused the nuclear-armed country of harboring “agents of chaos” who can attack NATO-led forces in neighboring Afghanistan. It follows on the heels of an unannounced stop […]

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Nicaragua signs Paris climate agreement

MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — Nicaragua signed the Paris climate agreement Monday, leaving the United States and Syria as the only two holdouts on the global climate pact. The government of President Daniel Ortega said the global 2015 pact represented “the only international instrument that offers the conditions to face global warming and its effects,” according to a statement read out by Vice President Rosario Murillo. Monday’s announcement leaves the United States and Syria as the only countries holding […]

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Mattis to discuss N. Korea threat on Asia trip

CLARK, Philippines (AFP) — US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Monday that curbing military threats from North Korea would be high on the agenda on his Asian tour this week, ahead of a visit by Donald Trump. Tension has been high on the divided peninsula for months with Pyongyang staging its sixth nuclear test and launching two ICBMs that apparently brought much of the US mainland into range. Trump and the North’s leader Kim […]

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Canada, Mexico stick to NAFTA guns despite Trump threats

by Joshua Howat Berger  Agence France-Presse MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — The leaders of Canada and Mexico stuck to their upbeat view on the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement on Thursday, despite US President Donald Trump’s threats to axe it. Visiting Mexico on the heels of a tense trip to Washington, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau downplayed Trump’s attacks on NAFTA as part and parcel of the negotiations on updating the 23-year-old accord. “We […]

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US, Israel pull out of UN cultural body over ‘anti-Israel’ bias

by Adam Plowright with Dave Clark in Washington and Mike Smith in Jerusalem Agence France-Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The United States and its ally Israel said Thursday they were pulling out of the UN’s culture and education body, in a move that underlined Washington’s drift away from international institutions. The US decision, announced in Washington, follows years of tension at the organization which it accused of having an “anti-Israel bias.” “This decision was not taken lightly, […]

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Myanmar’s army chief says Rohingya exodus ‘exaggerated’

 YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — The media has “exaggerated” the number of Rohingya refugees fleeing an army crackdown, Myanmar’s commander-in-chief said Thursday, in a brash rebuttal of accusations of ethnic cleansing by his forces. Some 520,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar’s western Rakhine state since August 25, when the military launched a sweeping campaign against militants from the Muslim minority. The crackdown has been so intense that the UN on Wednesday accused Myanmar of trying to purge its entire Rohingya […]

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Trump hails ‘very strong’ ties with Thailand

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Donald Trump welcomed Thai junta leader chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha to the White House on Monday, trying to turn the page after coups rocked one of America’s oldest alliances. Describing Prayut’s visit as a “great honor,” Trump offered a symbolic show of unity with the man behind a 2014 takeover that resulted in Washington cutting aid and cooling relations. “We’ve had a long and very storied history with Thailand,” Trump […]

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Trump warns Venezuela is ‘collapsing’

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump warned Monday that Venezuela is “collapsing,” suggesting the United States may take additional steps to restore democracy. Trump told Latin American allies gathered on the fringes of the United Nations General Assembly that President Nicolas “Maduro defied his own people” and was guilty of “disastrous rule” that may necessitate further punitive measures. “The Venezuelan people are starving. Their country is collapsing,” he said. Washington has already slapped sanctions […]

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Canada, China, EU and partners push forward on Paris climate accord

   By Marc Braibant Agence France Presse MONTREAL, Canada  — Some 30 environment ministers will push forward on the Paris climate accord at a meeting Saturday requested by Canada, China and the European Union. With more than half of G20 members attending — representing most of the world’s largest economies —  “this first gathering of its kind aims to further galvanize global momentum for the implementation of the Paris Agreement,” the European Commission said. Prime […]

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North Korea slams ‘vicious’ US-led UN sanctions

GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP)–North Korea on Tuesday blasted “vicious” sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council over its latest and most powerful nuclear test, threatening revenge against Washington, who it blamed for leading the charge. “Yesterday the Washington regime fabricated the most vicious sanctions resolution,” Pyongyang’s ambassador in Geneva told the UN Conference on Disarmament in the first North Korean reaction to Monday’s unanimous vote. “My delegation condemns in the strongest terms and categorically rejects the latest illegal […]

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Russia says US plans to search its San Francisco consulate

by Max Delany Agence France Presse    MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russia said on Friday the FBI planned to carry out a search of its San Francisco consulate, which Washington has ordered closed along with two other facilities as part of a diplomatic slugging match between the two powers. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the search was set for Saturday and accused the US authorities of threatening the “security” of Russian citizens and violating diplomats’ immunity. Mysterious black smoke was seen rising […]

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India says troops ‘disengaging’ after stand-off with China

NEW DELHI, India (AFP)–India said Monday its troops were disengaging from a months-long stand-off with the Chinese military at a strategically important  disputed area in the Himalayas. The foreign ministry said it had reached an “understanding” after talks with Beijing on the confrontation in an area near the Indian border that is claimed by both China and Bhutan. “India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam,” the ministry said in a […]

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