MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spain’s prime minister on Sunday defended his government’s controversial decision to go ahead with the delivery of 400 laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia, saying it was needed to preserve good ties with the Gulf state. His Socialist government announced earlier this month that it would block the delivery of the weapons amid concerns that they could harm civilians in Yemen where Saudi Arabi is engaged in a bloody conflict. But on Thursday Foreign […]
Tag: diplomacy
Skripal suspects say were in UK as tourists, deny murder attempt
by Anna Smolchenko Agence France Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Two men accused by London of poisoning former Moscow spy Sergei Skripal denied involvement in the murder attempt in a bizarre Russian media interview Thursday that Britain dismissed as “an insult to the public’s intelligence”. Speaking with the head of the Kremlin-backed RT news network, the pair confirmed they were the men whose pictures British authorities released this month, but insisted they were visiting the […]
ICC ‘undeterred’ after US sanctions threat
by Jan Hennop Agence France Presse THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AFP) — The International Criminal Court on Tuesday said its work would continue “undeterred” after Washington threatened to prosecute its judges if Americans are charged with war crimes committed in Afghanistan. France and Germany also weighed in to support the Hague-based court after White House National Security Advisor John Bolton said the ICC was “already dead to us”. “The ICC, as a court of law, […]
PHL finds ally in US against Int’l Criminal Court; US calls ICC “dangerous,” to ban entry of ICC judges
(Eagle News) – It is the not only Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte who is vocal in the opposition and criticism of the International Criminal Court, as the United States on Monday, Sept. 10, issued its strongest criticism and opposition to investigations by the Hague-based international court. White House National Security Advisor John Bolton called the ICC “outright dangerous” and even threated to ban, prosecute and arrest judges and officials of the ICC who would enter the […]
North Korea holds 70th anniversary parade, without ICBMs
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AFP) – Thousands of North Korean troops followed by artillery and tanks paraded through Pyongyang Sunday as the nuclear-armed country celebrated its 70th birthday, but it refrained from displaying the intercontinental ballistic missiles that have seen it hit with sanctions. Instead leader Kim Jong Un showed off his friendship with China, raising the hand of President Xi Jinping’s envoy as they saluted the crowd together afterwards. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea […]
US recalls envoys from Latin American countries for cutting Taiwan ties
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States on Friday recalled its envoys to three Latin American countries that recently switched diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China, saying it would hold consultations with the diplomats. The move comes after Washington accused Beijing last month of destabilizing cross-Strait relations and engaging in a campaign of “political interference” by poaching Taiwan’s allies in the western hemisphere. “The Department of State has called back the US Ambassador […]
Xi to attend Russia summit, North Korea’s Kim invited
BEIJING, China (AFP) – Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend a regional summit in Russia next week, officials said Friday — a gathering that may include North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the heads of Japan and South Korea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has invited Kim to participate in the September 11-13 Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. Kim has not confirmed his attendance, but his participation would mark another major step in his efforts […]
Trudeau insists on dispute resolution mechanism for NAFTA deal
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — A revamped continental trade deal must include a dispute resolution mechanism, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday, pushing back on US demands to get rid of binational panels to challenge anti-dumping and countervailing duties. “We’ve said from the very beginning that we need a dispute resolution mechanism like Chapter 19 and we will hold firm on that,” Trudeau said in Vancouver on the eve of the resumption of talks […]
China’s ‘Silk Road’ project runs into debt jam
by Julien Girault Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s massive and expanding “Belt and Road” trade infrastructure project is running into speed bumps as some countries begin to grumble about being buried under Chinese debt. First announced in 2013 by President Xi Jinping, the initiative also known as the “new Silk Road” envisions the construction of railways, roads and ports across the globe, with Beijing providing billions of dollars in loans to […]
Israel welcomes end of US funding for UN Palestinian refugee agency
JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel welcomed Saturday a US decision to end funding for the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA), accusing the organisation which supports some five million Palestinians of perpetuating the Middle East conflict. Israel and the United States have accused the nearly 70-year-old agency of maintaining the idea that many Palestinians are refugees with a right to return to the homes from which they fled or were expelled during the 1948 war that accompanied […]
Palestinian anger as US ends funding for UN agency
by Hossam Ezzedine Agence France Presse RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — Palestinians reacted angrily Saturday to a US decision to end all funding for the UN agency that assists millions of refugees, seeing it as a new policy shift aimed at undermining their cause. Washington, which until last year was by far the biggest contributor to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), announced on Friday that it would no longer […]
Trump to skip Asian regional summits, Pence to travel instead
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump will not attend regional summits with Asian allies in November but will send Vice President Mike Pence instead, the White House announced Friday. Pence will travel to Singapore to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit and the East Asia Summit, it said. He will then go on to Papua New Guinea for Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings, the White House said. […]





