(Agence France Presse) — President Rodrigo Duterte has offered China Telecom a slot to be the country’s third telecom provider to break up the dominance of two local firms, his spokesman said on Tuesday. The offer was part of Duterte’s efforts to improve ties between China and the Philippines, taking into account political as well as economic considerations, Harry Roque told reporters. “It was brought up in bilateral negotiations between the Philippines and China. And […]
Tag: diplomacy
Recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital ‘makes peace possible’: Netanyahu
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that recognising Jerusalem as his country’s capital “makes peace possible”, after widespread international criticism of the US decision to do so. US President Donald Trump’s announcement last week has been followed by days of protests and clashes in the Palestinian territories, as well as demonstrations across the Islamic world. The EU expressed alarm at the decision, which upends seven decades of US policy on […]
Palestinian president will not meet Pence: adviser
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will not hold a planned meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence following Washington’s controversial policy shift on Jerusalem, an Abbas aide said on Saturday. “There will be no meeting with the vice president of America in Palestine,” diplomatic adviser Majdi al-Khaldi told AFP. “The United States has crossed all the red lines with the Jerusalem decision,” he added. The White House warned on Thursday that cancelling the […]
Israel strike kills 2 Palestinians, says Gaza officials
GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories (AFP) — An Israeli air strike on a Gaza base of Hamas’s military wing killed two people on Saturday, health officials of the territory’s Palestinian Islamist rulers said. The strike on a base in Nusseirat in the central Gaza Strip, one of several in the early hours, came amid protests across the Palestinian territories against US President Donald Trump’s deeply controversial recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The Hamas health […]
Putin ‘deeply concerned’ at US Jerusalem move
MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — Russian president Vladimir Putin is “deeply concerned” by Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, the Kremlin said in a statement Thursday. In a telephone conversation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Putin called for the Palestinians and Israel to “hold back” and renew negotiations. “This kind of measure can block possible paths to peace in the Middle East,” the Kremlin said of US President Trump’s move. […]
Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital
by Mike Smith with Andrew Beatty in Washington Agence France-Presse JERUSALEM, Israel (AFP) — President Donald Trump will recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital Wednesday, upending decades of careful US policy and ignoring dire warnings of a historic misstep that could trigger a surge of violence in the Middle East. A senior administration official said Trump would make the announcement — ignoring frantic warnings from US allies in the region and around the world — at […]
South Korea’s Moon to visit China next week
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — South Korean President Moon Jae-In will visit China next week for talks on North Korea and other issues, his office said Wednesday, amid tentative signs of diplomatic movement after months of high tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile threats. The announcement came as a high-level United Nations representative held talks with a senior North Korean official during a rare trip to Pyongyang. Jeffrey Feltman, UN undersecretary general for political affairs, […]
Arab League chief warns Trump Jerusalem move could fuel violence
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The Arab League chief said on Sunday a decision by US President Donald Trump to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would boost fanaticism and violence, and not serve the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East peace envoy Jared Kushner told the Saban Forum on Sunday the president is close to a decision on whether to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “It is unfortunate that some are insisting on carrying out this […]
May says Trump ‘wrong’ on anti-Muslim videos
by Dario Thuburn and Alice Ritchie Agence France-Presse LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Prime Minister Theresa May repeated Thursday that US President Donald Trump was wrong to retweet anti-Muslim videos posted by a British far-right group, but stressed that the US-UK’s “special relationship” would endure. May’s initial condemnation prompted an extraordinary rebuke from the US leader, who told her on Twitter: “Don’t focus on me, focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within […]
American former North Korea detainee found burned to death
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Detectives in San Diego are investigating the mystery death of a man who hit the headlines in 2010 when former President Jimmy Carter helped negotiate his release from North Korea. An off-duty California Highway Patrol officer found the body of Aijalon Mahli Gomes, 38, ablaze Friday in the city’s Mission Bay Park, police said, adding that he was pronounced dead at the scene. “The preliminary investigation indicates the death is not […]
Cuba expresses N. Korea support; calls for US ‘dialogue’
HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) — Cuba, one of North Korea’s few allies, called on Wednesday for “peace and stability” in the Korean peninsula and stressed the need for dialogue to reduce tensions between Pyongyang and Washington. Upon receiving his North Korean counterpart Ri Yong-Ho in Havana, foreign affairs minister Bruno Rodriguez said Cuba is “in favor of peace and stability,” adding that “only after dialogue and negotiations can a lasting political solution be achieved,” according to Cuban media. […]
China urges talks after US brands N.Korea a terror sponsor
By Andrew Beatty / Julien Girault with Dave Clark in Washington Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China called Tuesday for extra efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis through talks after US President Donald Trump re-branded Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism. Beijing has repeatedly pushed for negotiations to end the standoff. Some analysts warned that the terror designation could further inflame tensions. “We still hope all relevant parties […]





