Tag: politics

British MPs vote to reject no-deal Brexit

by Alice RITCHIE LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — British MPs voted to reject a no-deal Brexit on Wednesday, prompting Prime Minister Theresa May to announce she will put her EU divorce plan to parliament for a third time in the coming days. britain May warned that if MPs did not adopt the deal there could have to be a lengthy delay to Brexit that would see Britain elect members to the European Parliament in elections […]

EU needs to hear UK plan before deciding Brexit delay: Barnier

The European Union must hear from Britain how it plans to proceed with Brexit before deciding whether to delay the divorce, negotiator Michel Barnier said Wednesday. On Tuesday, British MPs rejected the Brexit withdrawal plan that Prime Minister Theresa May had agreed with EU negotiators — with just 16 days to go before Britain is due to leave the bloc. The lawmakers are to vote again on Wednesday to indicate how they plan to proceed, […]

China offers Venezuela help to restore power

China on Wednesday offered to help Venezuela as it faces a crippling multi-day power blackout that President Nicolas Maduro has blamed on the United States. “China hopes that Venezuela can quickly find the cause of this accident and restore normal power and social order,” foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regular briefing. “China is willing to offer assistance and technical support to Venezuela to restore the power system,” Lu said. Power has been […]

British MPs set to vote on no-deal Brexit

By Dario THUBURN LONDON, March 13, 2019 (AFP) – British MPs will vote Wednesday on whether the country should leave the EU without a deal in just over two weeks, after overwhelmingly rejecting a draft divorce agreement. The House of Commons is expected to vote against a “no deal” Brexit, although this could still happen on March 29 unless it can agree on what should happen instead. MPs on Tuesday rejected for a second time […]

Thousands of Venezuelans protest against Maduro amid blackout

by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Thousands of Venezuelans marched in fresh protests Tuesday called by opposition leader Juan Guaido on the fifth day of a crippling power blackout as the government of President Nicolas Maduro prepared to charge him with “sabotage.” Demonstrators banged pots and sounded car horns as the protest got underway in a square in the east of the capital. Many waved large banners calling on Maduro to go. “The […]

US opposes incremental denuclearization of N. Korea: envoy

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A top US envoy said Monday Washington’s goal is the complete denuclearization of North Korea by the end of Donald Trump’s first term, insisting it will not settle for incremental disarmament. “We are not going to do denuclearization incrementally,” said Stephen Biegun, the special US envoy for North Korea. While stressing he was not bound by an artificial calendar, Biegun said the administration wanted to accomplish the complete and verified […]

Pelosi says Trump ‘just not worth’ impeaching

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, America’s most powerful Democrat, said in remarks published Monday that she does not support impeaching Donald Trump, arguing the Republican president is “just not worth it.” “I’m not for impeachment,” Pelosi told The Washington Post in a wide-ranging interview, the strongest signal yet that the Democratic leadership is deeply hesitant about taking such an explosive step to remove a sitting president. “Impeachment is so divisive to […]

Democracy, DPRK style: North Korea holds election

by Sebastien BERGER PYONGYANG, North Korea (AFP) — North Koreans went to the polls Sunday for an election in which there could be only one winner. Leader Kim Jong Un’s ruling Workers’ Party has an iron grip on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, as the isolated, nuclear-armed country is officially known. Every five years it holds an election for the rubber stamp legislature, known as the Supreme People’s Assembly. The exercise has all the […]

Guaido says will ask Venezuela legislature to respond to blackout

by Maria Isabel SANCHEZ CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Opposition leader Juan Guaido said Sunday he will ask Venezuela’s legislature to declare a “state of alarm,” authorizing the delivery of international aid in response to a catastrophic power outage that has paralyzed the country. At least 15 patients with advanced kidney disease were reported to have died since the blackout began on Thursday, as hospitals struggled to provide emergency services and the threat of spoiling food […]

US indicts Venezuela ex-vice president Tareck El Aissami

  NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The United States indicted Venezuelan industry minister and former vice president Tareck El Aissami on sanctions violations Friday, two years after naming him a narcotics “kingpin” for allegedly giving cover to drug traffickers. Aissami, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, and businessman Samark Lopez Bello were indicted together in New York and charged with violating US sanctions by using private jets to fly to meetings around the […]

Venezuela plunged into darkness after huge power cut

CARACAS, Venezuela (AFP) — Most of Venezuela was plunged into darkness on Thursday evening after a huge power cut that the government of President Nicolas Maduro blamed on “sabotage.” Apart from a few buildings with electricity supplied from a private generator, AFP reporters said the capital Caracas was hit by a total blackout at 4:50 pm, just before nightfall. That included the city metro, along with telephone and internet services. One of the most dangerous […]

US military asked to house 5,000 child migrants: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The administration of US President Donald Trump has asked the Department of Defense to prepare to house up to 5,000 unaccompanied migrant children amid what it calls a mounting “crisis” at the US-Mexico border, the Pentagon said Thursday. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “requested DoD support to identify space to house up to 5,000 unaccompanied alien children on DoD installations, if needed, through September 30, 2019,” said […]