by Laurent THOMET Agence France Presse BEIJING, China (AFP) — China celebrates Tuesday the 40th anniversary of its transformative “reform and opening up” policy, which turned the world’s most populous country into an economic juggernaut that now faces slowing growth and a stern US challenge. The brainchild of late paramount leader Deng Xiaoping, the programme was ratified at a Communist Party conclave on December 18, 1978, breaking with the chaotic policies of his predecessor, Chairman […]
Tag: politics
US judge rules Obamacare unconstitutional, Democrats vow to appeal
by Carlos HAMANN Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — A federal judge in Texas ruled late Friday that the US health care law known as Obamacare is unconstitutional — a ruling that opposition Democrats vowed to appeal. US District Judge Reed O’Connor’s 55-page ruling came in a lawsuit filed by several Republican state attorneys general opposed to the federal government health plan, known officially as the Affordable Care Act. Conservative Republicans have […]
Australia recognizes west Jerusalem as capital of Israel
by Daniel DE CARTERET Agence France Presse SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) — Australia now recognizes west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Saturday, but a contentious embassy shift from Tel Aviv will not occur until a peace settlement is achieved. Canberra became one of just a few governments around the world to follow US President Donald Trump’s lead and recognize the contested city as Israel’s capital, but Morrison also committed to recognizing […]
Protests in Japan as work to relocate US base resumes
TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan on Friday resumed work to relocate a controversial US military airbase in Okinawa, prompting protests and “strong anger” from the local governor. Okinawa residents have for years called for the relocation of a US base in a populated part of the southern island, but they want it moved elsewhere in the country, rather than to the remote site on Okinawa favored by the government. “I can’t help but feel […]
Wounded May seeks EU compromise to save Brexit deal
https://youtu.be/m3w_BgzdK_8 by Dave Clark Agence France Presse BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Bloodied but not yet beaten, Prime Minister Theresa May comes to Brussels for the second time in three days on Thursday, battling to save her Brexit deal and her career. The British leader, who survived a confidence vote staged by her own party’s MPs late on Wednesday, now needs to turn a narrow victory on home turf into an unlikely away win. May’s […]
Comelec, pinalawig ang oras ng pagboto sa 2019 mid-term elections
(Eagle News) — Pinalawig ng Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ang oras ng pagboto sa darating na midterm elections sa susunod na taon. Ayon kay Comelec Spokesperson Director James Jimenez, dinagdagan ng isang oras ang botohan kung saan ginawa na itong mula ala sais ng umaga (6:00 AM) hanggang ala sais ng hapon (6:00 PM). Ang nasabing pasiya ng ahensiya ay bunsod ng inaasahang pagtaas ng voting population na posibleng umabot sa animnapu’t isang milyon kumpara […]
Armenia PM’s bloc takes lead in snap parliamentary polls: early resul
YEREVAN, Armenia (AFP) — The electoral bloc of Armenia’s acting premier Nikol Pashinyan was in the lead according to early results in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections triggered by the reformist leader, who is aiming to cement his political authority in the post-Soviet country. The bloc led by Pashiniayn’s Civil Contract party had 70.25 percent of the votes, and in second place with 9.15 percent was the Prosperous Armenia party, according to results from 25 percent […]
Nearly 300 detained as Paris braces for ‘yellow vest’ protests
by Katy Lee Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — Paris police detained nearly 300 people Saturday ahead of fresh anti-government “yellow vest” protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a third weekend in a row. Clad in their luminous road safety jackets, dozens of demonstrators — who accuse President Emmanuel Macron of only looking out for the rich — gathered at dawn on the Champs-Elysees, the scene last Saturday of the worst […]
Oil prices surge as OPEC agrees joint 1.2 mn bpd cut with partners
by Joseph SOTINEL / Jastinder KHERA Agence France Presse VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — OPEC members and 10 other oil producing nations, including Russia, agreed Friday to cut output by 1.2 million barrels a day in a bid to reverse falls in prices in recent months. Energy ministers reached the deal — which takes effect from January 1 but has already sent prices surging on oil markets — after two days of talks at OPEC […]
Downward pressure on oil prices may continue after OPEC, partners face test on oil cut deal
Saudi oil minister said he is “not confident” about chances of a deal on oil production cuts after a long day of negotiations at OPEC headquarters in Vienna. OPEC ministers resumed talks Friday before further discussions with 10 key partner countries, including Russia, later in the day to thrash out an agreement on production cuts. Amid sharp differences over which way to go, the oil market continued under pressure. In early trade Friday, the […]
Politics played no role in Huawei exec’s arrest: Trudeau
OTTAWA, Canada (AFP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that politics played no part in the arrest of a top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei, who was detained on a US extradition request. “I can assure everyone that we are a country (with) an independent judiciary,” Trudeau told a tech conference in Montreal. “And they took this decision without any political involvement or interference.” The prime minister declined to comment further on […]
Paris shops, monuments to close as fears of protest violence mount
by Simon Valmary and Joseph Schmid Agence France Presse PARIS, France (AFP) — The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre museum and scores of shops on the Champs-Elysees are set to close as authorities warned Thursday of fresh violence this weekend during protests which have ballooned into the biggest crisis of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. The government is scrambling to stave off another Saturday of burned cars and running street battles with police by “yellow vest” protesters furious […]





