KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Malaysia’s top two judges are resigning, court officials said Wednesday, the latest senior public servants to leave their posts since the former government lost power. Chief Justice Raus Sharif and appeals court president Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin are to step down on July 31, a judiciary statement said. They are the latest senior officials to quit, or be forced from, their jobs since Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad won a shock election […]
Tag: politics
S. Korea newspapers welcome summit as ‘first step’ toward peace
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Most South Korean newspapers reacted with cautious optimism Wednesday to the historic meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore, although one conservative daily denounced the agreement it produced as “absurd”. The centrist Hankook daily noted that the post-summit joint statement signed by the US president and North Korean leader on Tuesday had omitted Washington’s demand for a “complete, verifiable, irreversible” denuclearisation of the North and lacked a […]
WTO chief warns against escalation of trade tensions
BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — World Trade Organization (WTO) chief Roberto Azevedo warned Monday against a damaging “escalation” of trade tensions between the United States and other major economies, following a divisive G7 summit. Trans-Atlantic and other trade wars would have “a long-term impact on the global economy,” he said at a Berlin meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of the IMF, World Bank and other international institutions. “We must stop this escalation […]
Hunger-strike filmmaker ready to die in Russian jail during World Cup
by Anna Smolchenko © Agence France-Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — When the World Cup kicks off in Russia on Thursday Ukrainian film director Oleg Sentsov, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Russia, will have spent a month without food. Sentsov says he is ready to die and the worst effects of his high-profile hunger strike are expected to kick in just as the month-long football extravaganza gets into high gear. He is demanding Moscow […]
Peru lawmaker Kenji Fujimori survives dismissal vote
LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peruvian lawmaker Kenji Fujimori survived a vote to dismiss him from office on Thursday, part of a long-running battle with his sister Keiko for control of their father Alberto’s political dynasty. The popular 38-year-old lawmaker avoided being disqualified for running from office, leaving the way open for his anticipated 2021 presidential run, and also maintains his parliamentary immunity. The measure to remove him received 43 votes in favor, 20 against […]
Spain swears in new cabinet with record number of women
by Patrick Rahir Agence France Presse MADRID, Spain (AFP) — King Felipe VI on Thursday swore in Spain’s new pro-EU government with a record 11 women members including in key posts such as defence and economy, and six male ministers. With just 84 seats in Spain’s 350-seat parliament, Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s administration also has the smallest representation of any government since the country returned to democracy and it is not expected to […]
Peru congress suspends Fujimori, lacks quorum for dismissal
LIMA, Peru (AFP) — Peru’s congress suspended lawmaker Kenji Fujimori late Wednesday over corruption allegations but lacked a quorum to dismiss him as part of a fight with his sister for control of their father’s political dynasty. After 11 hours of debate, 61 lawmakers voted to suspend the youngest son of former president Alberto Fujimori. But the speaker of the chamber, Luis Galarreta, then suspended the session citing a lack of quorum — 67 lawmakers […]
Facebook says Chinese phone makers got access to data
by Glenn Chapman © Agence France-Presse SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook on Tuesday confirmed that a Chinese phone maker deemed a national security threat by the US was among companies given access to data on users. Huawei was able to access Facebook data to get the leading social network’s applications to perform on smartphones, according to the California-based company. “Facebook along with many other US tech companies have worked with them and other […]
Jordan king calls for review of bill that sparked protests
by Kamal Taha © Agence France-Presse AMMAN, Jordan (AFP) — Jordan’s King Abdullah II called for a review of a controversial draft tax law Tuesday as anti-austerity protesters staged another night of demonstrations in Amman and trade unions vowed to hold a general strike. For nearly a week, the capital and other cities have been hit by angry rallies against reforms backed by the International Monetary Fund that have brought repeated price hikes. Prime Minister […]
Rights group says 121 dead in weeks of Nicaragua protests
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AFP) — At least 121 people have been killed in a wave of protests since April 18 against President Daniel Ortega’s government, Nicaragua’s main human rights group said Tuesday. The latest toll includes a young boy killed by gunfire during clashes Tuesday in the city of Granada between anti-government protesters and riot police, the Nicaraguan Center for Human Rights said. It said 1,300 people had been wounded in the violence. A parish […]
Spain’s ousted PM Rajoy to quit as conservative party leader
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Mariano Rajoy, a major figure of Spanish politics over the past 14 years, announced Tuesday he will quit as head of the conservative Popular Party (PP) after being ousted as prime minister last week. “I think the time has come to put a final full stop to this period. The PP must keep advancing and building its history at the service of Spaniards under the leadership of another person,” he told […]
Ukrainian president defends faking journalist’s murder
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Ukrainian President Petro Porochenko defended staging the killing of Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko to foil what Kiev said was an assassination plot by Moscow, saying in an interview published Tuesday that it was needed to “protect freedom of the press”. “Those who criticize us would they have preferred that the Russian secret services kill this journalist?” Porochenko asked in an interview published in top-selling Spanish newspaper El Pais when asked […]





