PARIS, June 13, 2023 (AFP) – Former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, who dominated Italian politics for decades, died on Monday aged 86, drawing tributes from across the world. Here is a roundup of reactions ranging from Russian President Vladimir Putin to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak: – ‘True friend’ – Putin hailed Berlusconi as a “true friend” and described his death as an “irreparable loss and a great sorrow”. “For me, Silvio was a cherished […]
Tag: politics
Iran and Venezuela have ‘common enemies,’ Raisi says in Caracas
CARACAS, June 13, 2023 (AFP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi began a rare diplomatic tour of Latin America on Monday with a first stop in Caracas, where he said his country and Venezuela are “friends” with “common enemies.” Raisi’s schedule is also set to include visits to Cuba and Nicaragua, who, like Iran and Venezuela, are all the target of US sanctions. “We have common interests, common visions, and common enemies,” the president said, without […]
China slams US over reported ‘spy base’ in Cuba
BEIJING, June 9, 2023 (AFP) – China warned the United States Friday against “interfering in Cuba’s internal affairs”, in response to reports that Beijing was planning to set up a spy base on the island just off American shores. The media reports, based on comments by anonymous US officials to The Wall Street Journal and CNN, were dismissed by Cuba’s deputy foreign minister as “mendacious and unfounded”, while the White House called them inaccurate. When […]
Trump indicted in classified documents probe
WASHINGTON, June 9, 2023 (AFP) – Donald Trump said Thursday he has been indicted over his handling of classified documents after leaving office, the US ex-president’s most serious legal threat yet as he pursues a second White House term. “The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he broke the bombshell news of a historic moment for […]
Sudan declares UN envoy Volker Perthes ‘persona non grata’
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AFP) — The Sudanese government has declared United Nations envoy Volker Perthes “persona non grata”, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced. “The Government of the Republic of Sudan has notified the Secretary-General of the United Nations that it has declared Mr. Volker Perthes … persona non grata as of today,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday, just weeks after army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan accused Perthes of stoking the country’s conflict […]
US, Britain forge pact to counter new threats
By Jitendra JOSHI Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States — The United States and Britain on Thursday announced a new strategic pact as their leaders rededicated the “special relationship” to counter Russia, China and economic instability. In a White House summit, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak presented a united front on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the lightning-fast evolution of artificial intelligence. But Sunak came away empty-handed on Britain’s ambitions for […]
Trump foe Christie launches presidential run
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Republican former New Jersey governor Chris Christie jumped into the 2024 race for the White House on Tuesday, positioning himself as a political knife-fighter and the only candidate willing to take on frontrunner Donald Trump. Christie, who filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission before an evening announcement in Manchester, New Hampshire, presents a novel challenge as the only Republican contender so far willing to land genuinely damaging blows […]
Ex-VP Pence files papers to enter 2024 White House race
WASHINGTON, June 5, 2023 (AFP) – Republican former vice president Mike Pence has launched his hotly-anticipated challenge to his one-time boss Donald Trump for the party’s 2024 White House nomination, papers filed with the US Federal Election Commission showed Monday. The 63-year-old was scheduled to kick off his presidential campaign officially on Wednesday with a video in the early voting state of Iowa, joining an already crowded field. Pence will then make his pitch to […]
‘Unsafe’ action by China near American ship in Taiwan Strait: US
WASHINGTON, June 4, 2023 (AFP) – A Chinese Navy ship maneuvered in an “unsafe manner” near an American destroyer transiting the Taiwan Strait, the US military said Saturday. It is the second close encounter between American and Chinese military assets in less than 10 days, following what the US military said was an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” by one of Beijing’s fighter’s near one of Washington’s surveillance planes last week. The Chinese ship “executed maneuvers in […]
‘The more, the merrier’: Trump boosted by bloated 2024 race
By Frankie TAGGART Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, June 5, 2023 (AFP) – With three denizens of the Republican establishment launching presidential campaigns this week, the race for the 2024 nomination has begun to resemble the sprawling 2016 field that proved a huge boon to unfancied outsider Donald Trump. This time the 76-year-old tycoon is the runaway frontrunner but the conventional wisdom remains the same: the larger the chasing pack, the more likely he is to win […]
Saudi Arabia slashes output further to boost oil price
VIENNA, June 4, 2023 (AFP) – Riyadh on Sunday announced a fresh oil output cut following a meeting of major producers aiming to prop up prices despite fears of a recession. The meeting of the 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headed by Saudi Arabia and its 10 partners, led by Russia, saw some tough negotiations. Saudi Arabia’s fresh cut of one million barrels per day (bpd) is for July but “extendable”, its […]
Biden trips, tumbles on Air Force stage
COLORADO SPRINGS, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden took a face-first tumble on Thursday after tripping over an obstacle on stage at the Air Force Academy in Colorado, but he appeared unhurt — and joked about it later. Biden, 80, who had delivered the commencement address to graduates of the military academy, had just shaken hands with a cadet and begun walking back to his seat when he fell. Air Force personnel helped him […]





