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WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — India’s leading opposition figure Rahul Gandhi denounced Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stranglehold on Indian society on Thursday but expressed confidence that the opposition can beat the ruling party in 2024 elections. Gandhi, who was speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, is a member of the Congress Party and was expelled from the Indian parliament after being convicted of defamation in March for remarks made during a 2019 election […]
By Malick ROKHY BA Agence France-Presse DAKAR, Senegal (AFP) — Violence erupted in Senegal’s capital Dakar on Thursday after a court sentenced firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to two years’ jail for “corrupting youth,” a move that dims his hopes of contesting next year’s presidential election. Sonko, President Macky Sall’s fiercest opponent, was absent when the judgement was handed down. He also did not attend the trial. Two police officials told AFP on condition of […]
TOKYO, June 1, 2023 (AFP) – Japan’s prime minister unveiled a $25 billion plan on Thursday to expand support for young people and families in a bid to help raise the country’s plummeting birthrate. Larger direct subsidies for those with children and more financial help for education and prenatal care are on the cards, along with the promotion of flexible work styles and paternity leave. Fumio Kishida said he was proposing “policies to tackle the […]
PARIS, June 1, 2023 (AFP) – The upper house Senate of France’s parliament was Thursday due to pass a law that will better regulate social media influencers by limiting and regulating their ability to endorse products and encourage betting. The lower house National Assembly late on Wednesday gave its green light to the bill which has wide-cross party support — highly unusual in France’s current tense political climate — after being proposed by deputies […]
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AFP) — The United States said Tuesday it was suspending Kosovo from a military exercise in its first sanction over a decision to install ethnic Albanian mayors that sent tensions soaring with the Serb minority. Western powers that have historically supported Kosovo have urged de-escalation after the move on the mayors, which led to clashes with ethnic Serbs in which 30 NATO-led peacekeepers were injured Monday. Jeffrey Hovenier, the US ambassador in Pristina, […]
JOHANNESBURG, May 30, 2023 (AFP) – South Africa’s leading opposition party said on Tuesday it had taken legal action to force the government to arrest Vladimir Putin if the Russian President were to attend a planned summit in the country. Pretoria has been faced with a diplomatic dilemma since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against Putin, who is supposed to visit the nation for a BRICS meeting in August. On Tuesday, […]
WASHINGTON, May 30, 2023 (AFP) — The bill hammered out by US leaders to prevent the country from a catastrophic default on its debts will face one final and potentially perilous hurdle this week: Passing a divided Congress. Lawmakers return Tuesday from a holiday weekend with precious few days to review, debate and ultimately greenlight a measure intended to extend US borrowing authority in exchange for White House policy concessions, notably caps on federal spending. […]
By Louise Dewast Agence France-Presse ABUJA, Nigeria, May 29, 2023 (AFP) — Long-time political kingmaker Bola Tinubu is set to be sworn in as Nigeria’s new president on Monday, as Africa’s most populous nation navigates a sea of economic troubles and grave insecurity. The 71-year-old southerner is from the same party as outgoing Muhammadu Buhari, the 80-year-old northerner and former army general stepping down after two terms in office. Tinubu was declared winner of the […]
WASHINGTON, May 28, 2023 (AFP) – Top Republican leader Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden announced a deal Saturday to raise the debt ceiling, dragging the United States from the precipice of default with only a few days left to go. Congress will vote on the deal to extend the government borrowing authority Wednesday, just shy of the June 5 “X-date” when the Treasury estimates the government will no longer be able to pay its […]
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AFP) — Mexico’s president urged US Latino voters Thursday not to support Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who launched his bid to oust President Joe Biden with a promise to “shut down” the border. “I hope Florida’s Hispanics wake up and don’t give him (DeSantis) even one vote,” Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at his daily news conference, urging people to reject “those who persecute migrants.” DeSantis announced his candidacy on Wednesday at […]
By Poornima WEERASEKARA, Luna LIN Agence France-Presse BEIJING, May 25, 2023 (AFP) — Beijing’s restrictions on American chipmaker Micron in retaliation to sweeping US chip curbs mark a major step up in its response to Washington’s pressure and could open the door for further measures in the geopolitical standoff, analysts say. But they warned President Xi Jinping’s ability to raise the stakes will be limited as he battles to re-energize the world’s number two economy […]
LONDON, May 24, 2023 (AFP) – Britain’s annual inflation rate struck a 13-month low in April, official data showed Wednesday, but remains elevated at 8.7 percent as soaring food prices offset weaker energy costs, prolonging a cost-of-living crisis. The rate of price increases slowed from 10.1 percent in March to below double digits for the first time since August last year, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement. At 8.7 percent, UK inflation […]
