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SYDNEY, Australia (AFP) – Australia accepted on Thursday a long-standing New Zealand offer to take hundreds of refugees detained for years in remote camps under Canberra’s “Pacific solution” immigration policy. The deal, which was originally tabled in 2013, will involve New Zealand welcoming 150 refugees annually for three years after they have been screened by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR). “We are pleased to be able to provide resettlement outcomes for refugees who would otherwise […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — President Vladimir Putin plans to attend a G20 summit later this year in Indonesia, Moscow’s envoy said Wednesday, dismissing suggestions Russia could be excluded from the group over the war in Ukraine. A day earlier, the United States indicated it would consult allies over Russia’s membership in international forums to increase pressure over the invasion of Ukraine, which has prompted a refugee crisis in Europe and roiled global markets. Russian […]
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AFP) – A judge in Honduras on Wednesday granted the extradition of former president Juan Orlando Hernandez to the United States where he is wanted for alleged drug trafficking, the Central American country’s Supreme Court of Justice said on Twitter. A judge “decided to accept the request for extradition presented by the Court of the Southern District of New York against ex-president of the republic Juan Orlando Hernandez Alvarado,” the court said. The […]
HAVANA, Cuba (AFP) – A group of 128 Cubans who took part in unprecedented anti-government protests last July were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 30 years, the Supreme Court said Wednesday. In trials held in mid-December, 129 Cubans were “accused of committing and provoking serious disturbances and acts of vandalism” while participating in the protests, the court said in a statement. Of the defendants, 128 were found guilty of sedition and theft, […]
by Cyril Belaud with AFP bureaus around the world Agence France-Presse ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AFP) – Afghan embassies around the world that have refused to recognise the new Taliban regime are struggling to stay afloat and facing increasing pressure from Kabul to accept loyalist replacements. None of the country’s 60 or so ambassadors, consuls or heads of diplomatic missions who were appointed by Western-backed former president Ashraf Ghani have agreed to serve the hardline Islamist group […]
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Congress passed a huge omnibus 2022 spending bill Thursday including almost $14 billion in humanitarian and military aid to war-torn Ukraine, as its invasion by Russia entered its third week. Lawmakers had been facing the latest in a series of shutdown showdowns, with government funding due to expire at midnight Friday into Saturday, meaning thousands of workers would have been sent home without pay. With the deadline fast […]
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AFP) — The Hungarian parliament Thursday elected Katalin Novak, a close ally of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the EU member’s first ever woman president. Novak, who most recently served as a minister for family policy, portrayed her election as a victory for women. She was elected to the mostly ceremonial role by 137 votes to 51 in the parliament dominated by Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party ahead of opposition challenger Peter Rona, […]
by Marcelo SILVA Agence France-Presse Brasília, Brazil (AFP) – Iconic Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso led a star-studded protest Wednesday against President Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental policy, seeking to block a series of bills that activists say would be devastating for the Amazon rainforest and beyond. Thousands of protesters flooded the square at the seat of power in Brasilia, brandishing a giant inflatable turtle, bird and other animals and urging Congress to vote down what they call […]
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday urged former leader Gerhard Schroeder to quit his posts with Russian energy giants Rosneft and Gazprom following Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. “I find that it is not correct for Gerhard Schroeder to hold these offices. And I think it would be correct for him to give them up,” said Scholz in an interview with public broadcaster ZDF. Schroeder, who was Germany’s chancellor from 1998 to 2005, is […]
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States (AFP) – The legislative panel probing the assault on the US Capitol by a mob of then-president Donald Trump’s supporters alleged in a court filing Wednesday that he and his allies took part in a criminal conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election. The filing by the House of Representatives Select Committee seeks access to documents from rightwing lawyer John Eastman, who has refused to testify, citing attorney-client privilege. “The Select Committee…has […]
by Sebastian Smith President Joe Biden will try to rally Americans in a State of the Union speech Tuesday hailing his role shaping Western unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and promising to overcome soaring inflation and crime at home. The twin focuses come as Biden tries to battle back from approval ratings in the low 40 percent range and lead a deeply divided country from its coronavirus pandemic slump. The Russian invasion of Ukraine […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — North Korea said it had carried out a test of “great significance” for developing a reconnaissance satellite, state media reported Monday, a day after Seoul said it had detected a ballistic missile launch. Despite sweeping international sanctions, Pyongyang carried out a record-breaking blitz of weapons tests in January before pausing launches during the Beijing Winter Olympics. On Sunday South Korea’s military said it had detected the launch of a ballistic […]
