Tag: politics

New Japan foreign minister as PM unveils post-election cabinet

TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida unveils his post-election cabinet Wednesday, with a new foreign minister but other posts unchanged as the government begins work on a new pandemic stimulus package. At a special parliament session, lawmakers voted Kishida in as prime minister after his victory in last month’s general election. The soft-spoken moderate took leadership of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in September after former premier Yoshihide Suga decided not to […]

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China ruling party plenary to further cement Xi’s grip on power

by Patrick BAERT BEIJING, China (AFP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping, the uncontested leader of the world’s most populous nation, heads a pivotal plenary of the ruling party’s top figures next week that will set the tone for his bid for long-term rule. From Monday to Thursday, some 400 members of the Communist Party’s all-powerful Central Committee gather in Beijing behind closed doors. The only such meeting this year paves the way to its 20th […]

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Iraqi PM escapes ‘assassination attempt’ drone blast

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi escaped unhurt from an “assassination attempt” in which an explosives-packed drone hit his Baghdad residence early Sunday, a new escalation in the country’s post-election turmoil. US President Joe Biden condemned the “terrorist attack” and said he was “relieved” Kadhemi was not injured, while Iraqi President Barham Saleh said it was an attempted “coup against the constitutional system”. The attack has not been claimed by any group. […]

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Indonesia seizes land owned by Suharto son’s company

  JAKARTA, Indonesia (AFP) — Indonesia has seized land tied to an automaker owned by the son of its late dictator Suharto in a fresh bid to recoup money from the influential clan, the government said Friday. Military troops and police in West Java province on Friday took control of some 124 hectares (300 acres) of land controlled by Tommy Suharto and his PT Timor Putera Nasional company over some 2.6 trillion rupiah ($181 million) […]

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US businesses face Jan 4 deadline to get workers vaccinated

by Chris Stein WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Joe Biden’s administration on Thursday set a January 4 deadline for enforcement of strict rules intended to push tens of millions of American workers into getting Covid-19 vaccines The mandates targeting businesses with more than 100 employees, as well as health care workers and federal contractors, represent the most aggressive steps Washington has taken against the virus and the Delta variant, which has hobbled economic recovery. […]

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UK to unveil plan for first ‘net zero’ financial centre

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Finance minister Rishi Sunak is to announce plans to make Britain the world’s first net zero financial services centre by 2050, the Treasury said Tuesday. The chancellor of the exchequer will set out the plans on carbon emissions in a speech at the COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow on Wednesday morning. Sunak will unveil proposals for financial institutions and listed companies that operate primarily in Britain to be required […]

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New York poised to elect Black ex-cop Adams as mayor

by Peter HUTCHISON and Diane DESOBEAU NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New Yorkers voted Tuesday in a mayoral election that is virtually guaranteed to elect Black former policeman Eric Adams as the next leader of America’s biggest city. The centrist Democrat is expected to trounce Republican rival and volunteer crime fighter Curtis Sliwa in the liberal-voting bastion to become just the second African American to lead the Big Apple. Being New York’s mayor is […]

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Taliban supreme leader makes first public appearance

  KABUL, Afghanistan (AFP) — Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada addressed supporters in the southern city of Kandahar, officials announced Sunday, his first public appearance since taking control of the group in 2016. Akhundzada has been the spiritual chief of the Islamist movement since 2016 but has remained a reclusive figure, even after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan. His low profile has fed speculation about his role in the new Taliban government, formed after […]

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As rivals reopen, Hong Kong doubles down on virus isolation

by Jerome TAYLOR Hong Kong’s decision to descend deeper into international coronavirus isolation as rivals reopen is causing consternation among managers at multinationals who see no end to a zero-Covid strategy imposed by a leadership beholden to Beijing. The southern Chinese business hub has kept the coronavirus at bay thanks to some of the world’s strictest quarantine rules with most arrivals undergoing 14 to 21 days of hotel confinement. Competitors such as London, New York, […]

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Japan votes as ruling party seeks fresh start

Voting kicked off in Japan’s general election on Sunday with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hoping to win over a pandemic-fatigued public with spending promises as his long-ruling conservatives seek a fresh start. Kishida became leader of the Liberal Democratic Party a month ago after Yoshihide Suga resigned just a year into the job, partly due to public discontent over his response to the Covid-19 crisis. Following a record wave of infections that pushed the Tokyo […]

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Myanmar junta sentences Suu Kyi aide to 20 years for treason

YANGON, Myanmar (AFP) — Myanmar’s military junta sentenced a close aide of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to 20 years in prison for treason on Friday, his lawyer said. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the February 1 coup, with nationwide protests and more than 1,100 people killed by security forces, according to a local monitoring group. “U Win Htein was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment under section 124a by a special court,” […]

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W.House expects Biden-Erdogan meeting in Glasgow: official

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE (AFP) — US President Joe Biden expects to meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a UN climate summit in Glasgow next week, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Thursday. “I anticipate he will meet with the president of Turkey in Glasgow,” he told reporters aboard Biden’s plane headed to Rome for an earlier G20 summit. “I don’t have confirmation, but that’s the present expectation.” Biden […]

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