American allies have decided Trump is simply not someone they can do business with. by James Gibney Of all the global consequences of President Donald Trump’s first half-year, surely one of the most surprising is the rise in multilateral diplomacy.
Category: Lead 1
Virginia governor tells white supremacists: ‘Go home’
The governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, has said that his only message for the white supremacists who brought chaos to the city of Charlottesville is “Go home”.
China urges Trump not to worsen situation
China’s President Xi Jinping has urged Donald Trump and North Korea to avoid “words and actions” that worsen tensions, state media say.
Train collision in northern Egypt kills 43, injures 122
Alexandria, Aug 12 (AP/UNB)- Two passenger trains collided on Friday just outside Egypt’s Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, killing 43 people, according to authorities, the country’s deadliest rail accident in more than a decade. Magdy Hegazy, a top health official…
China to remain neutral if North Korea attacks first
A Chinese state-run newspaper has suggested Beijing would “stay neutral” if North Korea strikes first in a conflict with the United States, despite a mutual defence pact between the Asian allies. The nationalistic Global Times tabloid said on Friday in…
Donald Trump & Kim Jong-Un need to find a diplomatic off-ramp
By Daryl G. Kimball Washington DC, Aug 9 (IPS) – Just six months into the administration of President Donald Trump, the war of words and nuclear threats between the United States and North Korea have escalated, and a peaceful resolution…
N. Korea threatens Guam hit plan within days
North Korea’s Strategic Force of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) on Wednesday repeated threats that the DPRK military was in the final stages of developing a plan to strike the island of Guam. The KPA Strategic Force said it was…
Putin aligns with Xi in crafting the new world (trade) order
By Pepe Escobar History will record the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing marked the juncture where the 21st century New Silk Roads assumed their full character of Globalization 2.0, or “inclusive globalization,” as defined by President Xi Jinping in…
Celebrating International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples
Danielle Nierenberg On the 2017 International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, the United Nations is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The Declaration, formally adopted in 2007, is an international human…
Iran’s Rouhani nominates female vice presidents
Iran President Hassan Rouhani has appointed three women as vice-presidents and one as a civil rights assistant following criticism of his all-male cabinet. Iran’s 12 vice-presidents run organisations linked to the presidency. There has been only one female cabinet member…
Finally, a law to curb biopiracy in Malaysia
Gurdial Singh Nijar Last week the Dewan Rakyat passed a bill to curb “biopiracy”. This is the stealing of the biological resources of a country without its consent.
France, UK among 4 countries urged to check eggs
Brussels, Aug 7 (AP/UNB) – The European Union has notified food safety authorities in Britain, France, Sweden and Switzerland as a precautionary measure that some eggs contaminated with an insecticide might have entered their territory.
11 killed in Nigeria Church gun attack
At least 11 people have been killed in a gun attack on a church in southern Nigeria, police say. Up to 18 other worshippers were wounded in the early morning incident at the church in Ozubulu near the city of…
Iran says arrested 27 IS-linked militants & foiled attacks
Iran’s intelligence ministry says its forces have detained 27 militants linked to the Islamic State group who planned to carry out terrorist operations in religious cities inside the country. The ministry says Monday in a statement on its website, vaja.ir,…
UN imposes tough new sanctions on North Korea
The U.N. Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions Saturday to punish North Korea for its escalating nuclear and missile programs including a ban on coal and other exports worth over $1 billion — a huge bite in its total…
US notifies UN of Paris climate deal pullout
The Trump administration has issued its first written notification that the US intends to withdraw from the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
South Asia could become uninhabitable
It asserts that Beijing will “resolutely protect” the country’s territorial sovereignty and security interests. China’s defence ministry on Thursday stepped up calls for immediate withdrawal of Indian troops from the Doklam plateau. It asserted that Beijing will “resolutely protect” the…
China warns Indian troops to get out of contested region
Beijing, Aug 4 (AP/UNB) — Beijing is intensifying its opposition to New Delhi’s movement of troops into a contested region in the Himalayas where China, India and Bhutan meet.
Myanmar trying to block UN fact-finding mission
The United Nations needs to insist on its ability to carry out a mandated fact-finding mission on Myanmar, Human Rights Watch said today, releasing a series of questions and answers on the topic. In March 2017, the UN Human Rights…
Russia unhappy over Trump signing sanctions bill
Moscow, Aug 3 (AP/UNB)- Russian officials and lawmakers on Wednesday vented their frustration with U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to sign a bill imposing new sanctions on Russia, warning that it will erode global stability and fuel conflicts.
US not seeking regime change in N Korea: Tillerson
The US government is not seeking a regime change in North Korea, the secretary of state says, amid tensions over Pyongyang’s weapons programme. “We’re not your enemy,” Rex Tillerson said, adding that the US wanted a dialogue at some point.…
Xi says China will never permit any loss of territory
Beijing, Aug 1 (AP/UNB) — Chinese President Xi Jinping has issued a tough line on national sovereignty amid multiple disputes with his country’s neighbours, saying China will never permit any loss of territory.
‘Breakthrough’ mosquito trap uses human smell and heat
London – A mosquito trap that uses a person’s smell combined with warm water and a dark cylindrical shape could transform how the insects are caught in developing countries, say its creators. The trap, developed at the University of Greenwich…
President Putin orders 755 US diplomatic staff to leave
Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that 755 staff must leave US diplomatic missions, in retaliation for new US sanctions against Moscow.
Trump beating an old drup in tying immingrants to crime
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly’s announcement of the opening of a new office to focus on victims of crimes by immigrants looks for all the world like a cynical ploy to stigmatize a vulnerable class of people to justify inhumane…
Rare birds, wildflowers: ‘Secret garden’ opens after century
Truckee, Jul 28 (AP/UNB)- Pink and yellow wildflowers burst from a lush bed of grass hidden from public view for more than a century. Towering trees and snow-capped mountains encircle the wild meadow, beckoning visitors to a largely untouched piece…
Argentina sentences 4 judges for dictatorship-era crimes
Buenos Aires, Jul 27 (AP/UNB) – Four former federal judges in Argentina have sentenced to life in prison for crimes against humanity committed during the country’s last dictatorship in a ruling human rights groups are calling historic for punishing the…
Pak PM accused India of undermining Saarc spirit
MALE: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has accused India of “undermining” the spirit of the SAARC by “casting shadows” of bilateral issues on the multilateral forum for regional cooperation. In a joint press conference with Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen here,…
How 137 million people’s lives in Asia are at flood risk
Khorsheeda Khatun had been left with nothing — then that too was washed away. The 28-year-old fled her home country of Myanmar in January with her two daughters, escaping the latest outbreak of violence, and was living in the Kutupalang…
Polish President Andrzej Duda to veto controversial court laws
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Monday he will veto a controversial legislative package that would have given the government more control over the judiciary, in a surprise move that appears to have caught his own allies in the ruling Law…