Category: WORLD NEWS

US President Donald Trump said Monday he’d be “disappointed” if North Korea had something “in the works” as a year-end ultimatum from Pyongyang about the fate of their nuclear talks approaches. The nuclear-armed North has issued increasingly strident declarations in recent weeks, even promising an ominous “Christmas gift” if Washington does not come up with some concessions. The top US envoy to the negotiations with North Korea, Stephen Biegun, said in Seoul on Monday that Pyongyang’s rumblings were “hostile and negative” — and Trump said he was watching. “We’ll see.…

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Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil a new government Monday that wields a sweeping mandate to take Britain out of the European Union after years of acrimonious debate. Johnson’s simple promise to “get Brexit done” resonated in a snap election Thursday that became a re-run of Britain’s 2016 EU membership referendum. A narrow majority had then opted to quit the European project. UK leaders have been arguing about how — or even whether — to cut ties with the other 27 nations in the bloc ever since. The arguments were…

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Boko Haram jihadists gunned down 19 cattle herders Saturday in northeast Nigeria, civilian militia sources and residents told AFP on Sunday.Ethnic Fulani herders, besieged by a spate of armed attacks targeting their cattle, pursued Boko Haram, sparking a fierce gunfight outside Fuhe village, near Ngala close to the border with Cameroon.”The insurgents killed 19 of the herdsmen in the fight,” anti-jihadist militia leader Umar Kachalla told AFP. Bodies of the slain herders were brought to the police by militiamen, Kachalla said.The herders had earlier repelled an attack by Boko Haram…

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Major economies resisted calls for bolder climate commitments as a U.N. summit in Madrid limped towards a delayed conclusion on Saturday, dimming hopes that nations will act in time to stop rising temperatures devastating people and the natural world. With the two-week gathering spilling into the weekend, campaigners and many nations slammed Chile, presiding over the talks, for drafting a summit text that they said risked throwing the 2015 Paris Agreement to tackle global warming into reverse.  “At a time when scientists are queuing up to warn about terrifying consequences…

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 Former US President Barack Obama said Friday the Paris Agreement on climate change may fall short of expectations but is still the way forward to achieve progress and encourage businesses to invest in clean energy. Nearly 200 nations pledged to cut greenhouse emissions and help poor countries cope with the worst effects of an already warming planet under the accord signed in 2016 that was a cornerstone of Obama’s environmental legacy.But his successor, Donald Trump, abandoned that legacy when his administration notified the UN last month that the US would…

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed will collect his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo Tuesday, but as ethnic violence rises at home he has kept festivities to a minimum and refused media requests. Hailed as a modern, reformist leader, Ahmed’s decision to skip all events with the press has dismayed his Norwegian hosts. Africa’s youngest leader at just 43, he is to receive the prestigious award at a ceremony in Oslo’s City Hall at 1:00 pm (1200 GMT), attended by the royal family and Norwegian public figures. The Nobel Committee announced…

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Thousands rallied in support of Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar Saturday, on the eve of her departure for the UN’s top court to defend Myanmar against charges of genocide against Rohingya Muslims.The raucous rally in the capital Naypyidaw came as China’s foreign minister arrived for a visit at Suu Kyi’s invitation.Analysts say Beijing’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council — and its veto vote — makes it a valuable ally as Myanmar faces intensifying scrutiny over its treatment of the Rohingya.Once-lauded democracy champion Suu Kyi’s shock decision to…

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Tesla co-founder Elon Musk has been cleared of defamation by a jury in Los Angeles over a tweet in which he labeled a British caver “pedo guy.” The jury deliberated less than an hour before ruling in favor of Musk and clearing him of any liability in the high-profile case that pitted him against Vernon Unsworth.Unsworth had sought USD 190 million in damages from the tech billionaire, arguing that his reputation had been damaged by the tweet.Musk hugged his lawyer on hearing the verdict, telling reporters afterwards on Friday: “My…

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The United States Congress has passed the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act, which among other things, proposes that America redirects resources to address the mass internment of over 1,000,000 Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities in China.The move by the House of Representatives is expected to generate a sharp reaction from China.The Act, which calls for an end to the detaining, torture and harassment of the Uyghur communities in China, was passed by the Senate earlier.By passing this bill, Congress is showing that the US will not turn a blind…

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