Africa continues to suffer enormous social and economic losses in billions of dollars as a result of climate change impacts. A vulnerable continent that is burning and flooding at the same time needs finance to be able to achieve mitigation, adaptation and technology goals. But without a clear roadmap for delivering $100 billion per year … Read more
A senior Palestinian official on Tuesday said silence in US President Donald Trump’s administration over settlement growth and its failure to support the two-state solution encouraged “apartheid” Israeli policies. The criticism by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat came in a statement after the Palestinians had previously been careful not to antagonise the new US leader since … Read more
US President Donald Trump ousted his beleaguered chief of staff Reince Priebus on Friday, replacing him with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly after vicious White House infighting spilled into the open. Only hours after a humiliating defeat on health care reforms had underlined his tenuous control over his party in Congress, Trump announced a second … Read more
Donald Trump suffered yet another humiliating blow Friday as a small group of Republican rebels dealt him a stinging legislative defeat on health care, adding to the woes of a White House riven by vicious infighting. The billionaire president lashed out at Republican senators who defied his threats and barbs to vote against health care … Read more
Fast-talking Anthony Scaramucci’s appointment to a top White House post looks set to transform the balance of power in Donald Trump’s faction-riven administration — if he can survive. Last week “Mooch” stood in a second floor West Wing corridor a few steps from the Oval Office, poised to become one of the most famous, and … Read more
Anthony Scaramucci, named Donald Trump’s new White House communications director, is a millionaire former hedge fund investor who shores up the stable of bankers in the president’s inner circle. It is the first administration role for the 53-year-old Republican fundraiser with telegenic looks who has long been an articulate surrogate for the president and who … Read more
The Russian lawyer at the heart of the scandal over a meeting with President Donald Trump’s eldest son claimed Wednesday she is ready to testify to the US Congress. Lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya attended a meeting with Donald Trump Jr during the election campaign in June 2016 at which it appears he expected to get incriminating … Read more
American footballer Colin Kaepernick took his incessant protests against racism to its climax when he posted a controversial message criticising America’s July 4 celebrations. The 29-year-old who famously protested police brutality to blacks in the US by refusing to stand during the national anthem in 2016, spent his Fourth of July holiday celebrating finding his “personal … Read more
US President Donald Trump, fresh from a political holiday in Paris, went back on the offensive Sunday as a new poll showed his popularity dropping amid doubts about Russian meddling and deepening frustrations over stalled health-care legislation and other issues. In a tweet early Sunday, Trump used some of his toughest language against a favored … Read more
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz made a rare appearance by a high-ranking Israeli official in the occupied West Bank on Monday to sign an agreement on electricity with the Palestinian Authority. Steinitz attended the ceremony in Jalamah near the northern West Bank city of Jenin alongside Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah. They announced a boost in … Read more
When Iran signed its landmark deal with world powers in 2015, curbing its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, many expected an investment gold rush. But despite thousands of business delegates flooding into Tehran from all over Europe, Asia and beyond, big deals have been slow to emerge. That makes Monday’s agreement with French … Read more
President Donald Trump on Saturday fired off another volley in his escalating feud with the US media, aiming a Twitter tirade at CNN, NBC and a morning show host he taunted as “dumb as a rock.” The outburst came at the end of a week during which the US leader railed against major news organizations … Read more
President Donald Trump’s travel ban on people from six mostly Muslim countries will come into force late Thursday, as controversy swirls over who qualifies for an exemption based on family ties. Delayed by five months of legal challenges before the Supreme Court partially backed Trump, the ban comes into effect at 8 pm Friday eastern … Read more
The White House has set new criteria for visa applicants from six mainly Muslim countries and all refugees, requiring them to have a “close” family or business tie to the US. The rules, affecting people from Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, come into force on Thursday. They were issued after the Supreme Court … Read more
US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi embraced each other as friends and partners Monday, pledging their quest for economic growth would strengthen rather than undermine ties between the world’s two largest democracies. While Trump’s relations with some traditional allies have got off to rocky start, he and Modi appeared to strike … Read more
US President Donald Trump hosts Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday for a first face-to-face meeting, seeking to forge a chemistry that can add new fizz to a flourishing relationship between the world’s two largest democracies. Despite differences over issues such as immigration and climate change, Modi is expected to assure Trump that the … Read more
US Senate Republicans were preparing to finally unveil their health care overhaul Thursday aimed at fulfilling President Donald Trump’s pledge to repeal Obamacare, as Democrats ready a fight to block the controversial measure. The bill reportedly will be a slightly less austere version of the one that passed the House of Representatives last month. The … Read more
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday congratulated Saudi Arabia’s newly appointed Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, with whom he discussed the thorny diplomatic row between Qatar and its Gulf neighbors, including Riyadh. “The president and the crown prince committed to close cooperation to advance our shared goals of security, stability, and prosperity across the Middle … Read more
The White House hopes the confirmation by James Comey that Donald Trump was not under FBI investigation can draw a line under a scandal consuming his presidency. That may be wishful thinking. It’s not often the president being publicly described as an untrustworthy liar would be welcomed by the White House as a political victory. … Read more
Fired FBI Director James Comey aimed a dagger blow at Donald Trump Wednesday, saying the President had demanded his loyalty, pressed him to drop a probe into ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn and repeatedly pressured him to publicly declare that he was not under investigation. The Russia investigation: Everything you need to know Comey magnified … Read more