BEIJING – China imposed export restrictions on dozens of Japanese firms yesterday that it said were involved in building up Tokyo’s military, escalating a months-long row. The spat between Asia’s top two economies was sparked by comments by prime minister Sanae Takaichi in November that Japan could intervene militarily in any attack on self-ruled Taiwan.The...
GENEVA – The United Nations leader warned yesterday that “the rule of force” was spreading, as the powerful trample on international law and wield artificial intelligence and other technologies to attack human rights. “Human rights are under a full-scale attack around the world. The rule of law is being outmuscled by the rule of force,”...
PARIS – Iran yesterday said that a US attack of any scale would spur the Islamic republic to respond “ferociously”, after president Donald Trump said he was considering limited strikes against the country. The United States has built up forces in the Middle East to pile pressure on Iran to make a deal at negotiations...
KINSHASA – A key border crossing between Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi reopened yesterday after a closure of more than two months during an offensive by an armed group, sources on both sides of the frontier told AFP. The Kavimvira post on Lake Tanganyika, which is vital for the region’s economy, was closed...
COPENHAGEN – Greenland does not need medical assistance from other countries, Denmark’s defence minister said yesterday, after US president Donald Trump claimed he was sending a hospital ship to the autonomous Danish territory that he covets. “The Greenlandic population receives the healthcare it needs. They receive it either in Greenland, or, if they require specialised...
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump raised the global duty on imports into the United States to 15% on Saturday, doubling down on his promise to maintain his aggressive tariff policy a day after the Supreme Court ruled much of it illegal. Trump said on his Truth Social platform that after a thorough review of Friday’s...
HARGEISA – Somaliland is willing to give the United States access to its minerals and military bases, a minister has told AFP, as the breakaway region of Somalia seeks international recognition. Israel became the only country in the world to recognise Somaliland’s independence in December, something the territory has been seeking since declaring its autonomy...
LAGOS – Jihadist fighters have killed scores of people and destroyed seven villages in raids in northwestern Nigeria’s Kebbi state, the police told AFP yesterday. Members of the Lakurawa group attacked villages in the Bui district of Arewa northern region at around 1:15 pm Wednesday, said Kebbi state police spokesman Bashir Usman.A security report seen...
JOHANNESBURG – Four South African men lured into fighting for Russian forces in Ukraine returned home on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said. Their arrival comes days after South African President Cyril Ramaphosa held talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the return of South Africans caught up in the Ukraine war. It was not...
LONDON – Britain’s former prince Andrew was arrested yesterday on suspicion of misconduct during his time as a trade envoy, as UK police investigations into allegations emerging from the Jeffrey Epstein files gathered pace. Unprecedented in Britain’s modern era, the arrest was a new blow for the ousted royal, who was marking his 66th birthday...