Apr 18 Erdogan catches Turkey off guard by calling early elections By Suzan Fraser, Associated Press Erdogan announced that parliamentary and presidential elections, originally scheduled for November 2019 will now be held June 24, meaning that a new political system that will increase the powers of the president will take effect a year early. Continue reading
Apr 18 Miguel Diaz-Canel, 57, chosen as next president of Cuba By Michael Weissenstein and Andrea Rodriguez, Associated Press The virtually certain unanimous approval of the National Assembly will install someone from outside the Castro family in the country's highest government office for the first time in nearly six decades. Continue reading
Apr 18 Watchdog agency chief rejects Russian claim of 2nd nerve agent in Skripal poisoning By Mike Corder, Associated Press The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said the second nerve agent had "nothing to do with the samples collected by the OPCW team in Salisbury."… Continue reading
Apr 17 What to expect from Trump’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Abe By Larisa Epatko Experts say both leaders will have to confront lingering tensions over trade and President Donald Trump's upcoming meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Continue reading
Apr 17 U.S. and North Korea talking at ‘extremely high levels’ ahead of meeting, Trump says By Jill Colvin, Zeke Miller, Associated Press At Mar-a-Lago with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump also confirmed that North and South Korea are negotiating an end to hostilities before next week's meeting between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Continue reading
Apr 17 UK: Nerve agent that poisoned spy was in liquid form By Associated Press LONDON — The nerve agent used on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia was delivered in liquid form, British officials said Tuesday, as they revealed it will take months to clean up the toxic trail the poison… Continue reading
Apr 16 Watch 9:29 Did Trump have the authority to strike Syria? It’s ‘a gray area,’ says Sen. Coons The airstrikes launched by the U.S., UK, and France to punish the Assad regime's alleged use of chemical weapons have renewed questions about presidential warmaking powers. Lisa Desjardins reports on the reaction to the strikes, then talks to Sen. Chris… Continue watching
Apr 16 Watch 8:01 For Mali’s Tuareg, music speaks of suffering and the Sahara By Monica Villamizar The music of Mali's Tuareg people is music of resistance. Master traders of the Sahara desert for millenia, they've never enjoyed significant political power, and their musical culture reflects that frustration and struggle. But times have been tough for these… Continue watching
Apr 16 UK sorry for ‘appalling’ treatment of Caribbean immigrants By Jill Lawless, Associated Press The British government apologized Monday for its "appalling" treatment of some immigrants from the Caribbean, as reports of law-abiding residents being threatened with deportation overshadowed a London meeting of leaders from the 53-nation Commonwealth. Continue reading
Apr 16 Russia says UN delaying fact-finding mission visit in Syria By Sarah el Deeb and Nataliya Vasileyva, Associated Press A senior Russian diplomat told reporters in Moscow that what is hampering a speedy resolution of the mission's visit to the Syrian town of Douma, affected by the alleged chemical attack, was "the consequences of the illegal, unlawful military action,"… Continue reading