Section: Independent Online (South Africa)
Putin holds his traditional end-of-year press conference
Moscow – President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said the West was threatened by an increasingly powerful Russia, as he promised further economic growth during an end-of-year press conference. The annual event comes after months of increasing discontent at home and tensions abroad, from a stand-off with Ukraine to deteriorating ties with...
Clooney foundation launches global initiative to monitor court trials
Washington – A justice foundation created by George and Amal Clooney is set to announce on Wednesday a global initiative called TrialWatch to monitor court trials where there is a risk of abuse and to rank countries’ judicial systems. Working with the Columbia University Law School and the American Bar Association, the TrialWatch...
March 5 sentencing for former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort
Washington – A US District Court judge on Friday tentatively set a sentencing date of March 5 for Paul Manafort, the former campaign manager of President Donald Trump. Manafort, 69, pleaded guilty in September to one count of conspiracy and another of obstruction of justice and agreed to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s...
Trump joins leaders of Canada, Mexico to sign new trade pact
BUENOS AIRES — President Donald Trump joined the leaders of Canada and Mexico at a global meeting in Argentina on Friday to sign a revised North American trade pact, fulfilling a longstanding political promise with a deal he celebrated as a “groundbreaking achievement.” The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is meant to replace the...
Trump withdraws from Putin meeting, cites Ukraine crisis
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE – U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday abruptly canceled a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Argentina, registering his disapproval of Russia’s treatment of Ukraine and casting new uncertainty over U.S.-Russian ties. Trump said he pulled out due to tensions over Russian forces opening...
US exit from Iran deal could trigger instability: Putin
St. Petersburg, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Friday that the US exit from the Iranian nuclear deal could trigger dangerous instability and raise new threats for Israel if Tehran resumes a full-fledged nuclear program. “We can’t sort things out with North Korea. Do we want another problem on the same...
WATCH: FBI raid on Cohen’s offices is a witch-hunt, says Trump
New York – A furious Donald Trump blasted the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller as a “disgrace” and a “witch-hunt” Monday after FBI agents raided the New York offices of the president’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen. Agents seized files relating to Cohen’s work, which included...
PICS: Topless protester a former ‘Cosby Show’ actress and activist
NORRISTOWN – The topless protester who leaped over a barricade and ran toward Bill Cosby at the start of his sexual assault retrial on Monday is an actress who appeared on the comedian’s family sitcom “The Cosby Show” as a child. Nicolle Rochelle, a member of European feminist group Femen, which is known for staging...
Expelled Russians arrive home as Moscow warns against travel to UK
Moscow – Russian diplomats expelled from the United States arrived in Moscow on Sunday, with post-Cold War tensions peaking in the wake of a nerve agent attack on a former spy in Britain. A deepening crisis in ties between Russia and the West has over the past weeks seen the biggest wave of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions in recent...
Western diplomats expelled from Russia in tit-for-tat retaliation
Moscow – Russia retaliated on Friday against a wave of expulsions of Russian diplomats from Western countries by expelling the same number of diplomats from those countries. Numerous ambassadors were summoned to appear at Russia’s Foreign Ministry to receive the order for expulsions from the country, amid a dispute that has devastated...
