Section: Independent Online (South Africa)
US government’s court bid to block John Bolton’s book fails
Washington – A federal judge ruled Saturday that former national security adviser John Bolton can move forward in publishing his tell-all book despite efforts by the Trump administration to block the release because of concerns that classified information could be exposed. The decision from US District Judge Royce Lamberth is a victory for...
Justice Department tries to oust US attorney investigating Trump allies
Washington – The Justice Department moved abruptly Friday night to oust Geoffrey S. Berman, the US attorney in Manhattan overseeing key prosecutions of President Donald Trump’s allies and an investigation of his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani. But Berman said he was refusing to leave his post and his ongoing investigations would...
Donald Trump unfit to be US president, says Nancy Pelosi
Washington – President Donald Trump came under attack from both sides of the American political spectrum on Thursday as liberal Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and former White House aide and conservative hawk John Bolton both declared him unfit to lead the country. “President Trump is clearly ethically unfit and intellectually...
Bolton’s new book reveals how Trump asked Xi for help with election
Washington – President Donald Trump asked his Chinese counterpart to make agricultural purchases in order to help the US leader win over farmers ahead of the upcoming election, former top aide John Bolton claims in a new book. At a meeting, Trump turned to Xi Jinping and “stressed the importance of farmers and increased Chinese...
SA, India and UK shutterbugs on Andrei Stenin press photo contest 2020 shortlist
Cape Town – The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest’s international jury of leading photography experts has selected the best entries from over 5 000 submissions. Young photojournalists from 75 countries competed in the contest this year. The shortlist includes photographers from 19 countries, including Russia, the United...
Trudeau says Russia won’t be included in the G7 – despite Trump’s call
Toronto – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that Russia will not be included in the Group of 7 nations, disagreeing with US President Donald Trump, who said he plans to invite Russia. Trudeau noted Russia was excluded from the group after it annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. “Its continued disrespect and...
Trump seen asking how long Ukraine can resist Russians in recording
Washington – President Donald Trump enquired how long Ukraine would be able to resist Russian aggression without U.S. assistance during a 2018 meeting with donors that included the indicted associates of his personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. “How long would they last in a fight with Russia?” Trump is heard asking in the audio portion of a video...
Obama describes Trump’s handling of coronavirus as ‘an absolute chaotic disaster’
Washington – Former president Barack Obama described President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as “chaotic” in a conference call with former members of his administration, a source said on Saturday. Obama has largely kept out of the fray even as Trump has blamed him and his Democratic administration for...
Chernobyl beset with wildfires on nuclear disaster’s 34th anniversary
Kiev – More than a thousand firefighters were working in the radiation-contaminated Chernobyl exclusion zone on Sunday, the 34th anniversary of the nuclear disaster, amid a weeks-long effort to extinguish brush fires in the area. Authorities have attributed the fires in the predominantly uninhabited Chernobyl zone and in other parts of...
Trump, Putin issue rare joint statement commemorating WW2
Washington – US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin issued a rare joint statement on Saturday commemorating a 1945 World War 2 link-up of US and Soviet troops on their way to defeat Nazi Germany as an example of how their countries can cooperate. The statement by Trump and Putin comes amid deep strains in...
