Rubio warns against W Bank annexation
EW YORK, Oct 23 (BBC/AFP): The US Secretary of State has said that a move by Israel's parliament towards annexation of the occupied West Bank would threaten Washington's plan to end the conflict in Gaza."That's not something we can be supportive of right now," Marco Rubio said before leaving for...
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Trump heads to Asia to make deals with Xi
WASHINGTON, Oct 23 (AFP): US President Donald Trump is set to embark on a major trip to Asia this week with all eyes on an expected meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping that has huge implications for the global economy.Trump said on Wednesday he was making a "big trip" to...
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Japan's new PM to achieve defence spending target 2 years early
TOKYO, Oct 23 (AFP): Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to achieve the target of spending two percent of GDP on defence two years early, media reports said days before a visit by US President Donald Trump.Long-pacifist Japan has moved towards a more muscular defence policy but with an...
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US troops train in Panama jungle
PANAMA, Oct 23 (AFP): The US military carried out small-scale survival and jungle combat drills on Panama's Caribbean coast Wednesday, as Washington amassed a vast naval presence off Venezuela.Under a scorching sun, about a dozen US Marines armed with assault rifles simulated storming a bunker at the former US Fort...
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S Arabia appoints Sheikh Saleh as kingdom's new grand mufti
DUBAI, Oct 23 (AP): Saudi Arabia appointed a prominent ultraconservative scholar late Wednesday as the country's new grand mufti, the kingdom's top religious scholar.Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, 90, took over the position, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. The decision came from King Salman, based on the recommendation of...
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