Sierra Leone’s president declares ‘rape scourge’ a national emergency
The brutal rape of a young girl by her uncle in Sierra Leone became the rallying point for a campaign that on Thursday pushed President Julius Maada Bio to declare the prevalence of sexual violence a national emergency.
Trump-Kim summit venue shows possibility of moving beyond conflict: State Department
The choice of Vietnam as the venue for a second U.S.-North Korea summit this month shows the possibility of moving beyond conflict and division toward a thriving partnership, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.
South Africa’s Ramaphosa pledges to fix economy as election looms
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced plans on Thursday to split struggling state power giant Eskom into three separate entities, as he sought to convince investors and voters that he will turn around a struggling economy before an election…
U.S. calls on Iran to halt space launches that defy U.N. resolution
The U.S. State Department said on Thursday it was aware of reports of a failed Iranian attempt to launch a satellite into space last month and it called on Tehran to halt activities that violate U.N. resolutions.
Canada PM denies pressuring minister to be lenient with SNC-Lavalin
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday denied a newspaper report that his office had tried to pressure the former justice minister to intervene in the prosecution of engineering and construction firm SNC-Lavalin Group.
Geneva closes graft case against Obiang’s son, confiscates 25 luxury cars
Swiss prosecutors said on Thursday they had closed a money-laundering inquiry into a son of the President of Equatorial Guinea with an arrangement to sell 25 confiscated luxury cars to fund social programs in the former Spanish colony.
Brazilian president Bolsonaro has pneumonia, says he is well
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has pneumonia after registering a fever during a hospital stay, but a tweet on the far-right leader’s Twitter profile on Thursday said he was “well.”
Brazilian president Bolsonaro has pneumonia, hospital says
Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has pneumonia, the Albert Einstein hospital in Sao Paulo said in a statement on Thursday.
EU-backed group calls for political solution to Venezuela crisis
European and Latin American leaders met on Thursday to seek a peaceful and political solution to Venezuela’s deepening crisis, while a U.S. admiral suggested socialist President Nicolas Maduro does not have the loyalty of many within his military.
U.S. sanctions strand Venezuelan oil cargoes on 21 tankers
More than 20 tankers loaded with 9.6 million barrels of Venezuelan oil have anchored off the U.S. Gulf Coast in recent days. Some buyers had purchased the cargoes ahead of U.S. sanctions imposed last week, using the vessels as floating storage. Others …
