Fearing Congo violence, U.S. deploys small military force to Gabon
President Donald Trump said on Friday that U.S. military personnel had deployed to Gabon in response to possible violent demonstrations in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a presidential election there.
U.S. anti-Islamic State meeting turns to damage control after Syria decision
A routine U.S.-hosted conference of nations fighting the Islamic State militant group has become a damage control effort following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from Syria, sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.
Mexico urges regional bloc not to meddle in Venezuela
Mexico’s new leftist government on Friday called on its peers to refrain from interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs, declining to back a regional declaration that urged Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro not to take office on Jan. 10.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro signals weaker pension reform, concern over Boeing deal
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday called for minimum retirement ages significantly lower than those proposed by his predecessor, sparking concerns among investors that he will back watered-down pension reform legislation.
Bolsonaro aide: Brazil will not hike a financial tax
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s chief of staff said on Friday that there would be no hike in a financial transaction tax, contradicting what the leader himself said earlier in the day.
U.S. targets suspected USS Cole bombing planner in Yemen: statement
A U.S. strike targeted a militant in Yemen believed to be one of the planners of a deadly bombing of the Navy destroyer USS Cole in 2000, but the results of the strike were still being assessed, the U.S. military said on Friday.
Libyan authorities seeking 37 suspects over attacks on oil, military facilities
Libyan authorities issued arrest warrants for 37 suspects over attacks on key oil ports in the east of the country and a military base in the south, a source in the attorney general’s office said on Friday.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro signals weaker pension reform, concern over Boeing deal
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday called for minimum retirement ages significantly lower than those proposed by his predecessor, sparking concerns among investors that he will back watered-down pension reform legislation.
Congo’s electoral commission slams Catholic Church over vote comment
Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral commission accused the country’s Catholic Church on Friday of “preparing an insurrection” by saying it knows the winner of last Sunday’s presidential election.
Dozens protest near Khartoum, organizers say leader detained
Dozens of protesters chanted anti-government slogans as they left Friday prayers at a major mosque near Sudan’s capital, a day after a prominent figure in President Omar al-Bashir’s party called for him to resign.
