Pakistan disputes U.S. account of call between Pompeo and new PM Khan
Pakistan has disputed Washington’s account of a phone call between new Prime Minister Imran Khan and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, denying that there was any discussion on militants operating in Pakistan.
Australian Treasurer wins ballot to be next prime minister
Treasurer Scott Morrison will become Australia’s new prime minister after winning a Liberal party leadership vote on Friday, ending an internecine battle that has scarred the conservative government ahead of an election due by May 2019.
More than 3,000 Vietnamese fell victim to human traffickers in 2012-2017
More than 3,000 people in Vietnam, most of them women and children, were trafficked between 2012 and 2017, many of them into China, the Ministry of Public Security said on Friday, as parliament sought to tighten laws to tackle the problem.
Australia’s new PM says no plans for an early election
Australia’s incoming prime minister Scott Morrison hosed down speculation of an early election and said on Friday a severe drought across the country’s east will be his immediate priority.
Trump offered Italy help to fund public debt next year: newspaper
U.S. President Donald Trump told the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in a recent meeting in Washington the United States was ready to offer Italy help in funding its public debt next year, Il Corriere della Sera reported on Friday.
Amid praise for Trump, North Korea doubles down on criticism of Japan
In North Korea, Japan appears to have replaced the United States as the most vilified imperialist enemy, with state media deriding Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government as a “cult” bent on derailing Pyongyang’s diplomatic outreach.
Indonesian graft buster probes acid attack on himself as police draw blank
A top Indonesian anti-corruption investigator plans to release the findings of his own probe into an acid attack that partially blinded him last year, after a failure by police up to now to solve the case.
Brazil’s Lula plays kingmaker from his prison cell
It is Thursday outside a government building in this tidy city in southern Brazil. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the country’s former president, is receiving visitors to plot his political future.
India, China agree to expand military ties after defense talks
India and China have agreed to expand their military ties and enhance interaction to ensure peace on their common border, India said after a meeting between the old rivals’ defense ministers.
Conservative ‘netball dad’ who pursued tough immigration policies is Australia’s new PM
Australia’s next prime minister is a career public servant from Sydney’s southern suburbs who rose to prominence by stopping asylum seekers arriving in Australia by boat and has steered the country’s fiscal direction for the past three years.
