by Brigitte DUSSEAU WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Even if, as most polls predict, he loses Tuesday’s US presidential election, Donald Trump’s populist charge will leave its mark on the American body politic. The 70-year-old billionaire tycoon is the Republican flag-bearer even though part of the Grand Old Party’s establishment has rejected him, and others are voting for him while holding their noses. But Trump has managed to craft his own political brand, building a […]
International
US-backed forces launch assault on Syrian IS ‘capital’
by Delil Souleiman with Sarah Benhaida in Mosul AIN ISSA, Syria (AFP) — US-backed Kurdish-Arab forces launched an offensive Sunday on the Islamic State group’s de facto Syrian capital Raqa, upping pressure on the jihadists who are already battling Iraqi troops in Mosul. The start of the assault by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) came as Iraqi forces fought inside Mosul for the third day running amid fierce jihadist resistance. The two cities are the […]
FBI lifts Clinton email cloud as US election looms
by Ivan Couronne with Dave Clark in Washington CLEVELAND, United States (AFP) — The FBI on Sunday lifted the threat that Hillary Clinton might face charges over her private email server — dropping a campaign bombshell 36 hours before her White House showdown with Donald Trump. The Democrat’s camp welcomed the news that FBI Director James Comey had decided not to change his July recommendation that she not be prosecuted for putting US secrets at […]
Watch: US election fever reaches Russia
https://youtu.be/cbe8poau5IM Is Donald Trump Russia’s best friend? Many in the country seem to believe the flamboyant White House candidate could help fix shattered ties between the two former Cold War foes. (Video courtesy AFP TV)
Watch: Obama campaigns for Clinton in final election push
https://youtu.be/1S-g4LPeRpY President Barack Obama bolsters Hillary Clinton’s bid for the presidency in a final push, as the nominees head into a fierce final weekend of campaigning. (video courtesy AFPTV)
Clinton touts optimism against Trump’s grim warnings
Cleveland, United States (AFP) — by Ivan Couronne with Michael Mathes in Hershey, Pennsylvania Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump brandished starkly different visions of America as they headed into a fierce final weekend of campaigning Saturday, one celebrating hope as the other bashed corruption. Trump doubled down on his attacks on Clinton as a product of a venal and incompetent establishment, while Clinton headlined an optimistic concert spectacular featuring superstar singer Beyonce. Forecasts based on […]
Russia-announced ceasefire to start in Syria’s Aleppo
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — A Russia-declared unilateral ceasefire is to take hold in Syria’s Aleppo Friday even as rebels stepped up a week-old assault to break a government siege of the city’s eastern districts. Regime ally Russia, which announced the 10-hour “humanitarian pause” on Wednesday, said it would start at 0700 GMT. The pause is the second declared by Moscow in less than a month after a three-day ceasefire in late October failed to encourage […]
S. Korea president says scandal ‘my fault’, denies cult links
by Jung Ha-Won SEOUL, South Korea | AFP | — South Korean President Park Geun-Hye on Friday agreed to be questioned in a formal corruption probe, portraying herself as an over-trusting, “lonely” leader who dropped her guard with a close friend arrested for fraud. In a highly personal televised address to the nation, Park said the scandal involving her long-time confidante Choi Soon-Sil was “all my fault”, but denied reports linking her and Choi […]
US missile system in S. Korea in 8-10 months: General
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — The United States will deploy an advanced missile defense system in South Korea in eight to 10 months despite strong objections from China and Russia, a US military chief said Friday. Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in the South after North Korea conducted a series of missile launches in the wake of its fourth nuclear test in January. The decision was […]
Syria rebels renew Aleppo attack before Russia ceasefire
by Omar Haj Kadour ALEPPO, Syria (AFP) — Syrian rebels renewed their bid to break a government siege of eastern Aleppo on Thursday, shelling regime-held parts of the city hours before a brief Russian-declared ceasefire was due to begin. State media said at least 12 people had been killed in rebel rocket and gunfire on regime-controlled neighbourhoods, after an assault that began with a double car bomb attack. Rebels have been battling for nearly a […]
Clinton, Trump deploy big guns as race focuses on must-win states
by Jewel Samad, with Michael Mathes in Washington RALEIGH, United States (AFP) — Hillary Clinton unleashed top surrogates including campaigner-in-chief President Barack Obama to bolster her case Thursday in the election’s homestretch, as rival Donald Trump deployed wife Melania to soften his image in crucial battleground states. As a slew of polls showed the race tightening with just five days to go, the campaigns brought all hands on deck in a handful of states that […]
Melania Trump makes solo pitch for ‘fantastic’ husband
by Thomas URBAIN BERWYN, United States (AFP) — Melania Trump, the Slovenian-born former model who could become America’s first foreign-born first lady in two centuries, appealed to her husband’s soft side in the battleground state of Pennsylvania Thursday. Dressed in a filmy pink blouse and white skirt, it was the 46-year-old’s first solo campaign appearance — the third wife of Donald Trump she is a full-time mother to the mogul’s youngest child, Barron. “He will […]