Politics

• Friday, August 17th 2018 - 08:16 UTC

  “The press is not the enemy of the people”, says unanimous resolution by the Republican-led US Senate

  

  The Republican-led Senate passed a resolution affirming its commitment to protecting freedom of speech and condemned recent attacks on journalists and members of the media. In a resolution brought forth by Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, lawmakers affirmed “that the press is not the enemy of the people,” which passed by unanimous consent.

• Friday, August 17th 2018 - 07:45 UTC

  US newspapers coordinately challenge Donald Trump's attacks on the media

  

  More than 300 U.S. newspapers run editorials on Thursday that promote press freedom to counter Donald Trump's attacks on the media, in a move coordinated by The Boston Globe. President Trump has often attacked some media reports as “fake news” and called journalists the “enemy of the people,” and “very dangerous and sick,” in a tweet earlier this month.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 21:52 UTC

  Pennsylvania releases list of 300 plus clergymen accused of sex abuse: thousands of victims in 70 years

  

  The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has released a grand jury report detailing sex abuse in the Catholic Church, naming over 300 accused clergymen. The landmark grand jury investigation found more than 1,000 children had been abused by members of six dioceses in the state for the last 70 years.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 15:58 UTC

  US/Mexico joint team in Chicago to target leaders and finances of drug dealers

  

  United States and Mexican law enforcement authorities will set up a joint team based in Chicago targeting the leaders and finances of drug cartels that ship opioids into the United States, aiming to stanch a spike in overdose deaths, officials said on Wednesday.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 14:48 UTC

  US condemns Turkey's doubling of tariffs on US imports: “a step in the wrong direction”

  

  The White House on Wednesday condemned Turkey’s doubling of tariffs on U.S. cars, alcohol and tobacco imports, calling the action “a step in the wrong direction.” Turkey took the action in response to what it called the Trump's administration's attack on its economy. The United States doubled tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum last week, which contributed to a tumble in the Turkish lira.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 10:56 UTC

  A defiant Workers Party registers Lula da Silva as presidential candidate

  

  The Workers' Party registered jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as its candidate for president on Wednesday, attempting to muscle him into the race to lead Latin America's largest nation and forcing a showdown with Brazilian electoral authorities.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 10:40 UTC

  UK inflation in July climbed to 2.5%: a blip or a trend?

  

  UK inflation climbed in July as had been expected, according to the latest data from the Office of National Statistics, ONS, released on Wednesday. ONS reported that the rate of consumer price inflation, the most-watched measure, increased from 2.4% in June to 2.5% in July, reversing a trend of gradually declining inflation over the course of 2018.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 10:09 UTC

  Opposition leader claims “fractures” within the Venezuela Armed Forces

  

  An exiled opposition leader accused by Venezuelan authorities of directing a failed plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro says the greatest threat to the embattled socialist leader may be his detractors in uniform standing quietly behind him.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 09:36 UTC

  US Defense secretary pledges closer ties with Argentina; condemns China's “predatory economics”

  

  United States Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday pledged closer defense cooperation with Argentina. Standing beside his Argentine counterpart, Oscar Aguad, Mattis said the military partnership can be strengthened and alluded to the help the U.S. Navy provided Argentina last November when one of its submarines went missing with 44 sailors aboard.

• Thursday, August 16th 2018 - 09:13 UTC

  Qatar to the rescue of Turkey with US$ 15bn in direct investments

  

  Qatar has come to the rescue of Turkey and its ruler Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani issued directives to support the Turkish economy with a host of economic projects, investments and deposits worth a total of US$ 15 billion. This follows a meeting of the Amir with the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday in Ankara.