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DBliss Media at December 02, 2018 0
US President Donald Trump says he wants to hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in early 2019 (AFP/File / SAUL LOEB)

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he hoped to organize a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in early 2019, perhaps as soon as January or February.

Trump told reporters traveling home to Washington with him aboard Air Force One from Argentina that "three sites" were in consideration for the meeting, a follow-up to their historic summit in Singapore in June.

"I think we're going to do one fairly (soon) -- you know, into January, February, I think," said Trump, who had been in Buenos Aires for the Group of 20 summit.

"We're getting along very well. We have a good relationship."

In the Argentine capital, Trump held separate bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday that primarily focused on trade, but the US leader said Xi he had agreed to work with him "100 percent" on North Korea.

When asked Saturday if he would ever host the North Korean leader in the United States, Trump replied: "At some point, yeah."

In June, Trump and Kim opened up a face-to-face dialogue after months of trading military threats and pointed barbs.

The two leaders signed a vaguely worded document on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but progress has since stalled as Washington and Pyongyang spar over the meaning of the document.

North Korea has taken few concrete steps to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was due to meet with a top North Korean official in early November, but the meeting was abruptly put off, with Pyongyang insisting that Washington ease sanctions.

On Friday, Trump discussed the situation with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Read More...
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DBliss Media at December 02, 2018 0
The 'yellow vest' protests started over high fuel taxes (AFP / Alain JOCARD)

French President Emmanuel Macron led a crisis meeting on Sunday after anti-government protests in Paris that left 263 people injured and widespread destruction around the capital.

Macron met with the prime minister, interior minister and top security service officials at the presidential palace in Paris after flying in from the G20 summit in Argentina.

He earlier visited the Arc de Triomphe, a monument to France's war dead, and other scenes of violence where he paid tribute to the police but was also booed by sections of the crowd.

Paris police said 412 people were arrested on Saturday during the worst clashes for years in the capital and 378 were still in custody.

A total of 133 had been injured, including 23 members of the security forces who battled rioters for most of the day in some of the most famous parts of the capital.

"I will never accept violence," Macron told a news conference in Buenos Aires before flying home.

"No cause justifies that authorities are attacked, that businesses are plundered, that passers-by or journalists are threatened or that the Arc du Triomphe is defiled," he said.

As protests took place across the country, a motorist died overnight after crashing a van into traffic which had built up due to a "yellow vest" demonstration in Arles, southern France, a local prosecutor said Sunday.

The so-called "yellow vest" anti-government protests that have swept France over the last fortnight were sparked initially by a rise in taxes on diesel.

In a separate incident, a motorway pay booth was set on fire by arsonists in southern France near the city of Narbonne, a judicial source told AFP Sunday. Five people were taken into custody, a prosecutor said.

The main north-south motorway in eastern France, the A6, was also blocked by protesters near the city of Lyon on Sunday morning, its operator said.

The capital was calm, however, but as groups of workers moved around cleaning up the mess from the previous day, the scale of the destruction became clear.

Around famous areas including the Champs-Elysees, the Louvre museum, the Opera and Place Vendome, smashed shop windows, broken glass and the occasional burned-out car were testament to the violence.

Dozens of cars were torched by the gangs of rioters, some of whom wore gas masks and ski goggles to lessen the effects of tear gas which was fired continually by police.

One person was in a critical condition after protesters pulled down one of the huge iron gates of the Tuileries garden facing the Louvre museum, crushing several people.

Nearly 190 fires were put out and six buildings were set alight, the interior ministry said.

At the Arc de Triomphe graffiti had been daubed, with one slogan saying: "The yellow vests will win."

- What response? -

Over the last few weeks, the "yellow vest" movement has morphed into a broad opposition front to Macron, a 40-year-old pro-business centrist elected in May 2017. Read More...
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DBliss Media at December 01, 2018 0
The violence escalated after crowds began gathering at the Arc de Triomphe, where they found the Champs Elysees on lockdown by police manning barricades and water cannons (AFP / Alain JOCARD)


Groups of masked protesters battled police through clouds of tear gas near Paris' Champs Elysees Saturday as thousands took part in a third weekend of "yellow vest" demonstrations, which have morphed from anger over fuel taxes into a broader anti-government movement.

The violence broke out early after crowds began gathering at the Arc de Triomphe, where they found the Champs Elysees on lockdown by police manning barricades and water cannons.

While several dozen protesters were allowed to pass after an ID check and search, many others, often wearing gas masks or ski goggles, remained behind and fought with police, who responded with rounds of tear gas.

Demonstrators, some wielding slingshots, threw rocks, construction barricades and even paint at police in protective gear and helmets, with some officers seen spattered with yellow liquid.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, visiting the Paris police's command centre, said at least 107 people were arrested in Paris among the estimated 5,500 protesters. Some 8,000 were counted in the city last Saturday.

Ten people were injured, including three of the 5,000 police officers mobilised in Paris, junior interior minister Laurent Nunez told BFM television.

An acrid odour of tear gas and smoke from burning cars and trash containers filled the air in the areas near the clashes.

Stores and restaurants along the famous avenue as well as surrounding streets had boarded up windows, anticipating a repeat of the clashes last Saturday which President Emmanuel Macron compared to "war scenes".

Chantal, a 61-year-old pensioner who came from an eastern Paris suburb, said she was avoiding the "hooligans" but was determined to send President Emmanuel Macron a message on the rising costs of living.

"He has to come down off his pedestal," she said under cold rain on the Champs Elysees. "Every month I have to dip into my savings."  Read More...
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DBliss Media at December 01, 2018 0
Former US president George Bush -- seen here in 1992 -- served one term as head of state before being defeated by Democrat Bill Clinton (AFP/File / J. David AKE)


Former US president George H.W. Bush, who guided America through the end of the Cold War and launched the international campaign to drive Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait, died Friday at his home in Houston. He was 94.

Tributes quickly poured in for the 41st US president -- a decorated World War II pilot, skilled diplomat and onetime CIA chief who also saw his son George follow in his footsteps to the Oval Office.

Bush's passing comes just months after the death in April of his wife Barbara -- his "most beloved woman in the world" -- to whom he was married for 73 years.

"Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died," former president George W. Bush said in a statement.

"George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for," he said.

Bush is survived by his five living children -- a sixth child, daughter Robin, died of leukemia before her fourth birthday -- and 17 grandchildren.

He died "at home in Houston surrounded by family and close friends," family spokesman Jim McGrath told AFP.

Bush suffered from Parkinson's disease and had used a wheelchair for several years. He had been in and out of hospital in recent months, including right after Barbara's death.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, McGrath said.

The former president, a Republican, is expected to lie in state in the US Capitol and then be buried at his presidential library in Texas, where students held a candlelight vigil early Saturday, local media reported.

President Donald Trump, who was in Argentina attending a G20 summit of world leaders, hailed Bush's "sound judgment, common sense, and unflappable leadership."

"Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family, and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service," Trump said in a statement.

At the White House, the American flag flew at half-staff early Saturday. Read More...
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DBliss Media at December 01, 2018 0
Nigeria's Zamfara state has been plagued by violent crime throughout 2018, with Amnesty International warning in July that people living in the impoverished state were "at the mercy" of armed bandits who take hostages and raid villages (AFP/File / Laurence CHU)


Nigerian police claimed on Friday that over 100 "bandits" had been killed in a crackdown targeting crime in the northwest state of Zamfara, following a surge in kidnappings for ransom and cattle rustling.

Zamfara has been plagued by violent crime over the past year, with Amnesty International warning in July that people living in the impoverished state were "at the mercy" of armed bandits who take hostages and raid villages.

A joint operation team on Thursday "repelled ambush attacks from armed bandits" at Mahanga Forest in Zamfara State and "in the process killed one hundred and four bandits," national police spokesman Jimoh Moshood said in a statement.

Confirming the death toll Moshood told AFP: "Yes, 104 bandits (were killed). Not people, armed bandits that had been terrorising and killing innocent people."

Over 1,000 policemen had been deployed to Zamfara at the beginning of the month, the statement said, adding that since then 85 people have been arrested in connection with kidnappings and cattle rustling.

Amnesty International Nigeria spokesman Isa Sanusi said it was difficult to assess the success of security operations in the remote region.

"In many cases, the pronouncements of security agencies are quite contrary to the situation on ground in Zamfara state," Sanusi said.

"Bringing the killers to justice is more important in taming the tide of impunity that allowed the security situation in Zamfara state to continue deteriorating."

The kidnappings are just one security concern putting pressure on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari who is seeking a second, four-year term in closely contested February polls.

Facing criticism for an increase in Boko Haram jihadist attacks, among other security threats, Buhari is working to show that his government is able to tackle rising violence in Nigeria, Africa's largest oil producer.

The problem has sparked the concern of neighbouring Niger.

In August, Niamey announced it was sending security reinforcements to the Maradi area on the south-central part of the border, which abuts Zamfara.

Nigeria's interior minister said in October that at least 30 bandits were killed in their troubled frontier.

In the last two years, kidnapping for ransom has reached unprecedented levels in the region, where entire villages have been deserted for fear of raids and kidnapping by criminal gangs.

Those abducted are often released within days if the ransom is paid but residents say they can be killed if no money is forthcoming, and their bodies dumped in the bush.

By AFP
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DBliss Media at December 01, 2018 0
Participants of the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, pose for the family photo on November 30, 2018 (AFP / Alexander NEMENOV)


G20 leaders on Friday opened annual talks rent by the deepest divisions since their first summit 10 years ago, as US President Donald Trump came under fire and Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler came in from the cold.

Trump was attacked for destroying the group's past unity on trade and climate change. But he won a breakthrough with the signing of a new trade pact for North America and, having ignited a trade war with China, touted "good signs" ahead of a dinner with President Xi Jinping.

The summit began in the Argentinian capital with a traditional "family photo" by the leaders of a group whose relationships range from warm and friendly to chilly and distrustful.

Outside, as Argentina goes through a painful economic crisis, protesters gathered to denounce the government for spending freely on the summit while the public endures rocketing inflation and unemployment.

They paraded with signs attacking Trump and the International Monetary Fund, whose largesse is keeping Argentina afloat at the cost of hard-hitting austerity measures.


Russian President Vladimir Putin, under pressure himself after his security forces seized three Ukrainian ships, set the tone for a combative two days by condemning the "vicious" use of sanctions and trade protectionism.

The target was clear, as Trump -- who canceled a planned meeting with Putin in Buenos Aires -- tears up the stability promoted by the G20 powers when they first convened in November 2008 in the grip of financial crisis.

Putin's attack, and similar criticism of Trump's isolationist stance by French President Emmanuel Macron, capped an incident-packed buildup to the G20 that included flare-ups over Ukraine and Saudi Arabia.

- Long-lost friend -

Putin grinned broadly and welcomed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman like a long-lost friend with an enthusiastic hand-shake after the group photo, where Trump looked on somberly and Xi stood impassively.  Read More...
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DBliss Media at November 30, 2018 0
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greet each other with an effusive handshake at the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, on November 30, 2018 (G20 ARGENTINA/AFP / HO)


Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman showed himself to be no pariah Friday at the G20 summit, with a beaming Vladimir Putin welcoming him but European leaders warning him over the killing of a dissident journalist.

Less than two months after Saudi Arabia outraged allies when a hit team murdered Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, Prince Mohammed flew into Buenos Aires to take his place among leaders of the top 20 global economies, a sign that he intends to remain firmly in charge.

In an image that quickly went viral online, Russian President Putin and the 33-year-old prince grinned broadly and gave each other an effusive handshake as if they were long-lost friends reunited at the G20.

Their embrace comes amid reports that Russia and Saudi Arabia have reached a pact to cut oil production when the OPEC cartel meets on December 6 in Vienna, to help shore up collapsing crude prices.

But the prince appeared to receive a more critical reception from French President Emmanuel Macron, who was overheard on a microphone voicing concerns.

"Don't worry," Prince Mohammed is heard saying in English to the French leader, who responds, "I do worry. I am worried."

The clip was partially inaudible and the context of the exchange was not entirely clear.
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