Politics

  Washington / AFP US President-elect Donald Trump said on Saturday he intends to dissolve his controversial philanthropic foundation to avoid conflicts of interest, but the move was quickly complicated by an ongoing legal probe. Trump’s sprawling portfolio of US and overseas business interests and holdings—as well as his Donald J Trump Foundation—have come under increased scrutiny in the weeks since ...

  Berlin / AFP An unwelcome Christmas surprise in southern Germany forced the evacuation of 54,000 people from their homes on Sunday after the discovery of a bomb dating from World War II, local authorities said. It was a British bomb that was found in the city of Augsburg and led to the biggest mobilisation in Germany—around 900 police officers—since ...

  Berlin / AFP Germany was hunting for possible accomplices of the suspected Berlin truck attacker on Saturday, a day after he was killed in a shoot-out with Italian police in Milan. As most of the country readied to celebrate Christmas Eve, Germany’s under-pressure authorities said hundreds of investigators would be working on the probe throughout the holiday season. Tunisian ...

  Berlin / AFP Berlin’s Christmas market truck rampage was the deadly extremist attack Germany had long feared, as security services have warned of the growth of a shadowy extremist scene. Rarely a week has gone by in past years without the arrest of a radical preacher, an extremist backing the IS or other extremist groups with money, arms or ...

  Seoul / AFP Tens of thousands of people, many in Santa Claus outfits, marched through the streets of Seoul on Saturday calling for the immediate ouster of impeached President Park Geun-Hye. Parliament voted to impeach Park earlier this month over a corruption scandal in which she allegedly colluded with her friend, Choi Soon-Sil, to strong-arm donations from large conglomerates ...

  Kinshasa / AFP Hopes of a deal to end DR Congo’s dangerous political crisis before Christmas were faltering on Saturday after fruitless all-night talks over President Joseph Kabila’s refusal to quit power. Kabila’s second and final five-year term ended on December 20, but he has shown no intention of leaving office soon, sparking violent protests that have left at ...

  United Nations / AFP The UN Security Council demanded that Israel halt settlements in Palestinian territory, after the United States refrained from vetoing a resolution condemning its closest Middle East ally. In a rare and momentous step, the United States instead abstained, enabling the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy. ...

  Jerusalem / AFP Israel scrambled on Saturday to contain the fallout from the UN Security Council vote to halt settlements in Palestinian territory after lashing out at US President Barack Obama over the “shameful” resolution. By deciding not to veto the move, the US took a rare step that deeply angered Israel, which accused Obama of abandoning its closest ...

  Aleppo / AFP Syrian troops strengthened their hold over Aleppo after retaking full control of the city, as residents anxious to return to their homes moved through its ruined streets. The army announced on Thursday it had recaptured the former rebel stronghold of east Aleppo following a landmark evacuation deal that saw thousands of opposition fighters and residents bussed ...

  Brussels / AFP A high-level commission that oversees Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers will meet in Vienna on January 10 to address a complaint by Teheran about the renewing of sanctions by the United States. The meeting was called on Saturday by the European Union’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, who coordinates follow-up of the nuclear deal for ...