Washington / AFP US President Barack Obama congratulated Hillary Clinton for clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, and planned to meet with her party rival Bernie Sanders later this week, the White House said. Obama called Clinton and Sanders and “congratulated both candidates for running inspiring campaigns that have energized Democrats, brought a new generation of Americans into the political …

  Caracas / AFP Venezuela’s opposition cleared its first hurdle in its uphill race to call a referendum on removing President Nicolas Maduro, whom it blames for driving the country to the brink of collapse. But the leftist leader flexed his muscle when riot police fired tear gas to block opposition protesters from marching on the electoral authority’s headquarters, underlining …

  Chittagong / AFP China accused the Philippines on Wednesday of ignoring requests for dialogue about their maritime dispute, as tensions rise before an international tribunal’s ruling on the territorial row. The Philippines has “unilaterally closed the door of settling the South China Sea issue with China through negotiation”, China’s foreign ministry said in a lengthy statement published by the …