News in Brief
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday it was time to work "constructively" with Russia, saying Vladimir Putin had "vehemently denied" meddling in the 2016 election.
"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election," Trump said after returning from Europe where he met Putin for the first time. "He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion....." Writing on Twitter, Trump said he and Putin had talked about the idea of setting up what he called "an impenetrable cyber security unit" to prevent hacking in future elections. He also said the two men had discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria which began on Sunday, saying "it will save lives". "Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"
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KIEV (Reuters) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Sunday the visit by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Kiev was a powerful show of Washington's support, as Tillerson urged Russia to ease the separatist conflict in the country's east.
Tillerson welcomed the appointment of Kurt Volker as a Special Representative to the Minsk peace process, saying Volker's experience as a career diplomat would help bring about the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. Poroshenko added that Volker, who accompanied Tillerson to Kiev, will stay in the Ukrainian capital for several days to speed up coordination between the U.S. and Ukraine.
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WARSAW (AFP) -- Authorities in Bialystok, Poland, evacuated about 10,000 people from their homes Sunday morning after a 500-kilogram World War II-era bomb was found during construction work.
Residents on about 60 streets in the northeastern city near the Belarus border, along with those living on 45 streets in two suburbs, had to leave after military experts determined there was a risk the bomb could explode while being extracted from the site by a crane. Evacuations were also carried out along the route soldiers were to take to bring the bomb to a military base where it would be destroyed.
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JUBA (AFP) -- South Sudan marked its sixth independence anniversary Sunday in muted fashion, with no official celebration, as the world's newest nation reels from a brutal and destructive ongoing civil war.
A third of the population has been forced from their homes creating one of the world's worst refugee crises, tens of thousands have been killed and a famine and food shortages have threatened the lives of millions more. "Today I have nothing to celebrate," said 34-year-old father of three Ariik Majok, who works as a night watchman in the capital. On July 9, 2011, dignitaries from around the world joined crowds of South Sudanese to celebrate the country's independence from Sudan, to the north, after decades of civil war. But two years later, in December 2013, a new conflict was sparked when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup.
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CARACAS (Dispatches) -- Venezuela's opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has vowed to continue with his subversive activities after being released from jail and placed under house arrest.
The surprise move came amid intensifying pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro, with a rising toll of death and destruction from three months of non-stop street riots. Lopez, leader of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party, emerged hours after his release from prison looking fit and happy. He pumped his fist in the air, unfurled the Venezuelan flag and told a crowd of supporters who had gathered outside: "Yes, we can!"
"I strongly pressed President Putin twice about Russian meddling in our election," Trump said after returning from Europe where he met Putin for the first time. "He vehemently denied it. I've already given my opinion....." Writing on Twitter, Trump said he and Putin had talked about the idea of setting up what he called "an impenetrable cyber security unit" to prevent hacking in future elections. He also said the two men had discussed the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria which began on Sunday, saying "it will save lives". "Now it is time to move forward in working constructively with Russia!"
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KIEV (Reuters) -- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Sunday the visit by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Kiev was a powerful show of Washington's support, as Tillerson urged Russia to ease the separatist conflict in the country's east.
Tillerson welcomed the appointment of Kurt Volker as a Special Representative to the Minsk peace process, saying Volker's experience as a career diplomat would help bring about the full implementation of the Minsk agreements. Poroshenko added that Volker, who accompanied Tillerson to Kiev, will stay in the Ukrainian capital for several days to speed up coordination between the U.S. and Ukraine.
****
WARSAW (AFP) -- Authorities in Bialystok, Poland, evacuated about 10,000 people from their homes Sunday morning after a 500-kilogram World War II-era bomb was found during construction work.
Residents on about 60 streets in the northeastern city near the Belarus border, along with those living on 45 streets in two suburbs, had to leave after military experts determined there was a risk the bomb could explode while being extracted from the site by a crane. Evacuations were also carried out along the route soldiers were to take to bring the bomb to a military base where it would be destroyed.
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JUBA (AFP) -- South Sudan marked its sixth independence anniversary Sunday in muted fashion, with no official celebration, as the world's newest nation reels from a brutal and destructive ongoing civil war.
A third of the population has been forced from their homes creating one of the world's worst refugee crises, tens of thousands have been killed and a famine and food shortages have threatened the lives of millions more. "Today I have nothing to celebrate," said 34-year-old father of three Ariik Majok, who works as a night watchman in the capital. On July 9, 2011, dignitaries from around the world joined crowds of South Sudanese to celebrate the country's independence from Sudan, to the north, after decades of civil war. But two years later, in December 2013, a new conflict was sparked when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of plotting a coup.
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CARACAS (Dispatches) -- Venezuela's opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez has vowed to continue with his subversive activities after being released from jail and placed under house arrest.
The surprise move came amid intensifying pressure on the government of Nicolas Maduro, with a rising toll of death and destruction from three months of non-stop street riots. Lopez, leader of the Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) party, emerged hours after his release from prison looking fit and happy. He pumped his fist in the air, unfurled the Venezuelan flag and told a crowd of supporters who had gathered outside: "Yes, we can!"