Tensions over trade deals exposed at Mercosur summit
December 7, 2022 GMTMONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) — A summit of the four Mercosur nations exposed tensions Tuesday as Uruguay's eagerness to seek out foreign markets collided with opposition from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.
Albanian opposition leader attacked during anti-govt protest
December 6, 2022 GMTTIRANA, Albania (AP) — The leader of the Albanian opposition center-right Democratic Party was attacked Tuesday during an anti-government protest held near a summit of European Union leaders and their counterparts from the Western Balkans in the Albanian capital.
Host Albania has high hopes for EU-Western Balkans summit
December 5, 2022 GMTTIRANA, Albania (AP) — Albania's prime minister said Monday that a European Union summit in his country's capital this week demonstrates the EU's heightened geostrategic interests in the Western Balkans region during Russia's war in Ukraine.
Congo military accuses M23 rebels of killing 50 civilians
December 1, 2022 GMTBENI, Congo (AP) — Congo's military on Thursday accused the M23 rebels of breaching a cease-fire, saying that they killed at least 50 people in a massacre earlier this week and warning that the army would defend civilians from attacks.
US, allies announce plans for second democracy summit
November 29, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Tuesday announced plans for a second Summit for Democracy next year, this time to be co-hosted by the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, South Korea and Zambia.
E. Congo on edge to see if M23 rebel cease-fire takes effect
November 25, 2022 GMTGOMA, Congo (AP) — Civilians in mineral-rich eastern Congo edgily waited to see whether a cease-fire to end the latest round of fighting between government forces and a shadowy rebel group would come into effect as planned Friday evening.
Mexico says it will host US, Canadian leaders in January
November 25, 2022 GMTMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday that he will host meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Mexico City early next year.
East Congo crisis summit issues call for Friday cease-fire
November 23, 2022 GMTLUANDA, Angola (AP) — Leaders called for a cease-fire to take effect later this week in eastern Congo following a summit in Angola on Wednesday that included Congo's president and Rwanda's foreign minister but not the M23 rebels whose rapid advance has sharply escalated tensions between the two countries.
Canada sanctions ex-Haiti president and prime ministers
November 20, 2022 GMTDJERBA, Tunisia (AP) — Canada has expanded its economic sanctions freezing the Canadian assets of Haitian political elites to include former president Michel Martelly and former prime ministers Laurent Lamothe and Jean-Henry Céant.
VP Harris to visit front-line Philippine island in sea feud
November 20, 2022 GMTMANILA, Philippines (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will underscore America’s commitment to defending treaty ally the Philippines with a visit that started Sunday and involves flying to an island province facing the disputed South China Sea, where Washington has accused China of bullying smaller claimant nations.
Leaders of French-speaking countries hold summit in Tunisia
November 19, 2022 GMTTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Leaders of French-speaking countries gathered Saturday on a Tunisian island to discuss debt relief, migration, food and energy shortages amid a soaring cost-of-living crisis across Africa, Europe and the Middle East due to Russia's war on Ukraine.
VP Harris meets with China’s Xi in bid to ‘keep lines open’
November 19, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke briefly with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Saturday in another step toward keeping lines of communication open between the two biggest economies.
Asia-Pacific leaders condemn war, renew calls for open trade
November 19, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Leaders from around the Asia-Pacific called for an end to Russia’s war on Ukraine and pledged to steer the region’s economies toward sustainable growth as they wrapped up summit meetings Saturday.
Vatican urges German Catholic Church to put brakes on reform
November 18, 2022 GMTROME (AP) — Top Vatican cardinals tried to put the brakes on the German Catholic Church’s controversial reform process Friday, fearing proposals concerning gays, women and sexual morals will split the church and insisting they would be better debated later.
The Latest | UN Climate Summit
November 18, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — U.S. climate envoy John Kerry is self-isolating after testing positive for COVID-19 at the U.N. climate talks in Egypt, a spokesperson said late Friday.
Kerry is experiencing “mild symptoms” and is fully vaccinated and boosted.
War, North Korea missile test loom over Asia-Pacific summit
November 18, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Threats to peace and stability burst onto the agenda at a summit of Pacific Rim leaders in Bangkok on Friday after North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed near Japanese territorial waters.
VP Harris assures Asian leaders US is ‘here to stay’
November 18, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris assured Asian leaders Friday that “the United States is here to stay” as she pitched Washington as a reliable economic partner committed to the region and its prosperity.
Asia-Pacific leaders seek unity on war, economic ills, virus
November 18, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Pacific Rim leaders were striving to find common ground on the war in Ukraine and other dire threats to humankind in an annual meeting that began Friday at a heavily guarded venue in Thailand's capital.
US VP Harris arrives in Thailand for Asia-Pacific summit
November 18, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris arrived Thursday in Thailand, where she plans to affirm America's commitment to Southeast Asia and drive home the message that the region can count on the United States.
EU shakes up climate talks with surprise disaster fund offer
November 17, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Climate talks appeared stalled late night Thursday on major issues going into the final day, but possibilities for a deal were buoyed by an unexpected proposal by the European Union on two of the thorniest issues, tying compensation for climate disasters to tougher emissions cuts.
After exchange, China calls Canada’s manner ‘condescending’
November 17, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — A Chinese spokesperson on Thursday accused Canada of acting in a “condescending manner" following a testy exchange between President Xi Jinping and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that underscores the depths to which the bilateral relationship has fallen.
Taiwan’s APEC envoy at the center of processor chip tension
November 17, 2022 GMTTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan’s envoy to a gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders is the 91-year-old billionaire founder of a computer chip manufacturing giant that operated behind the scenes for decades before being thrust into the center of U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and security.
Foreign trip becomes victory lap for strengthened Biden
November 16, 2022 GMTNUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — For President Joe Biden, an international trip scheduled for just days after the midterm election looked like it would offer an escape hatch, allowing him to jet far away as he faced what many thought would be a crushing verdict from voters.
At climate summit, Brazil’s Lula promises new day for Amazon
November 16, 2022 GMTSHARM el-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Six weeks before taking power, Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday told cheering crowds at the U.N. climate conference that he would crack down on illegal deforestation in the Amazon, revive relationships with countries that finance forest protection efforts and push to host an upcoming world climate summit in the rainforest.
Chinese president confronts Trudeau at the G-20
November 16, 2022 GMTTORONTO (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping chastised Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G-20 summit on Wednesday for leaking details of a prior meeting during which Trudeau expressed concern about Chinese interference in domestic affairs.
Fight over aid for climate losses divides UN talks
November 16, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — With an end-of-the-week deadline rushing at them faster than agreements are coming out of them, negotiators at the U.N. climate summit were in a difficult spot Wednesday.
Asian shares fall on jitters over missile landing in Poland
November 16, 2022 GMTTOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mostly lower Wednesday, as investors got jittery over global risks after Poland said a Russian-made missile killed two people there.
Benchmarks fell in morning trading in Tokyo, Sydney, Seoul and Hong Kong, while shares were little changed in Shanghai.
S Korean leader urges China’s Xi to play larger N Korea role
November 16, 2022 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol asked China to play a more active, constructive role in curbing the nuclear threat from North Korea when he met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday at the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia, officials said.
At G-20, FIFA head calls for World Cup ceasefire in Ukraine
November 15, 2022 GMTGENEVA (AP) — FIFA President Gianni Infantino urged world leaders on Tuesday to call for a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine during the World Cup that starts this week.
Australian PM raises trade ‘blockages’ with China’s Xi
November 15, 2022 GMTNUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he raised with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday his concerns about trade “blockages,” but did not walk away from their first face-to-face talks with any promises that the $13 billion barriers to Australian exports would be lifted.
Indonesia signs deals to accelerate clean energy transition
November 15, 2022 GMTNUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia signed deals with international lenders and major nations on Tuesday that will bring billions of dollars in funding to help the country increase its use of renewable energy and reduce its reliance on coal.
Cambodian leader leaves G-20 early after COVID-19 diagnosis
November 15, 2022 GMTNUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday he has COVID-19 and is leaving the Group of 20 meetings in Bali, just days after hosting President Joe Biden and other world leaders for a summit in his country's capital.
EXPLAINER: Russia’s war, climate among vexing issues at G-20
November 15, 2022 GMTNUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — President Joe Biden and other leaders of the Group of 20 top economies will have the chance to discuss the world’s most pressing problems at their summit in Bali, Indonesia.
Musk touches on Twitter criticism, workload at G-20 forum
November 14, 2022 GMTNUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — It’s not easy being Elon Musk.
That was the message the new Twitter owner and billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX had for younger people who might seek to emulate his entrepreneurial success.
Ukraine, China-US frictions dominate at G-20 summit in Bali
November 14, 2022 GMTNUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Discord over Russia’s war on Ukraine and festering tensions between the U.S.
Germany’s Scholz: Asia-Pacific ‘far more than just China’
November 14, 2022 GMTBERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said during a visit to Singapore on Monday that his country wants to strengthen its economic ties with the Asia-Pacific region, emphasizing that it is “far more than just China."
Australian PM takes ‘goodwill’ into meeting with China’s Xi
November 14, 2022 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Monday he will soon meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first face-to-face talks between the nations’ leaders in five years.
G-20 summit casts spotlight on Bali’s tourism revival
November 14, 2022 GMTNUSA DUA, Indonesia (AP) — Bali wants the world to know it's back.
Dozens of world leaders and other dignitaries are traveling to the Indonesian island for the G-20 summit, drawing a welcome spotlight on the revival of the tropical destination’s vital tourism sector.
US, Japan, SKorea vow unified response to North Korea threat
November 13, 2022 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — President Joe Biden and the leaders of Japan and South Korea on Sunday vowed a unified, coordinated response to North Korea's threatening nuclear and ballistic missile programs, with Biden declaring that the three-way partnership is “even more important than it's ever been” when North Korea is stepping up its provocations.
Ukraine FM: Moscow playing ‘hunger games’ with world
November 12, 2022 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba pressed Southeast Asian countries for political and material support in his county's fight against Russia, while accusing Moscow on Saturday of playing “hunger games” with the world by holding up shipments of Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products.
Biden pledges US will work with Southeast Asian nations
November 12, 2022 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — President Joe Biden promised Saturday that the United States would work with a strategically vital coalition of southeast Asian nations, telling leaders that “we're going to build a better future that we all want to see” in the region where U.S.
Computer chip ban signals new era as Biden and Xi meet
November 12, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration's move to block exports of advanced computer chips to China is signaling a new phase in relations between the globe's two largest economies — one in which trade matters less than an increasingly heated competition to be the world’s leading technological and military power.
The Latest | UN Climate Summit
November 11, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — The Latest on COP27, the United Nations climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Countries’ negotiators and activists praised Biden’s speech but also noticed what was not mentioned: the issue of loss and damage.
Australian PM wants to ask China’s Xi to lift trade barriers
November 11, 2022 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday he would ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to lift billions of dollars in trade barriers in the event that the two leaders hold their first bilateral meeting.
China confirms Xi to attend G-20, APEC meetings
November 11, 2022 GMTBEIJING (AP) — China on Friday confirmed President Xi Jinping will attend both the meeting of the Group of 20 industrialized countries and the gathering of Asian Pacific nations this month in his first major overseas trip since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
African nations push for funding to adapt to climate change
November 11, 2022 GMTSHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) — Battling droughts, sandstorms, floods, wildfires, coastal erosion, cyclones and other weather events exacerbated by climate change, the African continent needs to adapt, but it needs funds to do so, leaders and negotiators from the continent said at the U.N.
Watches, daggers and cricket ice cream: Asian summit treats
November 11, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — A custom wristwatch from Cambodian leader Hun Sen at the ASEAN summit in Phnom Penh, a foot-long dagger at the G-20 meetings in Bali, and cricket ice cream and Thai noodles with worm sauce at the APEC talks in Bangkok.
Rishi Sunak seeks thawed relations at UK-Ireland summit
November 10, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Rishi Sunak aimed to repair frayed relations with Britain’s European Union neighbors — and with highly skeptical leaders in Scotland and Wales — when he attended a summit of leaders from across the U.K.
Russia’s Putin won’t attend upcoming G-20 summit in Bali
November 10, 2022 GMTJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia next week, an Indonesian government official said Thursday, avoiding a possible confrontation with the United States and its allies over his war in Ukraine.
Ukraine boosts Southeast Asia ties with peace accord
November 10, 2022 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Ukraine signed a peace accord Thursday with Southeast Asian nations, a largely symbolic act that comes as Kyiv seeks to shore up international support in isolating Russia.
S Korea leader criticized for banning broadcaster from plane
November 10, 2022 GMTSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Journalist organizations say South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol attacked press freedoms when his office banned a TV broadcaster's crew from the media pool on his presidential plane this week for alleged bias in reporting.
Biden wants to discuss Taiwan, Russia, trade with China’s Xi
November 9, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Wednesday he plans at an anticipated meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over the self-ruled island of Taiwan, trade policies and Beijing's relationship with Russia.
Chinese premier announces new aid for close ally Cambodia
November 9, 2022 GMTPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Visiting Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced a large development assistance package for Cambodia on Wednesday, oversaw the signing of 18 agreements on aid and cooperation, and attended the inauguration of a highway constructed with Chinese support.
Myanmar tops Asian summit’s agenda as global issues loom
November 9, 2022 GMTBANGKOK (AP) — Southeast Asian leaders convene in the Cambodian capital Thursday, faced with the challenge of trying to curtail escalating violence in Myanmar while the country’s military-led government shows no signs of complying with the group’s peace plan.
NATO announces next leaders’ summit will be in Lithuania
November 9, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts will hold their next scheduled summit in Lithuania next July, the military alliance’s top civilian official said Wednesday, as Russia’s war on Ukraine fuels security tensions in Europe and the North Atlantic region.
Australian PM hopes for meeting with China’s Xi at summit
November 9, 2022 GMTCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping would be a “positive thing” if one can be arranged on the sidelines of one of the leaders’ summits to be held in Southeast Asia this month.
UN chief warns planet is heading toward `climate chaos’
November 4, 2022 GMTUNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Thursday that the planet is heading toward irreversible “climate chaos” and urged global leaders at the upcoming climate summit in Egypt to put the world back on track to cut emissions, keep promises on climate financing and help developing countries speed their transition to renewable energy.
New report: Two-thirds of South Sudan badly food insecure
November 3, 2022 GMTJUBA, South Sudan (AP) — A new report says nearly 8 million people in South Sudan, or about two-thirds of the population, will face acute food insecurity during the next lean season as climate shocks and conflict deepen the already vulnerable situation for many.