Donald H. Harrison

New Zealand: Outgoing PM John Key denies wife gave him ultimatum to resign

Quitting while he is ahead, popular Prime Minister John Key stunned New Zealand on Monday by unexpectedly announced he is stepping down. While Key cited family reasons for his resignation, effective from next Monday, he has denied media reports that his wife had given him an ultimatum after more than eight years in power. “Throughout […]

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International

Gambian president’s defeat sparks hope of political prisoners’ release

After longtime Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s stunning election defeat last week, there is now hope that many of the political opponents he has had jailed in the capital Banjul’s infamous Mile 2 prison may soon be released. Jammeh conceded to opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow last Thursday, bringing an end to his 22 years in

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International

Amnesty says Fiji’s security forces use torture with “near impunity”

Sydney (dpa) – The police and military of the tiny Pacific island nation of Fiji consistently use torture against its people, Amnesty International charged in a new report released on Monday. “Under the military’s dominance … Fiji has seen an ingrained culture of torture take root among its security forces,” said the report, which was

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International

He certainly didn’t vote for Donald Trump, but Jimmy Carter says that he’ll be there for Inauguration Day

He’s one of the country’s best-known Democrats, but that won’t stop Jimmy Carter from watching a Republican be sworn in as the next president of the United States. Carter, 92, said Sunday he’ll attend president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington D.C. on January 20. The former president and Georgia governor made the announcement at the

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USA

Italian PM to quit after voters reject his constitutional reforms

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi is to resign following a heavy defeat in Sunday’s constitutional reform referendum. Although ostensibly on plans to streamline parliament the poll was largely seen as a confidence vote in the leader. Renzi announced his intention to quit in an address to the nation. “My government’s experience ends here. I believe

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International

Everybody Loves ‘Mad Dog’: Mattis Pick Reassures Allies

Then-Lt. Gen. James Mattis in Iraq. SIMI VALLEY, CALIF.: You might not think a man nicknamed “Mad Dog” would put America’s allies at ease. But that’s the buzz here at the Reagan Library’s annual defense conference, where Donald Trump‘s choice of Gen. James Mattis to run the Pentagon met with enthusiastic praise from the right,

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International, USA

Trump slams China on Twitter

US President-Elect Donald Trump has blasted Beijing’s monetary policy and its activities in the South China Sea in a Twitter outburst that will do nothing to mend fences after his controversial phone call with the leader of Taiwan. On TV over the weekend, Vice President-Elect Mike Pence played down the significance of Trump’s conversation with

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International, USA

Russia MPs Hail Austria and Italy Votes as ‘Blow to EU’

Russian parliamentarians have hailed the referendum defeat for Italy’s government and the narrow defeat of the far-right in Austria as a triumph for “patriotic political forces” that spell the downfall of the EU. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi risked his job on Sunday’s vote to weaken regional representatives and strengthen central government, allowing Italy to

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International

Obama administration fails to check immigrants against FBI databases, approves citizenship

Some 175 immigrants were approved for citizenship even though their names weren’t properly run through the FBI’s name-check databases, potentially missing red flags that may have disqualified them from naturalization, the Obama administration admitted this weekend. Homeland Security officials blamed computer code for the problem, which affected about 15,000 applications in total. The problem was

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International, USA

Mexicans Are Migrating, Just Not Necessarily to the U.S

This article originally appeared on The Conversation. Mexican migration to the U.S. is in decline. The Pew Hispanic Research Center has found that since 2009, more than one million native-born Mexicans living in the U.S. returned to Mexico. But many other Mexicans never crossed the U.S.-Mexican border in the first place. Why are some Mexican

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International, USA

Senators Want To Protect DREAMers

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who was a member of the so-called Gang of Eight senators who forged a bipartisan immigration reform measure, says he will not be part of a new bipartisan group attempting to protect DREAMers should President-elect Donald Trump rescind President Barack Obama’s executive orders on immigration. Obama established the deferred Action for

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International, USA

Dakota Access pipeline: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denies easement

The Obama administration bowed Sunday to protesters by pulling its previously issued permit for the Dakota Access pipeline, leaving the company unable to complete the project for now and pushing the headache to the Trump administration. The decision announced by the Standing Rock Sioux tribe calls for E nergy Transfer Partners to reroute the 1,172-mile,

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USA