1. Mexico Contradicts Trump on Paying for Border Wall, Clouding Visit
Donald Trump told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto he would build a border wall to keep illegal migrants out if he wins the US presidency – but Pena Nieto held fast to his position that Mexico would not pay for it.
Contradicting Trump’s assertion that the pair did not discuss who would pay for his proposed wall, Pena Nieto said after the departure of the Republican presidential candidate that he told him during their private meeting in Mexico City that his government would not pick up the bill.
2. Brazil’s Rousseff Ousted by Senate, Temer Sworn In
Brazil’s Senate ousted President Dilma Rousseff, ending an impeachment process that polarised Latin America’s biggest country amid a massive corruption scandal and brutal economic crisis.
Rousseff’s opponents hailed her removal as paving the way for a change of fortunes for Brazil. Her conservative successor, Michel Temer, the former vice president who has run Brazil since her suspension in May, inherits a bitterly divided nation with voters in no mood for the austerity measures needed to heal public finances.
3. Canada Applies to Join China-Backed AIIB
Canada will apply to join the China-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, or AIIB, Canadian and bank officials have said, making it the latest ally of the United States to join the new international development bank.
The multilateral institution, seen as a rival to the Western-dominated World Bank and Asian Development Bank, was initially opposed by the US but attracted many of its allies including Britain, Germany, Australia and South Korea as founding members.
4. Britain Seeks Unique Deal with EU, Including Immigration Curbs
Prime Minister Theresa May and her top ministers agree that Britain will seek a unique relationship with European Union, involving controls on immigration as well as a good trade deal.
May will expect the cabinet to overcome divisions on whether Britain should leave the EU’s single market to ensure control over immigration, or find some kind of a compromise.
5. Spain’s Acting PM Loses Confidence Vote to Form Government
Spain’s acting premier lost the parliamentary confidence vote for the second term after he failed to win enough support from opposition, bringing the country closer to a potential third election in a year.
Spain’s lack of a functioning government since inconclusive elections in June and December, and the resulting political deadlock, have stalled investment and there are signs it could be starting to limit a strong economic recovery.
6. US Court Voids $655 Million Verdict Against PLO Over Israel Attacks
A US appeals court threw out a $655.5 million verdict against Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization for damages suffered by American families from terrorist attacks in Israel.
The decision comes as the latest setback for efforts to hold foreign entities liable in US courts for damages related to terrorism.
7. US Resumes Scheduled Passenger Flights to Cuba After Over 50 Years
The first scheduled commercial passenger flight from the United States to Cuba in more than half century lands, opening another chapter in the Obama administration’s efforts to improve ties and increase trade and travel with its former Cold War foe.
Cuba and the US began normalising relations in December 2014 after 18 months of secret talks, and have since restored full diplomatic ties. The countries had been hostile for more than five decades, since Fidel Castro ousted US-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista in a 1959 revolution that steered the island on a communist course.
8. Gabon’s President Bongo Re-Elected, Parliament Set Ablaze
Demonstrators in Gabon clashed with police and set part of the parliament building on fire as anger boiled over among opposition supporters at President Ali Bongo’s re-election in polls that his main rival, Jean Ping, claims to have won.
Gabon’s economic troubles, caused by falling oil output and prices, have led to budget cuts in one of Africa’s richest nations and fuelled opposition charges that its 1.8 million people have struggled under Bongo’s leadership.
9. Singapore Raises Zika Tally; First Pregnant Woman Diagnosed
A pregnant woman was among those diagnosed with Zika infections in Singapore, as the number of confirmed cases of the mosquito-borne virus in the city-state rose to 115.
Singapore announced the first locally contracted case of Zika late on Saturday, while the number of diagnosed infections has grown steadily this week.
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