Translating “America First” into diplomatic policy, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday declared the United States would no longer condition its foreign relationships on countries adopting U.S. values like human rights. (AP)
A group of prominent Nigerians has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, 74, to take medical leave, amid growing concern about his health. In their statement, they said the president had not been seen in public for the last week, and his absence from the cabinet meetings, as well as the weekly Friday Muslim prayers, “has fuelled further speculation and rumors” about his medical condition. (BBC)
Two Venezuelan students and a National Guard sergeant died on Wednesday after being shot during protests against unpopular leftist President Nicolas Maduro, increasing turmoil in the volatile nation amid a devastating economic crisis. (Reuters)
During a “very friendly” phone conversation, President Donald Trump invited Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte to the White House, signaling a massive shift in attitude from the U.S. toward a leader known best for inciting an extrajudicial war on drugs in his country that’s killed more than 7,500 people. (NPR)
Turkish authorities have detained 15 staff of a US NGO working on Syria relief operations – the latest in a series of moves restricting humanitarian aid groups in the country. Police detained the 15 employees, who were working for the International Medical Corps in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, on Thursday 20 April. Four of those detained – foreign nationals from Britain, India, Indonesia and Ireland – were deported five days later. (IRIN)
The government in India’s Jammu and Kashmir State ordered internet service providers in the restive Kashmir valley to block social networking services there, an unusually harsh measure to counteract escalating waves of protests and violence in the region. (NY Times)
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson invited the chairperson of the African Union to Washington for a meeting, then backed out on him at the last minute, infuriating African diplomats according to sources. (Foreign Policy)
The World Health Organization has chosen Ghana, Kenya and Malawi as the countries where the world’s first malaria vaccine will be tested next year on babies and toddlers, aged 5 to 17 months. (VOA)
The Baghdad-Mosul road was filled with hundreds of people both returning to the embattled city and fleeing the fighting between government forces and the Islamic State. (Reuters)
The United Nations and the African Union took a step toward increasing cooperation and coordination between their organizations, signing a Framework for Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security. The agreement is intended to boost cooperation in preventing and responding to conflict in Africa. (VOA)