Egypt Today’s morning international news

CAIRO – 7 November 2017: Egypt Today briefs top stories on Tuesday for political issues.

Lebanon PM quits, president uncertain of accepting his resignation

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri quit his position in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia, casting his coalition government and country into political crisis.

President Michel Aoun has so far been uncertain as whether to accept or reject Hariri's resignation until he returns home from Saudi Arabia.


Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri - REUTERS

"It is too early to say whether there has been a (government) resignation or not," Speaker Nabih Berri said in a televised statement after meeting Aoun, Reuters reported.

In the wake of Hariri’s resignation, Lebanon again faces the sharp end of the struggle for Middle East dominance between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran.

Petition filed in Kenya challenging Kenyatta's election victory

Harun Mwau, a former lawmaker, filed a petition at Kenya's Supreme Court on Monday challenging President Uhuru Kenyatta's victory in last month's presidential election, Reuters reported.

The petition was filed hours before a Monday deadline set by the constitution expired. Earlier in the day, a coalition of civil society groups said they were being targeted by the government in an effort to head off potential legal cases, according to Reuters.


Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta and Kenyan opposition leader of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition Raila Odinga shake hands during a ceremony at the All Saints Anglican Church in Nairobi, Kenya October 5, 2017 -

The Supreme Court has until November 14 to rule on election petitions. If it upholds the result, Kenyatta will be sworn in on November 28.

Kenyatta came to power in 2013 and won a second and final term in August, defeating opposition leader Raila Odinga by 1.4 million votes. The Supreme Court nullified the vote, citing procedural irregularities and ordered a second election, Reuters reported.

Trump due in Seoul amid N. Korea tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump travels to South Korea on Tuesday in his Asia tour, a country considered to be a major ally in the struggle with nuclear-armed North Korea.
Tensions over Pyongyang's weapons program have soared, as the U.S. president has waged threats of war with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.


US President Donald Trump flies in to South Korea from Japan after securing Tokyo's full support for Washington's stance that 'all options are on the table' regarding North Korea - AFP

Trump headed to Seoul from Japan after securing Tokyo's full support for Washington's stance that "all options are on the table" regarding North Korea, and declaring the communist state’s nuclear ambitions "a threat to the civilized world and international peace and stability," AFP reported.

He enjoyed three days of near-“bromance” with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, playing a round of golf and describing U.S.-Japanese ties as "really extraordinary."