Category: World News

Trump brings Churchill bust back to Oval Office

President Donald Trump restored the bust of Winston Churchill to the Oval Office immediately after assuming the presidency on Friday, the most notable move in an aesthetic redecoration of the space. Trump signed his first executive orders at the Resolute Desk before new gold curtains with a blue trim, a new sunburst-patterned carpet and new brocade couches.

Mexico deports 91 Cubans after U.S. ends ‘wet foot, dry foot’

Mexico’s government has deported 91 Cubans about a week after the United States ended a so-called “wet foot, dry foot” policy that granted residency to almost every Cuban who reached U.S. soil, Mexican officials said on Friday. The repeal of the longstanding policy last Thursday by former U.S. President Barack Obama left hundreds of Cubans who were seeking a new life stranded in Mexico and Central America countries.

INS Chennai, Scorpene submarines on Navy’s R-Day tableau

New Delhi, Jan 20 – Demonstrating its capabilities and operational readiness, the Indian Navy will this year display on its tableau at the Republic Day parade the Kolkata-class stealth guided missile destroyer INS Chennai as well as indigenously-made Scorpene submarines. At a time when China’s aggressive postures in the South China Sea, and the presence of its naval ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean have raised concerns, the Indian Navy’s tableau represents its commitment towards guarding India’s strategic and economic interests.

McCain slams China for ‘bullying’ Korea over THAAD

US Senator John McCain slammed China on Thursday for “bullying” South Korea for its decision to host the US THAAD missile defense system aimed at defending against North Korea, urging Beijing to use its “considerable influence” to rein in Pyongyang. McCain, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also said that Chinese bullying of the Asian ally is “unacceptable” and said he hopes the incoming administration of Donald Trump ensures US security commitments.

Moscow nightclub hosts early inauguration party for Trump

Entertainer Willi Tokarev, center, an 82-year-old Russian emigre to the U.S. appears during a nightclub party entitled “Trumplissimo America!” in Moscow, Russia, on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017. Twenty-four hours before Donald Trump is to be sworn in as president of the United States, people gathered at a Moscow nightclub to celebrate his inauguration.

Mideast Expects Big Changes Under Trump

Donald Trump’s all-but-dismissal of human rights as a foreign policy principle could hit like an earthquake across a Middle East landscape beset by warring factions and beleaguered governments, with some players eyeing the prospect of once unimaginable new alliances. Syria is the foremost test of Trump’s promise of a return to a hard-headed realpolitik and could quickly show whether America is truly abandoning promotion of democracy and the rule of law in a way that could reshape much of the region’s post-Cold War, post-9/11 order.

Afghan journalists face more threats as violence spreads

Afghan journalists say they are facing more risks than ever as both insurgents and unscrupulous government officials increasingly threaten, assault, and even murder reporters. At least 13 journalists were killed in Afghanistan last year, making it the deadliest year on record for Afghan media, the Afghan Journalists Safety Committee said on Wednesday.

European nationalists find common ground _ for now

On Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017 – a day after the inaug… . FILE – In this Jan. 29, 2016 file photo Northern League leader Matteo Salvini, French far right leader Marine Le Pen and Firebrand Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders attend a press conference on the second day of a 2-day con… Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, remain hospitalized in Houston, where he is in intensive care for pneumonia and she is being watched after complaining of fatigue and coughing Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, remain hospitalized in Houston, where he is in intensive care for pneumonia and she is being watched after complaining of fatigue and coughing A group of NASA-funded researchers are poised to enter an isolated geodesic dome on a Hawaii volcano to study human behavior for long-term space exploration, including a planned voyage to Mars A group of NASA-funded … (more)

Discredited Former New York Times Reporter Disregards Her Own Record While Smearing Chelsea Manning

A prominent journalist who spread lies the U.S. government used to sell the war in Iraq-which led to the deaths of an estimated 1 million-plus people-implied that whistleblower Chelsea Manning has blood on her hands for exposing U.S. atrocities in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Manning, who has been serving a 35-year prison sentence for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, had her prison sentence commuted on Tuesday, January 17, after years of pressure from grassroots activists and advocacy groups.

Nikki Haley Set for Confirmation Hearing

Nikki Haley delivers the State of the State in the House chambers at the South Carolina Statehouse, Jan. 20, 2016, in Columbia, South Carolina. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will face the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday for her confirmation hearing to be considered as President-elect Donald Trump ‘s choice for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations .

Schapiro ends as US ambassador on Friday, family stays in Prague

The U.S. ambassador to Prague, Andrew Schapiro, will leave the post on Friday, he told journalists on Tuesday, adding that he will be returning to the Czech Republic because his children will complete their school attendance in the current school year in the country. Schapiro will leave his office on the day of the inauguration of the new U.S. president, Republican Donald Trump.

Czechs in poll: Trump may improve relations with Russia

The policy of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump may positively influence the U.S.-Russian relations and the fight against terrorism, many Czechs said in a poll conducted by the CVVM institute and released on Tuesday. A positive development in the U.S.-Russian relations after Trump is inaugurated is expected by 35 percent of the respondents.

China’s Xi takes spotlight at Davos as US makes transition

China’s President Xi Jinping, center, Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan, left, and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter eat Swiss cheese fondue during lunch during Xi’s two days state visit to Switzerland in Bern, Switzerland, Monday, Jan. 16, 2017. less China’s President Xi Jinping, center, Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan, left, and Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter eat Swiss cheese fondue during lunch during Xi’s two days state visit to Switzerland in Bern, … more From right, Swiss Federal President Doris Leuthard, China’s President Xi Jinping, Xi’s wife Peng Liyuan and Doris Leuthard’s husband Roland Hausin, attend a gala dinner in Bern, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 15, 2017.

Canada will have to do more in NATO if U.S. backs out

Canada will have to contribute more to NATO if the U.S. follows through on president-elect Donald Trump’s musings on withdrawing from the alliance, says the head of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee. Liberal MP Bob Nault cautions that Canada and its NATO partners need to see how U.S. foreign policy formally takes shape after Trump’s Friday inauguration.

Top Palestinian Official: Congress Limited in Push Back to U.N. Resolution

Congress has limited options for responding to a United Nations Security Council resolution critical of Israel, according to a top Palestinian official who spoke to THE WEEKLY STANDARD. The remarks from Maen Areikat, the chief representative of the Palestine Liberation Organization in the United States, came as lawmakers rolled out legislation in the aftermath of the December resolution, which describes the West Bank and east Jerusalem as occupied Palestinian territory and condemns Israeli construction in those areas.

BC-AP News Digest

The main event is Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday, but there are some signs that more Americans are coming to Washington for the day of protests on Saturday, a stark change from past transitions of power from one president to the next. By Jessica Gresko.

Zimbabwe: Obama’s ‘Hostile Goodbye’ to Mugabe

Outgoing United States President Barack Obama has extended sanctions against Zimbabwe by at least another year, a report said on Sunday. This came as reports on Friday indicated that Obama’s administration was set to ease sanctions against Sudan and broaden now limited talks with the long estranged African government.

Brent Oil Trades Above $56 as Saudis See Market Balanced by June

Brent oil traded above $56 a barrel after Saudi Arabia said output cuts from OPEC and other producers will balance the market by June. compliance level of reductions and the outlook for rising global demand should be enough to balance the market by the end of the first half of 2017, meaning the six-month deal probably won’t need to be extended, Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said.

Trump Endorses American Geopolitical Suicide

Quoted in German from a conversation held in English, Trump predicted Britain’s exit from the EU will be a success and portrayed the EU as an instrument of German domination with the purpose of beating the U.S. in international trade. For that reason, Trump said, he’s fairly indifferent whether the EU breaks up or stays together, according to Bild.

Obama says U.N. vote didn’t rupture U.S.-Israel relations

U.S. President Barack Obama played down fallout from a U.S. abstention on a United Nations resolution last month demanding an end to Israeli settlements in occupied territory, saying it did not trigger a significant break in relations with Israel. Relations between the United States and Israel, which have soured during Obama’s eight years in office, reached a low point late last month when Washington, defying pressure from longtime ally Israel and President-elect Donald Trump, declined to veto the U.N. resolution.

Kerry’s stop in Vietnam is emotional peak of final trip

It could have been 1969 again as Secretary of State John Kerry stood on the bow of the small boat chugging up the Bay Hap River on Saturday, the wind billowing his sleeves and his eyes darting left and right toward banks shrouded in dark foliage. As a young Navy lieutenant,Mr. Kerry commanded a Swift boat along this stretch of churning brown waters in the middle of a free-fire zone.

Christopher Steele, the ex-MI6 agent behind the Trump dossier

The building housing the offices of Orbis Buiness Intelligence where former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele works, is in central London. Christopher Steele, who wrote reports on compromising material Russian operatives allegedly had collected on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, is a former officer in Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, according to people familiar with his career.

Secretary of State John Kerry and 70 Nations Meet Paris to Cede Parts of Israel to the Palestinians

With less than one week left in his Presidency, President Barack Hussein Obama’s Secretary of State, John Kerry is in Paris this week meeting with 72 nations at a ‘Peace’ Summit . The purpose of the summit is to further actions led by Obama’s administration at the UN mandating that Israel hand over significant sections of its territory to a group of Palestinians.

Supreme Court takes up suit over 2001 detention of Muslims

Ahmer Abassi talks to the Associated Press in Karachi, Pakistan, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017. The Supreme Court on Wednesday is hearing an appeal from former Attorney General John Ashcroft, former FBI Director Robert Mueller and other former U.S. officials who want to shut down a lawsuit filed by human rights lawyers.