A leaked document of responses from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to questions from U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin , D-Md., during Tillerson’s confirmation hearing in January indicate he may be taking a more moderate approach to challenges in Asia. The 51-page document that a U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee spokesman verified as authentic to The Japan Times include a more restrained strategy to issues like military burden sharing with Asian allies and Chinese buildup in the South China Sea.
Category: World News
HIGHLIGHTS-The Trump presidency on Feb. 9 at 1:15 P.M. EST/1815 GMT
Feb 9 Highlights of the day for U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Thursday: TAXES Trump promises a major tax announcement “that will be phenomenal” in two or three weeks. RUSSIA AND NATO Nine senators from his own Republican party are urging Trump to take a “tough-minded” approach to Russia, joining a growing chorus of lawmakers addressing concerns that he might be too conciliatory toward Moscow.
Top US general: ‘Shortfall of a few thousand’ troops in Afghanistan
Gen. John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, said Thursday that the coalition faced “a shortfall of a few thousand” troops to break the “stalemate” it faces there. He said troops were needed for the NATO-led train, advise and assist mission in Afghanistan.
Trudeau makes first northern trip as Prime Minister
CANADIAN NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW > Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Nunavut today, his first trip to the North since winning the 2015 election. His office announced he’ll head to Germany next week and also address the European Parliament.
Russian hackers get burned in deal with Russia’s spy agency
Alexander Filinov, a suspected member of a group of hackers involved in blackmailing Russian officials, seen in a video link, attends hearings in the Moscow City Court in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. The court extended Filinov’s arrest until early April pending official probe.
.com | EXCLUSIVE: Joice Mujuru ‘is not a leader, we’re fed up of her dictatorial tendencies’
A Zimbabwean woman, 48, reportedly tried to kill herself after learning that her eldest son wanted to marry a sex worker. Harare – Fired lieutenants of Zimbabwe’s ex-vice president Joice Mujuru have hit back at their former boss, saying that she cannot sack them from the opposition Zimbabwe People First , as they are elders of the party.
Engine Swap In High Arctic
Pilots should be wary when operating close to the boundaries of Class B airspace, the FAA said recently in a Safety Alert for Operators…. Years ago, new GPS approaches were commissioned at Houma, LA and the FAA King Air was flight checking them …Tower: ‘Report… In the Flytenow case, the FAA applied old thinking that doesn’t work in a world where technology moves at the speed of heat. VFR into IMC events have a distressingly high fatality rate.
Analysis: U.S.-Mexican border wall not guaranteed to reduce illegal immigration
U.S. President Donald Trump is continuing his plan to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border in a bid to stem illegal immigration, but experts said whether the wall will work remains an open question. During his campaign, Trump made border security one of his main platforms, repeatedly promising to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border to stop the flood of illegal migrants who head into the U.S. every day.
Today in History
In 1587, Mary, Queen of Scots was beheaded at Fotheringhay Castle in England after she was implicated in a plot to murder her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. In 1952, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed her accession to the British throne following the death of her father, King George VI.
Israeli groups sue to stop law legalizing settlement homes
In the first concrete attempt to counter the contentious new law legalizing thousands of West Bank settlement homes, two Israeli rights groups on Wednesday asked the country’s Supreme Court to overturn the measure. Adalah and the Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center appealed to the high court, asking it to block implementation of the bill passed in parliament this week that sets out to legalize dozens of settler outposts built on privately owned Palestinian land.
10 Things to Know for Today
In this Jan. 21, 2017, file photo, protesters stage a candlelight vigil calling for impeached President Park Geun-hye to step down in Seoul, South Korea. The Pyeongchang Olympics have been drawn into the country’s biggest political scandal in decades.
Officials: CIA chief to visit Turkey, discuss security
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, walks to greet Ethiopia’s President Mulatu Teshome Wirtu, at the Presidential Palace, in Ankara Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, walks to greet Ethiopia’s President Mulatu Teshome Wirtu, at the Presidential Palace, in Ankara Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017.
Syria rejects Amnesty’s report of mass hangings as ‘untrue’
The left picture is of Alshogre taken on January 2017 in Stockholm, Sweden. The right pict… Sentencing is set Wednesday for an American-born Muslim convert convicted of helping to plot a 2015 attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas.
13 European nations meet about possible migration uptick
Hundreds of migrants have been sleeping rough in freezing conditions in central B… . A migrant from Pakistan, center, talks with another while making tea on a fire in an abandoned warehouse where they took refuge in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Feb. 6, 2017.
Trump speaks with Afghan leader, U.S. commander calls for more troops
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Afghan counterpart discussed security in a phone call on Thursday, officials said, hours after the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said thousands more troops were needed to break a stalemate with the Taliban. Trump and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also spoke about opportunities to strengthen ties, counterterrorism cooperation and economic development, the White House said in a statement.
Bipartisan US lawmakers urge Trump to sanction Venezuela
In this Nov. 14, 2016 file photo, a billboard along the highway near Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, features an ant drawing and the Spanish slogan, “Freedom from bachaqueros.” Venezuelans call people who make a living illegally reselling food “bachaqueros,” after the leaf-cutter ants that haul food through the jungles.
Possible Russia-US cooperation positive for Syria: Assad
Damascus, Feb 8 – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said a cooperation between Russia and the US would be positive, not only for Syria, but the entire world as well, state news agency SANA reported on Tuesday. Speaking to Belgium reporters in Damascus, Assad said the remarks of US President Donald Trump were promising, as Trump regarded the war on terror, mainly the Islamic State group, in his presidential campaign, while also noted that it’s still too soon to judge such remarks, Xinhua reported.
Obamas join Richard Branson for private island getaway
Former President Barack Obama , and his wife, Michelle, have spent some time vacationing with Richard Branson since leaving the White House. The Virgin Group founder put up a blog post with pictures and video of the ex-president kitesurfing off one of Branson’s private islands in the British Virgin Islands.
NATO troops deploy in Lithuania, underscoring commitment to defense
Netherlands’ soldiers attend a ceremony to welcome the German battalion being deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO deterrence measures against Russia in Rukla, Lithuania February 7, 2017. German soldiers attend a ceremony to welcome the German battalion being deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO deterrence measures against Russia in Rukla, Lithuania February 7, 2017.
Russia’s booming ‘Trumpomania’
The name Godless Street, a legacy of Soviet-era persecution of religion, did not sound right to some residents of this ancient Russian city. So, historian and publicist Sergei Bizyukin came up with a new one.
San Diego, Tijuana mayors extol virtues of cross-border ties
The mayors of the largest metr… . San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, left, and Tijuana, Mexico, Mayor Juan Manuel Gastelum discuss the benefits of cross-border ties at a news conference at San Diego City Hall, Monday, Feb. 6, 2017.
We’ll lose college students if Israel becomes a partisan cause
So even while a typical bit of punditry over the past few presidencies was to assert that Bill Clinton, or George W. Bush, or Barack Obama was “the most pro-Israel president in history,” Israel advocates nevertheless kept their heads and painstakingly maintained strong relationships on both sides of the aisle. Now some are eagerly making the same grandiose claim about President Donald Trump – that he will be the greatest friend Jerusalem has ever had.
Appeals court weighs Trump ban as travelers arrive to tears
Just hours after an appeals court blocked an attempt to… . Members of International Migrants Alliance in Hong Kong hold placards during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s selective country travel ban outside of the U.S. Consulate in Hong Kong, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017.
With Trumpa s Travel Ban on Hold, Iraqi Family Arrives in Nashville in 2nd Attempt to Reach US
Iraqi citizen Fuad Sharef Suleman and his family landed in Nashville, Tennessee, Sunday night to start a new life, more than a week after they were barred from entering the United States because of their country of origin. It had taken Suleman more than two years to receive U.S. immigrant visas for him, his wife and three children.
United States Awarded Top Honors for Coin of the Year
The United States recently earned top honors in two coin design categories at the World Money Fair in Berlin, Germany. United States Mint officials accepted two Coin of the Year Awards on behalf of the Nation.
Face of Defense: Deployed Siblings Reunite After 10 Years Apart
U.S. service members ordinarily have to say goodbye to their family as they head out for deployments, but one recent deployment allowed a brother and sister to reunite after 10 years of separation. Vermont Air National Guard Tech.
EU envoys back keeping sanctions against Russia over Ukraine
The European Union’s top diplomats vowed Monday to uphold sanctions against Russia for destabilizing conflict-torn Ukraine, despite confusion over how U.S. President Donald Trump plans to manage his relations with Moscow. Determined to wait no longer for a clear message from Washington, EU foreign ministers said their economic sanctions must remain in place until Russian President Vladimir Putin respects his promise to work for a cease-fire in eastern Ukraine and ensure that heavy weapons are withdrawn from border areas.
Myanmar army and police commanders should be punished for rape of Rohingya, rights group says
Human Rights Watch on Monday called for Myanmar to punish army and police commanders if they allowed troops to rape and sexually assault women and girls of the Rohingya Muslim minority. The New York-based campaign group said it had documented rape, gang rape and other sexual violence against girls as young as 13 in interviews with some of the 69,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh since Myanmar security forces responded to attacks on border posts four months ago.
Los Banos man, daughter reach California after delayed journey from Yemen
Eman Ali, the 12-year-old Yemeni daughter of Los Banos shop manager Ahmed Ali, was initially barred from boarding a plane from Djibouti to the United States after President Donald Trump issued an executive order suspending nationals of Yemen and other Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States. Eman Ali, at right above, is shown in an undated childhood photo with her older sister.
Travelers arrive in US to hugs and tears after ban is lifted
Just hours after an appeals court blocked an attempt to… . Iranian-born bioengineer researcher Nima Enayati in interviewed by the Associated Press, at the Milan’s Malpensa International airport in Busto Arsizio, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 5, 2017.
Sunday reflection: Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
In Trump era, Bay Area churches offer sanctuary to undocumented immigrants
When Julissa Oliva and Jose Manuel Flores first arrived at the Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana Hispana church last May, they had nothing to their names. Fleeing what they described as months of extortion from gang members in Tegucigalpa – the capital of Honduras and one of the most violent cities in the world – the undocumented couple left with their two young children and $300 in their pockets, making a treacherous 30-day journey through Mexico.
Trump Cabinet pick paid by controversial Iranian exile group
An official in U.S. President Donald Trump’s Cabinet and at least one of his advisers gave paid speeches to organizations linked to an Iranian exile group that killed Americans before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, ran donation scams and saw its members set themselves on fire over the arrest of their leader. Elaine Chao, confirmed this week as Trump’s transportation secretary, received $50,000 in 2015 for a five-minute speech to the political wing of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, previously called a “cult-like” terrorist group by the State Department.
Thousands protest in US, Europe over Trump travel ban
From London and Paris to New York and Washington, thousands of people took to the streets Saturday in American and European cities to protest US President Donald Trump’s travel ban amid a fierce legal battle over the order. The biggest demonstration by far took place in the British capital, where an estimated 10,000 people turned out, chanting “Theresa May: Shame on You” to denounce the British prime minister’s support for the new US leader.
‘Immigration Act of 1917’ Turns 100: America’s Long History of Immigration Prejudice
One hundred years ago today , Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917, the first legislation to dramatically limit immigration into the U.S. It introduced rulings that singled out specific countries and ethnicities, and included conditions that favored privilege over need. While many people view immigration as a cornerstone of America’s journey and continued success as a country – a position outlined by White House representatives under President Barack Obama – sweeping restrictions such as those put forward in 1917 also shaped the United States’ immigration story.
The Latest: Visa holders hurry to board US-bound flights
The Latest on the reaction to a court order blocking U.S. President Donald Trump’s ban on travelers and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries : Visa holders from seven majority-Muslim countries affected by President Donald Trump’s travel ban are hurrying to board U.S.-bound flights following a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking the ban. Those who could travel immediately were being urged to do so Saturday because of uncertainty over whether the Justice Department would be granted an emergency freeze of the order issued Friday.
Iran Carries Out New Missile Tests After Trump Imposes Sanctions
Iran carried out further missile tests during an annual military exercise, a day after President Donald Trump imposed fresh sanctions on a raft of individuals and companies in response to the country test-firing a ballistic rocket last week. The country successfully tested a range of land-to-land missiles and radar systems during the drills in a 35,000 square-kilometer stretch of desert in the northern Iranian province of Semnan, the semi-official Tasnim agency reported Saturday, citing Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ aerospace division.
Trump’s wall – ” the US’ growing protectionist stance
United States President Donald Trump announced last week that he was going ahead with his campaign promise to build a wall along the country’s southern border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants. He blames immigrants from all over South and Central America for getting jobs which, he said, should go to Americans.
Photo credit: Mehdi Taamalah/ABACAUSA/Newscom
Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar party hosted by Graydon Carter held at Sunset Tower in West Hollywood on February 27, 2011. Photo credit: Mehdi Taamalah/ABACAUSA/Newscom I don’t know whether it’s “fake news,” but it’s almost certainly fake concern: all the solicitude in the mainstream media over First Lady Melania Trump’s supposed sham marriage with her extremely famous husband.
German magazine sparks fury with image of Trump beheading Statue of Liberty
German weekly magazine Der Spiegel sparked controversy at home and abroad on Saturday with a front cover illustration of US President Donald Trump beheading the Statue of Liberty. It depicts a cartoon figure of Trump with a bloodied knife in one hand and the statue’s head, dripping with blood, in the other.