Category: World News

Gambia’s ‘Trump’ and the dilemma of the Int’l Criminal Court

The stepping down , under duress, of long-term Gambian president Yahya Jammeh clearly illustrates the impact of credible collective security. However, for this ‘African solution’ to be replicable, much will need to be allayed regarding possible future attempts to renege on the deal, which reportedly provides him immunity from future prosecution’s.

Mixed Signals: Now, White House Says Israeli Settlement Building May Not Help Peace

The tone was more measured than previous pro-Israel announcements, but did not go so far as to condemn settlement activity. The Trump administration said on Thursday that Israel’s building of new settlements or expansion of existing ones in occupied territories may not be helpful in achieving peace with Palestinians, adopting a more measured tone than its previous pro-Israel announcements.

Israeli settler group shrugs off White House criticism

Israeli settlers on Friday shrugged off White House criticism of settlement construction, convinced they have the sympathies of President Donald Trump. The Palestinians, still wary of Trump, warned that the settlers’ hard-line stance could spell the end to a two-state solution to the conflict.

Obama WH photographer throws more shade at Trump

Since we first posted this story, former President Barack Obama’s chief photographer, Pete Souza, the man who documented almost every impactful moment of the Obama presidency, continues to post images to his Instagram account, and its 738,000 followers, in response to President Donald Trump’s actions and policies. A silent, social media, shade-throwing protest told in visuals from the millions of images in Souza’s archive, the photos appear to be Souza’s expression of opposition to the recent moves of the Trump administration.

President Sirleafa s Favored Citizens: Monrovia-Landlords

Favoritism or Special Interest! President Dwight Eisenhower, in his farewell speech, on 01/17/1961, warned Americans about many issues such as protecting special interest. In Liberia, the warning about special interest came by way of three separate violent actions: the Rights and Rice Demonstration on April 14, 1979; the military coup on April 12, 1980; and the fourteen-year civil war launched on December 24, 1989.

AP source: US preparing new Iran sanctions over missile test

The Trump administration is preparing to levy new sanctions on Iran, U.S. officials say, in the first punitive action since the White House put Iran “on notice” after it test-fired a ballistic missile. Up to two dozen Iranian individuals, companies and possibly government agencies could be penalized as part of the move, expected as early as Friday, said the officials and others with knowledge of the decision.

Trump moves toward a tougher line on Israeli settlements

President Donald Trump is warning Israel that constructing new settlements “may not be helpful” to Middle East peace efforts, shifting toward a tougher line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Still, the White House made clear Thursday that the Trump administration “has not taken an official position on settlement activity,” departing from previous administrations that have considered the settlements illegitimate.

Mattis warns NKorea against any attack on US or its allies

In an explicit warning to North Korea, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Friday said any use of nuclear weapons by the North on the United States or its allies would be met with what he called an “effective and overwhelming” response. U.S. defense secretaries have long offered assurances to South Korea and Japan that its nuclear “umbrella” will protect them, but Mattis’s statement was perhaps more pointed than most.

Clip of Trump granddaughter singing spreads on Chinese web

Computer screens display a video clip showing U.S. President Donald Trump’s granddaughter Arabella Kushner singing a Chinese New Year greeting song that garnered almost 20 million views in Beijing, China, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017. The brief video clip of Donald Trump’s granddaughter singing in Chinese is circulating to strong approval on the internet in China, even while some criticized the U.S. president’s failure to send greetings for the Lunar New Year.

In shift, Trump warns Israel against new settlements

President Donald Trump on Thursday warned Israel that constructing new settlements “may not be helpful” to Middle East peace efforts, shifting toward a tougher line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s government. Still, the White House made clear that the Trump administration “has not taken an official position on settlement activity,” departing from previous administrations that have considered the settlements illegitimate.

Australian PM Admits Controversial Trump Phone Call As “Very Frank”

Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says his phone conversation with US President Donald Trump this week was “cordial” but “very frank” as Trump reportedly expressed his anger over the proposed refugee deal between the two countries, reports China’s Xinhua news agency.. The deal was signed by Turnbull and the previous Obama administration late last year, and requires the United States to take in around 1,200 asylum seekers from Australia’s offshore detention centres on Nauru and Manus Island.

Tense call between Trump and Australian leader strains longtime ties

U.S. ties with staunch ally Australia became strained on Thursday after details about an acrimonious phone call between its leaders emerged and U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal between the two nations on refugee resettlement was “dumb.” During a 25-minute phone call last Saturday with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump accused Australia of trying to export the “next Boston bombers” under the agreement, the Washington Post reported.

Nikki Haley just delivered the Trump administration’s most hawkish words yet toward Russia

The US ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday delivered the Trump administration’s strongest words toward Russia since Trump took office. UN ambassador Nikki Haley declared that existing US sanctions would stay in place against Russia stemming from its annexation of the peninsula of Crimea from Ukraine, amid renewed fighting in the eastern part of the country this week.

GOP senator tries to reassure Australia after Trump call

A senior Republican senator on Thursday sought to assure Australia that the United States remains a staunch ally following a tense discussion between President Donald Trump and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Arizona Sen. John McCain said in a statement that he spoke with Joe Hockey, Australia’s ambassador to the United States, and expressed his “unwavering support for the U.S.-Australia alliance.”

US revises Russia sanctions for electronics exports

The Trump administration on Thursday revised recent U.S. sanctions that prevented American companies from exporting some electronic equipment to Russia. It also modified penalties on Iran, expanding a list of medical equipment that needs federal authorization to be sold to Iranian customers.

Trump and Malcolm Turnbull’s bust-up could weaken alliance

Is this the biggest ever bust-up between a US president and an Australian prime minister? Explosive phone call between Donald Trump and Malcolm Turnbull casts doubt on decades of friendship between allies Donald Trump’s presidency is barely two weeks old, but already his relationship with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull appears to be on the rocks. Trump is said to have slammed Turnbull over a deal agreed with Barack Obama that would see 1,250 refugees from Manus Island and Nauru sent to the US.

Czech ministry suffered cyber-attack possibly from foreign state

Hackers possibly working for a foreign state breached the e-mail accounts of dozens of employees of the Czech Foreign Ministry in a cyber-attack similar to that conducted against the U.S. Democratic Party, the country’s top diplomat said. No classified data was stolen during the attacks, which took several weeks, Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said Tuesday.

Navy upgrades Pacific carrier wing with new E-2D Hawkeye

The Navy bolstered its airborne radar and detection capabilities in the Pacific with the Thursday arrival of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. VAW-125’s presence signifies a shift for the Navy as it continues relocating the bulk of Carrier Air Wing 5 – the USS Ronald Reagan’s aviation wing – from Naval Air Station Atsugi, southwest of Tokyo.

Cubans Stranded In Mexico Say Return To The Island Is Not An Option

NUEVO LAREDO, Mexico, Feb 2 –Scores of Cubans meet every day at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge in Nuevo Laredo on the US border after an odyssey through 10 countries, never knowing if they would achieve their dream of entering the United States, but with the conviction that returning to the island is “not an option.” More groups of Cubans kept arriving over the weekend until their number now tops 400.

Trinidad And Tobago Confirms Links Of Nationals To Terrorist Groups

PORT OF SPAIN, Feb 2 –The Government of Trinidad and Tobago has confirmed the link of more than 100 nationals to terrorist activities and groups abroad, the Guardian newspaper informed today. In an address to the Senate, Homeland Security Minister Edmund Dillon said many of those people offered false information to the authorities when they left the country.

Flynn puts Iran ‘on notice’ over missile launch as Trump team adopts aggressive posture

The White House put Iran “on notice” on Wednesday for test-firing a ballistic missile and said it was reviewing how to respond, abruptly adopting an aggressive posture toward Tehran that could raise tensions in the region. It was unclear what actions the new Republican administration might take to try to rein in Iran for a missile launch that President Donald Trump and his top aides considered defiance of a nuclear deal negotiated in 2015 by then-Democratic President Barack Obama.

GNA Foreign Minister Mohammed Siyala called it an “unjust decision” that should be reviewed.

Demonstrators protest against US President Donald Trump and his administration’s ban of travellers from 7 countries by Executive Order, during a rally outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2017. Photo – AFP Demonstrators protest against US President Donald Trump and his administration’s ban of travellers from 7 countries by Executive Order, during a rally outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on January 30, 2017.

Russians Don’t Want to Live in the Middle Ages

In St. Petersburg the Vesna civil-society movement is holding a street action. In an improvised stage made from a boxing ring, activists present three scenes: an alcoholic beating an elderly pensioner, a husband punching his wife, and a child being physically punished by a parent.

Putin visit to Hungary reveals regional divide over Russia

” A visit by President Vladimir Putin to Hungary this week reveals the vastly different reactions to Putin’s Russia in countries formerly under Moscow’s yoke, and highlights the very different challenges those countries will face in working with the new U.S. administration. On one end of the spectrum is Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government is treating Putin’s visit Thursday as a major event, and where a refurbished memorial to Soviet soldiers who died in World War II was unveiled ahead of his visit.

Eviction of Israeli settlers from illegal outpost sparks violence

Israeli policemen remove a pro-settlement activist during an operation by Israeli forces to evict settlers from the illegal outpost of Amona in the occupied West Bank on February 1, 2017. Photo – Reuters Israeli policemen remove a pro-settlement activist during an operation by Israeli forces to evict settlers from the illegal outpost of Amona in the occupied West Bank on February 1, 2017.

GOP suspends Senate rule, muscles Trump picks through panel

Republicans muscled through committee approval of President Donald Trump’s nominees for Treasury and Health on Wednesday, suspending a key Senate rule in the latest escalation of partisan tensions in Congress. Democrats boycotted a Finance Committee meeting and Republicans responded by temporarily scuttling a rule requiring at least one Democrat to be present for votes.

Democrats boycott markup of key Trump picks

Senate Democrats on Tuesday boycotted a critical markup of President Donald Trump’s nominations to lead the Treasury and Health and Human Services departments, leaving a senior GOP leader aghast and saying there is “no excuse” for “this type of crap.” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, Utah Republican, and fellow GOP members said it was unprecedented and “shocking” for Democrats to skip the planned roll calls on Steve Mnuchin for Treasury and Rep. Tom Price at HHS.

Syria Warns of Setting Up Safe Zones for Civilians as Unsafe

Syria warned Monday of safe zones for civilians that U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in creating, saying it would have to come in coordination with the Syrian government, otherwise it would be unsafe and violate the Arab nation’s sovereignty. The announcement was made in Damascus by Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem during a meeting with the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, who began an official visit to Syria on Monday.

Trump Will Meet With Benjamin Netanyahu In February

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his Jerusalem office December 25, 2016. REUTERS/Dan Balilty/Pool White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Feb. 15, in a Monday briefing with reporters.

Syria warns of setting up safe zones for civilians as unsafe

Syria warned Monday of safe zones for civilians that U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed interest in creating, saying it would have to come in coordination with the Syrian government, otherwise it would be unsafe and violate the Arab nation’s sovereignty. The announcement was made in Damascus by Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem during a meeting with the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, who began an official visit to Syria on Monday.