The Latest: Trump hire linked to NJ bridge scandal

WASHINGTON – The Latest on President-elect Donald Trump :4:20 p.m.Donald Trump has hired a political adviser whom New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie cut ties with two years ago in the fallout from the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal.Trump on Wednesday named Bill Stepien as deputy assistant to the president and political director.Stepien … (more)

Global Markets-Asian shares advance, dollar supported by March rate hike bets

Asian shares rose on Thursday as investors were encouraged by President Donald Trump’s measured tone in his first speech to Congress, which sent Wall Street stocks sharply higher, while growing bets on a U.S. rate hike this month buoyed the dollar. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS rose 0.2 percent, led by rebound in Australian shares .

Water crisis in Syrian capital as government attacks valley

This frame grab from video provided By Yomyat Kzefeh Hawen Fi Dimashq , a Damascus-based media outlet that is consistent with independent AP reporting, shows Syrian re… , via AP). This frame grab from video provided By Yomyat Kzefeh Hawen Fi Dimashq , a Damascus-based media outlet that is consistent with independent AP reporting, shows Syrian re… , via AP).

Not lovin’ it! Cardinal voices outrage after a McDonald’s store…

Mayhem at airports as immigration system inexplicably crashes – causing huge lines and hours of disruption on one of the busiest travel days of the year, but officials dismiss suggestion of hacking Four young siblings are killed and a further six relatives are hospitalized by poisonous gas from MOUSE PESTICIDE sprayed under their home Don’t drop your life for your partner, avoid talking about your ex and NEVER become clingy: The six things you shouldn’t do if you want your relationship to last the distance United Airlines employee is found trapped in a plane’s baggage hold after a flight from North Carolina to Virginia So what DID happen the night George Michael died? Tweets about suicide. Rumors of drug abuse.

Donald Trump will not tolerate dual role from India’s neighbours: Transition team member1 hour ago

New Delhi, Jan. 03 : In an apparent reference to Pakistan, a member of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has said that the incoming President will not tolerate dual role from India’s neighbour. “The President-elect has made that policy very very clear that he is not going to tolerate dual role from India’s neighbours,” transition team member Shalab Kumar told ANI.

Trump on North Korea ICBM: ‘It won’t happen!’

“North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the US,” Trump tweeted. “It won’t happen!” Kim Jong-Un announced on Sunday that North Korea is in “final stages” of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile .

AP Photos: People around the world ring in 2017

Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers. The people of Sydney were treated to a glittering display over their famed harbor and bridge that honored the singer David Bowie and actor Gene Wilder, who both passed away in 2016.

Putin congratulates Trump, not Obama, in New Year’s statement

Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated US President-elect Donald Trump, rather than President Barack Obama, in his annual New Year’s greetings statement to foreign heads of state and government. However, Putin did convey his seasonal greetings to Obama, his family and the American people in a separate statement earlier Friday, while responding to the latest wave of US sanctions against Russia.

World News Schedule at 0200 GMT/0900 Et

PALM BEACH, Fla./ MOSCOW – U.S. President-elect Donald Trump praises Russian President Vladimir Putin for refraining from retaliation in dispute over spying and cyber attacks, in another sign that Republican plans to patch up badly frayed relations with Moscow. , moved, by Richard Cowan and Polina Devitt, 870 words) BEIRUT – Clashes, shelling and air raids in western Syria mar Russian- and Turkish-backed cease-fire that aims to end nearly six years of war and lead to peace talks between rebels and government emboldened by recent battlefield success.

Trump, Putin and the threat to liberal democracy

Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump hang for sale at a souvenir street shop in St.Petersburg, Russia, this month. Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump hang for sale at a souvenir street shop in St.Petersburg, Russia, this month.

Trump, Putin and the threat to liberal democracy

Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump hang for sale at a souvenir street shop in St.Petersburg, Russia, this month. Face masks depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump hang for sale at a souvenir street shop in St.Petersburg, Russia, this month.

Taiwan president to transit Houston, San Francisco next month

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen will transit through Houston and San Francisco during her January visit to allies in Latin American countries, her office said on Friday, a move certain to anger mainland China which a day earlier urged the United States to block a stopover. Tsai is transiting in the US on her way to and from visiting Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Relations between Obama and Netanyahu administrations hit new low

It took eight years of backbiting and pretending they got along for relations between President Barack Obama ‘s administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s government to finally hit rock bottom. Though they’ve clashed bitterly before, mostly notably over Iran, the two governments seemed further apart than ever after a speech Wednesday by Secretary of State John Kerry and last week’s United Nations resolution.

More

Boxing legend Don King stood beside President-elect Donald Trump Wednesday to discuss the relationship between Israel and the United States. “You all know Don King? Who doesn’t know Don King,” the President-elect asked reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Why I Call BS On US Claims “Gang-Up On Israel” Meeting Never Took Place

The White House vehemently denied a report Wednesday morning claiming Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice discussed the controversial U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements with a top Palestinian official days before Friday’s Security Council vote. An Egyptian news site first published what it claimed to be details of the meeting with Palestinian official Saeb Erekat and others.

Trump tweets gives a glimpse into foreign policy approach

President-elect Donald Trump has used Twitter – his preferred means of communication – to weigh in on a swath of foreign policy issues over the past few weeks. His comments give glimpse into how his incoming administration will deal with pressing foreign matters – but also highlight how reactionary comments on social media can immediately spur international concern and attention.

Pushing back on Israel, Kerry defends Obama’s UN vote

Stepping into a raging diplomatic argument, Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday staunchly defended the Obama administration’s decision to allow the U.N. Security Council to declare Israeli settlements illegal and warned that Israel’s very future as a democracy is at stake. Kerry, pushing back on Israel’s fury at the U.S. abstention of the United Nations vote, questioned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s true commitment to Palestinian statehood, which has formed the basis for all serious peace talks for years.

Trump signals shift from Obama’s focus on multilateralism

For eight years, President Barack Obama’s foreign policy doctrine has been rooted in a belief that while the United States can take action around the word on its own, it rarely should. His successor, President-elect Donald Trump, has derided some of the same international partnerships Obama and his recent predecessors have promoted, raising the prospect that the Republican’s “America First” agenda might well mean an America more willing to act alone.

‘s 12:30 Report

Donald Trump Perez: Trump team’s agency inquiries ‘illegal’ Top House Intel Dem to Obama: Expose Putin’s corruption Trump Organization’s top attorney named to administration post MORE has tapped a former national security aide in the George W. Bush administration as his counterterrorism adviser. Tom Bossert , who served as Bush’s deputy homeland security adviser, will join Trump’s White House as the assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism.

Trump says UN just a club for people to a have a good timea

Donald Trump is questioning the effectiveness of the United Nations, saying it’s just a club for people to after the U.N. Security Council voted last week to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, The decision by the Obama administration to abstain from Friday’s U.N. vote brushed aside Trump’s demands that the U.S. exercise its veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel’s leadership. That was only one subject on which Trump tweeted Monday.

Ny Ag: Trump can’t dissolve foundation during investigation

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he will shutter his family’s charitable foundation, the Donald J. Trump Foundation, to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest when he takes office in January. However, that can’t happen yet because of an investigation the New York Attorney General has launched a probe into the the foundation’s spending.

Justin Bieber ‘is trying to block release of deposition video’

The on-screen evidence relates to a case brought against the 22-year-old pop star by his neighbour, who has accused Justin of egging his house and spitting on him back in 2014. Lawyers for the ‘Sorry’ hitmaker believe that the release of the video could create an unwelcome storm around Justin, who recently courted controversy when he lashed out at a fan in Barcelona, Spain, after he reached into his car and tried to grab him.

Will Muhammadu Buhari be a-One-Term President (2015-2019)?Moshood Fayemiwo, Cameron, Texas, Usa

This love should permeate the body of His redeemed children as He exhorted us while here with us thus: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” .” As 2016 winds to an eventful close and 2017 promisingly beckons, the “election” of Mr. Donald Trump as president-elect of the United States continues to weigh down heavily on us.

US President-elect Donald Trump says UN just a club for people to ‘have a good time’

Donald Trump is questioning its effectiveness of the United Nations, saying it’s just a club for people to “have a good time,” after the UN Security Council voted last week to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, The president-elect wrote Monday on Twitter that the UN has “such great potential,” but it has become “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!” The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.

Former Union Flag protestor credited with aiding Trump election victory

Jim Dowson addressing loyalist flag protesters at a demonstration against the decision to restrict the flying of the Union Flag at Belfast City Hall A loyalist convicted over his role in the Belfast flag protests has been credited with helping Donald Trump win the US presidential election. According to the New York Times, Jim Dowson – a regular speaker at rallies protesting against the decision to restrict the flying of the Union Flag at Belfast City Hall in 2012 – bombarded millions of Americans with “fake news” demonising Trump’s rival Hillary Clinton.