Worldwide / 355

Another trial looms for ex-Trump campaign chairman Manafort

August 19, 2018

But, you know what, he happens to be a very good person . The judge's revelations came as Mr Trump called Mr Manafort a "very good person". The judge in the trial of ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort says he will not release the names of jurors because of fears for their safety.

Trump compares Mueller probe to McCarthyism

August 19, 2018

Trump tweeted . The President also compared Mueller to Sen. The Times reported that McGahn gave investigators a mix of information both potentially damaging and favorable to the president, but that he also told investigators that he never saw Trump go beyond his legal authority.

Former UN chief, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kofi Annan dies

August 19, 2018

He served as Secretary-General from 1997-2006, overseeing the world throughout the modern day battle with terrorism and the expansion of western powers. "His time at the United Nations was also remarkable for his role in ensuring stability of democratic governments in Africa and intervention in conflict resolution around the world aimed at achieving world peace".

US welcomes Saudi Arabia's pledge of $100 mln for Syria

August 19, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that the United States has ended the development fund for Syria, urging "rich countries" to pay instead. USA officials said the $230 million will be spent on other foreign policy priorities. "There is not going to be, by global agreement, reconstruction assistance to Syria unless the United Nations - not Moscow, not Washington , not any other capital - validates that a credible and irreversible political process is underway", Satterfield said on ...

Omarosa Says Trump Might Revoke Melania's Citizenship if Things Go Sour

August 19, 2018

Omarosa has levied another accusation at President Donald Trump in her latest interview promoting her new book , but it's not exactly a surprise. But according to Trump , Mark Burnett , producer of The Apprentice , told Trump that the "n-word tape" did not exist.

Shortage of medicine, drinking water for Kerala flood survivors

August 19, 2018

Spelling more trouble for the worst-flood hit Kerala, the state is expected to receive more rainfall on Sunday, which is likely to aggravate the misery of thousands who still await help and need to be rescued. Many people are still stranded as the rain intensified. According to India's weather bureau, since the beginning of June more than 321 centimetres of rain has fallen on the hilly central Kerala district of Idukki, which is now nearly cut off from the rest of the state.

South Pacific hit with 8.2 magnitude quake

August 19, 2018

There were no immediate reports of damage or potential casualties. "All the lights went out", Asmaatul Husna said at a shopping mall where she works in Lombok's main town, Mataram. "We are monitoring the situation and some places felt it, but it was a very deep natural disaster", director Apete Soro said by telephone. The quake occurred in the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of frequent seismic activity due to collisions between continental plates.

Putin dances at Austrian wedding; talks with Merkel on Syria

August 19, 2018

Speaking to the press on Friday, Mrs Merkel said she would like to discuss the possibility of a meeting on Syria with other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation partners, but that "no specific results are expected" from Saturday's working meeting.

Colorado family struggled with debt before husband's arrest

August 18, 2018

The ABC 7 interview went on for several minutes. A family friend reported Mrs Watts and her daughters missing on Monday, police said. Chris Watts , 33, was arrested in connection with their deaths but has not been formally charged .

Passengers stranded as NAIA cancels more flights

August 18, 2018

Thousands of air travelers faced delays on Friday after a Chinese airliner skidded off the runway at the airport in the Philippine capital, disrupting more than 200 flights as authorities struggled to remove the damaged plane. The Civil Aviation of China said it was sending a team to assist in the investigation. Chinese and Filipino tourists have used the carrier's route between Xiamen and Manila since its launch several years ago.

Provincial state of emergency declared in BC

August 18, 2018

The declaration ensures that the delivery of federal, provincial, and local resources is co-ordinated to ensure that the public is protected. The fire danger rating was listed as high or extreme for much of British Columbia on Wednesday. Three new evacuation orders were signed yesterday by the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako, located west of Prince George, which has some of the largest wildfires in the province.

Vatican Expresses ‘Sorrow,’ Calls for ‘Accountability’ After Pennsylvania Report

August 18, 2018

Burke's statement did not mention another sex scandal rocking the Catholic Church in the U.S.: the accusations against former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick , a well-connected church leader who led the Archdiocese of Washington from 2001-2006.

Imran Khan pays tribute to Atal Bihari Vajpayee

August 18, 2018

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences, where Mr Vajpayee had been hospitalised for more than two months with a kidney infection and chest congestion, announced his death. The SAARC secretary general also recalled Vajpayee's "grand diplomatic gesture" of taking bus rides to Lahore and Dhaka during his prime ministership.

Recording: Omarosa offered $15000 a month to be 'positive'

August 18, 2018

Television personality and former White House staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman listens during an interview with The Associated Press, Tuesday, Aug. I will not be intimidated. She worked in the White House as "assistant to the president", though NPR's Brian Naylor noted when she left late past year, "what her job actually entailed was less than clear".

Italian rescue teams still hunting for survivors after bridge collapse

August 18, 2018

The motorway bridge , which opened in 1968, is a major highway for residents and tourists in the city of Genoa . However, Mr Salvini said it was "very likely" more victims would be find. Shares in other toll-road firms such as SIAS and ASTM also fell, after Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said the state would have to take over the country's motorways if concession-holders could not do the job properly.

Commander Of Bin Laden Raid: Revoke My Security Clearance Too, Trump

August 18, 2018

In announcing Comey's firing, the White House initially cited the former Federal Bureau of Investigation director's handling of the probe into Democratic rival Clinton's emails, seizing on the Federal Bureau of Investigation director's decision to divulge details of the probe to the public during her campaign against Trump .

MANAFORT MAYHEM: Judge Ellis Receives DEATH THREATS, Now Traveling with US MARSHALS

August 18, 2018

The federal prosecutors handling the fraud case against Paul Manafort spent two weeks laying out their case before the jury. "I think it's a very sad day for our country". It is unusual for a USA president to make comments about the character of a defendant in an ongoing trial and criticize the legal proceedings. Trump and others in his orbit have largely attempted to distance themselves from Manafort, but the president has occasionally suggested his former campaign manager's treatment ...

Pentagon Says China Military ‘Likely Training for Strikes' on US Targets

August 18, 2018

One of the arguments in favour of developing such a force is that American rivals like China appear increasingly ready to strike U.S. space-based capabilities in the event of a conflict. China has been expanding what appear to be military facilities on islands in the South China Sea and has landed bombers on the outposts during training exercises.

Trump suspects DOJ official Bruce Ohr's clearance will be revoked "quickly"

August 17, 2018

In an opinion piece in The New York Times, Brennan said Trump's decision, announced Wednesday, to deny him access to classified information was a desperate attempt to end Mueller's investigation. President Donald Trump says he expects to "quickly" revoke the security clearance for the Justice Department official whose wife worked for the firm involved in producing the dossier on Trump's ties to Russian Federation.

Imran Khan elected new Prime Minister by Pakistan's National Assembly

August 17, 2018

Speaking to reporters from the Attari-Wagah border, Sidhu said he is going to Pakistan with the hope that relations between India and Pakistan will improve. The result brings him one step closer to ending decades of rotating leadership between the PML-N and the PPP, punctuated by periods of military rule.

Pentagon Postpones Trump’s Military Parade to 2019 Amid Criticism Over Cost

August 17, 2018

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the cost estimate of about $92 million had not yet been approved by Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and could still be changed and more options could be included. "Any cost estimates are pre-decisional". Until now, the parade had been in the works, and was provided for in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, a piece of legislation signed every year that sets out the military's budget.

Taliban Kills at Least 35 Afghan Soldiers at Military Outpost

August 17, 2018

In the past two years, there have been at least 13 attacks on the Shiite community in Kabul alone. Security forces however immediately cordoned off the area after the attack was launched and evacuated residents in the immediate area. Mourners decried the unrelenting bloodshed, while others dismissed murmurings of possible ceasefires and peace negotiations between the government and the Taliban , even though the attack was claimed by IS.

Australian's Parliament speech on 'final solution' condemned

August 17, 2018

Later on Wednesday Hanson introduced her private member's bill "to give voters a say on whether Australia's immigration levels are too high by casting a vote at the next general election". Senator Fraser Anning has sought a drastic cut in the number of student visas in Australia, where India is the second largest source of worldwide students after China.

Former Indian leader who oversaw improved ties with Israel dies

August 17, 2018

Vajpayee was one of the founding members of Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which now governs India. He sparked an arms race with Pakistan , but later launched peace talks and a cross-border bus service between Lahore and Delhi.

U.S. ex-spymaster says Trump colluded with Russian Federation

August 17, 2018

They include Comey; James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence; former CIA Director Michael Hayden; former national security adviser Susan Rice; and Andrew McCabe, who served as Trump's deputy Federal Bureau of Investigation director until he was sacked in March.

Colorado Man Confesses He Killed His Missing Pregnant Wife And Two Daughters

August 17, 2018

Police say they arrested her husband , Chris Watts , on Wednesday. Authorities said the husband of a missing family in Colorado has been arrested in connection with the case. Shortly after, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Colorado Bureau of Investigation became involved to help the local department with what Albert described as "a case of this magnitude".

Judge: 'Well-planned conspiracy' to kill Kim Jong-nam

August 17, 2018

Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong were being accused of smearing VX nerve agent on Kim Jong Nam's face in an airport terminal in Kuala Lumpur. Ms. Huong, 30, and Ms. Aisyah, 26, have said they were duped by a group of four North Koreans who orchestrated the killing and fled hours later, abandoning them to suffer the consequences.

Trump OKs $717B Defense Spending Bill for Fiscal 2019

August 16, 2018

Often, presidents will object to provisions that appear to infringe on their powers. Trump infamously insulted McCain during his 2015 presidential run, and as recently as late June 2018 for voting against a awful health care bill (which something like 88% of Americans were against).

Netanyahu criticises Corbyn over Munich wreath-laying

August 16, 2018

Corbyn stirred condemnation and disbelief from members of his own party when the graveside trip was first revealed in May, 2017. How can you say he is not involved?' she told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme. But images recovered from a Palestinian Embassy archive show him holding a wreath in front of a plaque dedicated to members of Black September. While he admitted being present during a wreath-laying for those allegedly involved in the Munich massacre of 1972, he said he was not ...

China says will assess USA defense policy bill

August 16, 2018

President Donald Trump signed the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act into law Monday, marking the first on-time passage of the annual bill in 22 years. The report is expected to include an assessment of Turkey's participation in the F-35 program as well as the risks that would be posed by the country's purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.

Manafort’s defense rests after calling no witnesses

August 16, 2018

Harry Litman, a University of California law professor and former federal prosecutor, said defense lawyers often call a handful of witnesses to chip away at bits of the government's case. In August, Manafort emailed Raico asking for Calk's résumé. A memo created by another bank employee noted that Manafort had no income as of July 2016, even though Manafort claimed he was owed $2.4 million, and that Manafort was 90 days past due on a $300,000 credit card bill, a debt Manafort blamed on Rick ...

Trump revokes security clearance of former Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan

August 16, 2018

It was an angry Paul who last month called for Brennan's clearance to be yanked, after Brennan called Trump's appearance at a news conference with Russian leader Vladimir Putin " nothing short of treasonous ". The move has been seen as an unprecedented act of retribution against a vocal critic of the USA president, who hit back in a tweet, saying his principles were "worth far more than clearances", adding: "I will not relent".

Trump Homes In on 'the Fake News Media' as 'Opposition Party'

August 16, 2018

The Boston Globe invited newspapers across the country to stand up for the press with editorials on Thursday, and several began appearing online a day earlier. Even the New York Post - the conservative-leaning daily owned by News Corp titan and Trump friend Rupert Murdoch - published an editorial of its own.

Scores killed in battle for key Afghan city

August 16, 2018

Mohammad Rahim Hasanyar, a senator from the province, informed the public that Army reinforcements from Kabul the Afghan capital had not moved past Rawza, a town about 2km northeast of Ghazni, the capital of the province which bears the same name.

Bridge collapse latest; Trump's Central Intelligence Agency row; and Madonna turns 60

August 16, 2018

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Brennan engaged in "erratic conduct and behavior". She also claims he's "leveraged his status" to make unfounded allegations. "Such access is particularly inappropriate when former officials have transitioned into highly partisan positions and seek to use real or perceived access to sensitive information to validate their political attacks".

Kremlin slams new USA sanctions against Russian Federation

August 16, 2018

The United States has no reasons to depict Russian Federation as a threat, the Kremlin said Tuesday after the latest US defense bill stipulated measures to contain Russia's military development. But he added that the unstable situation on developing markets are also to blame. Kremlin said Monday Russia has been pushing for an arrangement with all countries to conduct trade in national currencies after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's call for such an arrangement.

US says North Korea talks moving 'in right direction'

August 16, 2018

President Moon Jae-in delivers a speech at a ceremony held in Yongsan, Seoul on August 15, 2018 to mark the 73rd anniversary of Korea's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule. The progressive South Korean president also played a key role in facilitating a historic summit in June between the North Korean leader and U.S. President Donald Trump, where Kim reaffirmed his commitment to denuclearization.

On Independence Day, Modi promises Indian manned space mission

August 16, 2018

India-born Kalpana Chawla and Indian-origin Sunita Williams are among the known names to have gone to space. The astronaut would be 'carrying the national flag, ' he revealed during the 80-minute speech, which was broadcast live from the historic Red Fort in New Delhi .

Iraq to respect dollar ban but not all U.S. sanctions…

August 16, 2018

Abadi on August 7 said he did not agree with the renewed US sanctions, but clarified that he would abide by them to protect Iraq's interests and shield the country from retaliatory actions by Washington. Conflicting reports emerged on Monday around a potential visit by Mr Abadi to Iran. "In general, sanctions are unjust", the prime minister added.

All districts of Kerala flooded, rescue operations underway

August 16, 2018

The Kerala government has sought more contingents of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to combat the serious flood situation in the state. Torrential monsoon rains have disrupted air and train services in the southern Indian state of Kerala, where flooding, landslides and bridge collapses have killed more than 40 people in the past week, officials said on Wednesday.

Hatch 'not comfortable' with Trump calling Omarosa a 'dog'

August 16, 2018

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on Wednesday questioned the validity and enforceability of any nondisclosure agreements for White House employees. The White House counters that Manigault Newman is a disgruntled former staffer with credibility and character issues who is now trying to profit through false attacks against someone she has worked with and supported for more than a decade, including his presidential campaign.

Taliban Overrun Afghan Army Base, Kill 17 Troops

August 15, 2018

The Ghazni attack, one of the Taliban's most devastating in years, has clouded hopes for peace talks that had been prompted by an unprecedented ceasefire during the Eid celebration in June and a meeting last month between Taliban officials and a senior US diplomat.

United Kingdom should take migrants on Aquarius, says Rome

August 15, 2018

Due to pressure from Italy and Malta, most charity ships are no longer patrolling off the coast of Libya. More than 650,000 migrants have come to Italy's shores since 2014. "The requests for such vessel to enter ports are unwarranted and without legal standing", the government said. The vessel, Aquarius , rescued migrants from worldwide waters on Friday with the help of Libya.

QUALITY ALERT: Wildfire smoke brings regional health warning

August 15, 2018

A smoky haze from wildfires is causing poor air quality for much of the Portland metro area. People in communities stretching from High Level to Cypress Hills Provincial Park are being asked to take precautions. Those include closing windows, running air conditioners on recirculation mode, avoiding driving and closing the windows when doing so and possibly wearing a N95 or N100 rated mask.

Manafort's Defense Rests Without Bringing Evidence

August 15, 2018

Kushner has met twice with special counsel prosecutors as part of Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian meddling during the 2016 campaign, a source familiar with the meetings confirmed to ABC News earlier this year. Ellis then called Manafort to the podium and asked him if he wished to testify. Jurors were sent home Tuesday as both sides hash out the judge's instructions on the charges.

Yemeni children stage protest against Saudi coalition

August 15, 2018

In a statement on Monday, Lt. Cmdr. The meeting also discussed the GCC-backed political transition that was disrupted when the Houthi rebels seized the capital, Sanaa, in September 2014 and overthrew the internationally recognised government led by President Abdrabu Mansur Hadi.

U.S. report lists more than 300 'predator' priests

August 15, 2018

Pennsylvania is believed to have conducted more investigations of institutional child sex abuse than any other state. In almost every case, prosecutors found that the statute of limitations has run out, meaning that criminal charges can not be filed.

Video Shows Vehicles Stopped at Collapse Point of Genoa Bridge

August 15, 2018

The incident is the deadliest of its kind in Europe since 2001 and the latest in a string of bridge collapses in Italy. "Obviously for me it is not", said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who leads the right-wing League which governs with the 5-Star Movement.

Westminster crash: vehicle smashes into security barriers outside Houses of Parliament

August 15, 2018

A cyclist passes a police officer standing at the vehicle barrier to the Houses of Parliament where a auto crashed after knocking down cyclists and pedestrians yesterday in Westminster , London , Britain, August 15, 2018. This is a developing story . "He made no attempt to slow down as he hit the cyclists", said Robert Nicholson, 36, who was on his way to work. In March of 2017, four people died after Khalid Masood rammed a auto into a crowd on Westminister Bridge.

Ad hoc group for Caspian Sea status wraps up final meeting

August 15, 2018

In a related development also on Sunday, high-ranking officials of the five Caspian Sea littoral states signed six documents for strategic and economic cooperation in the presence of their respective countries' presidents. The US Energy Information Administration estimated in 2012 there were 48 billion barrels of oil and 8.3 trillion cubic metres of natural gas beneath its seabed.