
By PATRICIA LOCKWOOD from NYT Magazine http://ift.tt/2DQzGoM
By Kinda Makieh and Maria Tsvetkova SOCHI, Russia (Reuters) - A Syrian peace conference in Russia ended on Tuesday with a statement calling for democratic elections, but ignoring key opposition demands after a day marred by squabbles and heckling of the Russian foreign minister. The participants also agreed to set up a committee to rewrite the Syrian constitution at the conference, which much of the opposition said aimed to serve the interests of President Bashar al-Assad and his close ally, Moscow. A final statement said Syrians must decide their future through elections, but did not say whether Syrian refugees would be allowed to take part, something sought by Assad's opponents and Western states.
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North Korea has stepped up its executions, the top commander of US troops on the Korean Peninsula said on Monday, amid increasing strain on the its military from international economic sanctions. “We’re seeing some increase in executions, mostly against political officers who are in military units, for corruption,” General Vincent K Brooks, the top US commander in South Korea told the Wall Street Journal. He added that the actions “are really about trying to clamp down on as much as possible on something that might be deteriorating and keeping it from deteriorating too quickly.” In recent months the South Korean press has reported the possible execution of Park In-young, the official in charge of Pyongyang’s nuclear test facilities, and former military chief, General Hwang Pyong-so, who was accused of allegedly taking bribes. General Brooks also noted a recent shift in the pattern of defections from the North. “We’re seeing defections happening in areas where we don’t generally see them, for example crossing the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone on the border),” he said. Meanwhile, North Korea has been cutting back on its winter military drills as harsh sanctions over its nuclear and weapons programme begin to bite, say analysts. The military exercises, which usually run from December to March, got started late and aren’t as extensive as before, the Journal reported. The United Nations has placed major restrictions on imports of oil and refined petroleum products to North Korea, which may have led to a reduction in military activities to save fuel. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visiting the State Academy of Sciences at an undisclosed location Credit: AFP “Where this will have an effect in on ground-force readiness,” Joseph Bermudez, a military analyst for 38 North, a website run by Johns Hopkins University’s US-Korea Institute, told the paper. “Military units have to train to maintain their proficiency.” North Korean workers overseas, previously a big source of foreign currency for the regime, are also now being sent home from their host countries after strict new sanctions imposed by the UN in August, following Pyongyang’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. On Tuesday it emerged that Angola was the latest country to terminate all of its contracts with North Korean construction company, Mansudae, and had asked its employees to leave.
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The wife of a Taiwanese democracy activist who was jailed in China in a case which further strained relations was Tuesday barred from boarding a flight to visit him in prison. Human rights and democracy activists have been targeted in Chinese President Xi Jinping's crackdown on dissent since he took power in 2012. Taipei had called Lee's jailing "unacceptable" and a serious blow to cross-strait relations, while his wife Lee Ching-yu called his trial a "political show".
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A Russian fighter jet came within 5ft of a US surveillance plane as it flew over the Black Sea, in what the US called an “unsafe interaction”. The flight path of the Russian jet forced the US Navy aircraft, which was flying in international airspace, to end its mission prematurely, a US official said. “This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements,” the US State Department said in a separate statement.
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New York Times |
Trump Vows a Muscular America to Confront a World of Enemies
New York Times WASHINGTON — President Trump sketched out an ominous view of America's international role on Tuesday, emphasizing adversaries over allies, threats over opportunities, and a world to be pacified rather than elevated. Be it Iran or the Islamic State, Mr ... North Korea to parade dozens of long-range missiles before Winter Olympics Trump: North Korea 'could very soon threaten our homeland' Trump to Otto Warmbier family: 'You are powerful witnesses to a menace that threatens our world' |
CNN |
Las Vegas shooting documents include second person of interest
CNN (CNN) In the early days of the investigation into the Las Vegas mass shooting, two people were named as persons of interest in the case, according to newly released police search warrants. One was deceased shooter Stephen Paddock's girlfriend, Marilou ... The Latest: Arizona man confirms selling ammo to shooter 2nd Person of Interest Was Identified in Days After Las Vegas Shooting, Documents Show Court error unmasks person of interest in Las Vegas massacre |
TIME |
Hillary Clinton Didn't Fire An Advisor Accused of Harassment. She Now Says She Would
TIME Former US Secretary of State and WOV Honoree Hillary Clinton speaks onstage at the Ms. Foundation for Women 2017 Gloria Awards Gala & After Party at Capitale on May 3, 2017 in New York City. Astrid Stawiarz—The Foundation for Women/Getty Images. 9:55 ... Clinton says she regrets not firing aide accused of sexual harassment during 2008 campaign Clinton Says She Should Have Fired Campaign Aide Accused of Sexual Harassment Clinton says NYT went too easy on reporter accused of sexual misconduct |
ABC News |
Hawaii's false missile alert sent by troubled worker who thought an attack was imminent, officials say
Washington Post The Hawaii employee who sent out a false alarm warning of an incoming missile attack earlier this month said he misunderstood that a drill was underway and believed that a ballistic missile had actually been fired at the state, authorities said Tuesday ... Hawaii Missile Alert Wasn't Accidental, Officials Say, Blaming Worker Worker who sent Hawaii missile false alarm believed threat was real Hawaii employee who sent alert thought real missile was incoming; state emergency manager resigns |
BBC News |
Skywatchers await 'super blue blood Moon'
BBC News The night sky has a display in store on Wednesday, 31 January, with a lunar event being called the "Super blue blood moon". For Australia, Asia and some parts of the US and Eastern Europe, there will be a lunar eclipse, as the Earth passes between the ... Super blue blood moon reminds us that despite chaos on Earth, the heavens are still operating like clockwork Wednesday's rare super blue blood moon: How to see it and what we can learn Where in US will skies be clear for super blue blood moon's total eclipse? |
New York Times |
Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Team Up to Try to Disrupt Health Care
New York Times SEATTLE — Three corporate behemoths — Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase — announced on Tuesday that they would form an independent health care company for their employees in the United States. The alliance was a sign of just how ... How 3 CEOs can fix health care: What the experts say Trump joins Bezos, Dimon and Buffett by pledging to stop soaring drug prices Healthcare advice for Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett and Jamie Dimon |
Times of India |
6.1 earthquake jolts northern India, tremors felt in Delhi-NCR
Times of India NEW DELHI: A 6.1 magnitude earthquake on the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region on Wednesday shook several parts of north India, including the national capital and the Kashmir Valley, the met department said. The quake, which was felt in the Delhi ... Afghanistan earthquake jolts Delhi-NCR, child killed in Pakistan's Balochistan Tremors In Delhi, Srinagar After 6.1 Earthquake In Afghanistan BREAKING: Huge 6.2-magnitude earthquake rocks India, Pakistan and Afghanistan |
A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a US surveillance plane over the Black Sea on Monday, prompting the American government to protest the manoeuvre as "an unsafe interaction". The US State Department said the Russian jet closed to within five feet and crossed directly in front of the EP-3 Aries II plane. The encounter, first reported by Russia's RIA news agency, cited the defence ministry as saying the US Navy aircraft, did not violate Russian air space. "This is but the latest example of Russian military activities disregarding international norms and agreements," said the State Department. "We call on Russia to cease these unsafe actions that increase the risk of miscalculation, danger to aircrew on both sides, and midair collisions." MT @USNavyEurope : #USNavy EP-3 Aries flying in international airspace over #BlackSea was intercepted by Russian Su-27. Interaction determined unsafe: Su-27 came within 5 feet & crossed thru EP-3’s flight path, causing EP-3 to fly thru Su-27 jet wash. [File Photo] pic.twitter.com/B25rRhpeyU— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) January 29, 2018 Moscow said that "all security precautions" had been observed during the encounter. "After the surveillance plane of the US Navy had changed its course to move away from the border, the Su-27 returned to its base," RIA quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying. Russian jets and Nato aircraft have frequently come close together over the Black Sea, the Baltic region, Syria and elsewhere. The Pentagon has warned of the dangers of such close encounters in the sky. A Russian Su-27 gets up and close and personal Credit: US European Command Images released by US European Command last yearshow a Russian SU-27 flying close to the wing of a US RC-135U. The planes are so close that the Russian pilot can be seen in the cockpit.
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The big question looming over President Trump's first State of the Union speech is whether he will mention the investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller. But what he says will also give clues to his agenda for 2018 and his strategy for the midterm elections. Here's what to look for.
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Taiwanese troops Tuesday staged live-fire exercises simulating a response to an invasion, as China steppeds up pressure on the island's President Tsai Ing-wen and a row over airline routes escalated. The ministry did not specify that the annual drill simulated an invasion by China but said it was intended to "show determination to safeguard peace in the Taiwan Strait and national security". Tsai last month warned against what she called Beijing's "military expansion" -- the increase in Chinese air and naval drills around the island since she came to power in May 2016.
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By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - Schools, clinics and food distribution centers in the Gaza Strip were closed most of Monday by a demonstration by thousands of employees of the United Nations agency that serves Palestinian refugees. Palestinians have been angered by a U.S. decision to cut aid to the United Nations Relief and Welfare Agency (UNRWA), saying it will cause worse hardship in Gaza. More than half the enclave's two million residents depend on support from UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies.
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