Tag: US

ASEAN wants demilitarization of S. China Sea, unsettled by China’s weapon systems in region

  (Reuters) — Southeast Asian countries see China’s installation of weapons systems in the South China Sea as very unsettling and want to prevent militarisation and urge dialogue to stop “recent developments” from escalating, the Philippines said on Tuesday (February 21). Foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) were unanimous in their concern about Beijing’s reclamation and militarisation of manmade islands, Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said. Yasay did not […]

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China opposes U.S. naval patrols in South China Sea

  BEIJING, China (AFP) — China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday (February 21) it opposes actions by other countries under the pretext of freedom of navigation that damage its sovereignty, after a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group began patrols in the contested South China Sea. The U.S. navy said the strike group, including Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, began routine operations in the South China Sea on Saturday (February 18) amid growing tensions with […]

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SpaceX blasts off cargo from historic NASA launchpad

by Kerry SHERIDAN Agence France-Presse MIAMI, United States (AFP) — SpaceX on Sunday blasted off its Falcon 9 rocket carrying the unmanned Dragon cargo ship, packed with food and supplies for the six astronauts living at the International Space Station. The white rocket soared into the cloudy, gray skies over Cape Canaveral, Florida at 9:38 am (1438 GMT). The mission was the first to take off from NASA’s historic launchpad 39A, the origin of the […]

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New US immigrant ban to be better prepared, says US Homeland Security chief

  MUNICH, Germany (AFP) — US Homeland Security chief John Kelly on Saturday said a new presidential immigrant ban will be better prepared and implemented to ensure there is no repeat of the chaos caused by the first. President Donald Trump said Thursday he would announce a new executive order on immigration next week after federal courts suspended his ban on the ground it targeted Muslims and was implemented without due care or preparation. Kelly […]

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NATO working on de-escalating tensions with Russia

  (Reuters) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday (February 17) that the Western alliance is seeing progress on encouraging Moscow to be more open about its military exercises that he says are unpredictable, after holding talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich. But disagreements remained, he said, over the crisis in Ukraine, where the West accuses the Kremlin of arming separatist rebels in a conflict that has killed 10,000 people since […]

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European partners look to Pentagon chief for reassurance

  MUNICH, Germany (AFP) — Jittery European partners looking for reassurance from a member of US President Donald Trump’s new administration might have found it Friday in the form of Defense Secretary James Mattis. Allies are deeply troubled after Trump’s campaign rhetoric questioned long-established alliances, and they worry about a simmering scandal over possible ties between the White House and Moscow. Mattis, a former four-star Marine general whom Trump coaxed from retirement to run the […]

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Trump denies campaign had pre-election contact with Russia

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump insisted Thursday that neither he nor his campaign team had contacts with Russian officials in the run-up to last year’s US election, contradicting an explosive report which he blasted as “fake news.” Trump also defended Michael Flynn, the national security advisor whose resignation he demanded and received this week, saying Flynn “wasn’t wrong” for holding pre-inauguration phone calls with the Russian […]

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US and Russia agree to boost military communications: Pentagon

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US and Russian militaries agreed to “enhance communications” after a meeting between their top commanders in Azerbaijan on Thursday, the Pentagon said. Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Joe Dunford and his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov discussed military relations between the two countries as well as security in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere during their meeting in the capital Baku. The two sides “have undertaken efforts […]

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Featured video: Trump hails “unbreakable” bond between US and Israel

https://youtu.be/FMvwqJvkmCs   United States President Donald Trump warmly welcomed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House and hailed the “unbreakable” bond between their countries. And while he urged Netanyahu to “hold back” from building Jewish settlements for a “little bit,” Trump broke with international consensus insisting on a future that included a Palestinian state alongside Israel. “So I’m looking at two-state and one-state, and I like the one that both parties like. I’m very […]

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Watch: Trump confident of court win over travel ban

https://youtu.be/rKBbjZBrEfw US President Donald Trump says he has “no doubt” he will win the court battle on his travel ban after denouncing as “disgraceful” an appellate court’s decision blocking the order. “We will continue to go through the court process and ultimately I have no doubt that we’ll win that particular case,” he said.

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Trump considering ‘brand new’ immigration order

  by James Mannion / Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said Friday he is considering drafting a new order to ban migrants from majority-Muslim nations after his initial decree fell afoul of the law. Insisting that he has the law on his side despite two defeats in federal court in quick succession, Trump said security concerns may necessitate a quicker response than legal channels would allow. […]

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Trump welcomes Abe with warm White House embrace

  by Andrew Beatty Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – President Donald Trump welcomed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with a brotherly hug and warm words of admiration Friday, as he ditched previously hard-charging rhetoric toward Tokyo during a White House summit. Trump praised his guest’s “strong hands,” the pair’s “very, very good chemistry” and rolled out a White House military honor guard in a remarkable public display of diplomatic affection. “When I […]

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