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U.S. claims killed two ‘terrorists’ in southern Libya air strike

in DEFENCE/MIDLE EAST by

TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI, Libya – U.S. forces said they had killed “two terrorists” in an air strike in southwestern Libya on Saturday as part of efforts to deny militants a safe haven in the country’s vast desert. The strike hit on the outskirts of the city of Ubari and was carried out in coordination with the internationally recognized Government of National Accord in Tripoli, the U.S. Africa Command said in a statement.

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Trump may expel Russian diplomats in response to nerve-agent attack in Britain

in Senza categoria by

U.S. and European officials said Saturday that President Trump is close to expelling 20 or more Russian diplomats in response to the poisoning of a former Russian spy in Britain. The move, which could prompt a new wave of retaliatory expulsions of U.S. diplomats in Russia, may come as early as Monday. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement that the United States is considering a “range of options to respond to Russia’s outrageous actions in the UK, both to demonstrate our solidarity with our ally and to hold Russia accountable for its clear breach of international norms and agreements.”

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U.S. warship sails near disputed South China Sea island, officials say

in ASIA/DEFENCE by

China’s Defence Ministry said the United States had seriously offened the country’s sovereignty and security after a U.S. Navy destroyer carried out a “freedom of navigation”, coming within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built by China in the South China Sea, the Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, and carried out maneuvering operations.

The operation, which infuriated Beijing, was the latest attempt to counter what Washington sees as China’s efforts to limit freedom of navigation in the strategic waters. When asked about the operation, the U.S. military said its activities are carried out under international law and American forces operate in the region on a daily bases.

China’s Defense Ministry said two Chinese naval ships had been sent to identify the U.S. ship and warn it to leave. It described the actions of the American ship as seriously harming China’s sovereignty and security, which threatens regional peace and stability. China has always dedicated itself to protecting freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, but opposes “illegal and provocative” moves in the name of freedom of navigation, it added.

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U.S. and China clash at U.N. rights forum on Beijing text

in ASIA/POLITICS by

China and the United States clashed at the United Nations, where the U.S. delegation rejected a resolution brought by Beijing that it said sought to glorify Xi Jinping’s “win-win” agenda and subordinated human rights to development or trade. China led a resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council that calls for “mutually beneficial cooperation”. Senior Chinese diplomat Jiang Duan urged states to adopt the text, whose co-sponsors included Pakistan and Egypt, by consensus. But U.S. diplomat Jason Mack called for a vote on China’s resolution, which was then easily adopted by the 47-member forum. The U.S. delegation cast the only “no” vote, while 28 states voted in favor, including China, and 17 abstained with one delegation absent. “China is attempting through this resolution to weaken the U.N. human rights system and the norms underpinning it” Mack said.

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The National Iranian American Council criticizes Bolton pick at Trump’s war gabinet

in MIDLE EAST by

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) on Friday slammed US President Donald Trump’s appointment of John Bolton as National Security Advisor warning that “with Bolton pick, Trump is assembling an Iran war cabinet”. “Donald Trump may have just effectively declared war on Iran. With the appointment of John Bolton, and nomination of Mike Pompeo at State, Trump is clearly putting together a war cabinet. As the world awaits Trump’s May 12 decision as to whether he will abandon the Iran nuclear deal, all of the signs now point to a decision to move to war footing”, president of the National Iranian American Council, Trita Parsi, declared. “Bolton is an unhinged advocate for waging World War III. He has explicitly called for bombing Iran for the past ten years. Bolton’s first order of business will be to convince Trump to exit the Iran nuclear deal and lay the groundwork for the war he has urged over the past decade. Additionally, he has called for supporting the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorist organization and other separatist groups inside of Iran”, he pointed out.

After his appointment, John Bolton tried to distance himself from his past statements. He added: “The important thing is what the President says and the advice I give him, not the past”.

 

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U.S.-South Korea military exercises to resume next month

in ASIA/DEFENCE by

Seoul and Washington said the United States and South Korea next month will resume joint military exercises, that will go ahead despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The Foal Eagle field exercise is scheduled to begin on April 1 and go on for a month, while the computer-simulated Key Resolve will be held for two weeks starting in mid-April. The South Korean and U.S. militaries usually stage the two drills in March for about two months but the period of this year’s field exercise was cut by half, mainly due to the Olympics.

The exercises will be of a “scale similar to that of the previous years” and are meant “to improve our readiness against various North Korean threats”, a South Korean military official told reporters.

The Pentagon said the North Korean military had been notified about the schedule for the drills by the United Nations Command. “Our combined exercises are defence-oriented and there is no reason for North Korea to view them as a provocation,” Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Logan said.

 

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US allocates 2.5 million dollars to the assistance of Venezuelans fleeing to Colombia

in AMERICAS by

The United States approved on Tuesday to allocate, “with immediate effect,” 2.5 million dollars to the assistance of Venezuelans fleeing to Colombia. The drift of the regime of Nicolás Maduro has caused in recent months a massive flight, which has led to a humanitarian emergency on the border between the two countries, especially in the city of Cúcuta. These funds, in addition to the contribution of 36.5 million that the Administration of Donald Trump reserved to support the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the region, fall on the organizations that provide food and health assistance to the tens of thousands of Venezuelans who arrive daily in Colombia.

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Gina Haspel, Trump’s pick for CIA director, tied to use of brutal interrogation measures

in AMERICAS by

President Trump on Tuesday chose CIA veteran Gina Haspel to be the spy agency’s next director, picking a woman who spent multiple tours overseas and is respected by the workforce but is deeply tied to the agency’s use of brutal interrogation measures on terrorism suspects. Haspel, 61, would become the first woman to lead the CIA if she is confirmed to succeed outgoing director Mike Pompeo, who has been picked to serve as secretary of state.

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Yountville attack: California hostage-taker was former patient

in AMERICAS by

The man who killed three women after a stand-off at a veterans’ home in Napa Valley, California was a former patient, authorities say. The three victims were all employees at the centre in Yountville. The residential centre provides mental health services for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The suspected gunman, who died at the scene, has been named as Albert Wong, 36. No motive for the attack has been identified, police say. Wong, reportedly a former US Army rifleman, had left a programme to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The gunman entered the building while employees were having cake as a leaving celebration for some colleagues. After a siege lasting all day police discovered the four bodies in a room at The Pathway Home on Friday evening.

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Erdogan, anti-Americanism on rise

in MIDLE EAST by

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that anti-American sentiments is growing because of the U.S.’ support for the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria. He added that when he showed to Tillerson all this on a screen, he complained that ‘anti-Americanism is on the rise in Turkey because Turkey broadcast this sort of information on TVs every day. Erdoğan’s statements came as a joint Turkish-American committee continued talks in Washington D.C. in a bid to resolve outstanding problems between the two allies. The U.S. State Department spokesperson on March 8 said talks between Turkish and American officials had begun in the U.S. capital and many issues would be discussed. Heather Nauert told reporters that the meeting is an introductory one where the two nations can work out some of these issues. When asked if Washington was willing to pressure Ankara to stop the Afrin offensive, Nauert said it would not come as a surprise if this issue appeared in the talks. On the Turkish side, Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Sedat Önal has been presiding over the committee on Syria, Deputy Undersecretary Cihad Erginay on the FETÖ and Fazlı Corman, the director general for South Asia at the Foreign Ministry, on Iraq. According to Turkish officials, the primary agenda of the Syrian committee is Turkey’s demand to remove the People’s Protection Units (YPG) from Manbij, which lies to the west of the Euphrates River in northern Syria. The meeting will be also about FETÖ, Turkey’s procurement of the S-400 missile system from Russia, migration and visa issues.

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