DEFENSE Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday (February 03) said the U.S. Navy would buy more high-end submarines, destroyers, fighter jets and unmanned underwater vehicles in coming years, using $8 billion saved by scaling back orders for smaller, less capable Littoral Combat Ships. Carter said the Pentagon’s five-year budget plan also included $2.9 billion to modify Raytheon Co’s new SM-6 missiles for use as powerful anti-ship weapons and buy 625 more of the weapons, which are […]
International
Syrian towns receive humanitarian aid
AID convoys have delivered much-needed humanitarian aid to several towns in Syria over the past two days. The town of al-Moadamiya in southwestern Damascus Countryside Governorate received 2,500 cases of aid including food and medicine from the governorate authorities and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent on Tuesday and Wednesday. The rebel-held town, which has around 45,000 residents living there, is besieged by government forces. The Chinese Embassy in Syria on Wednesday provided supplies including quilts and […]
Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal signed, but years of negotiations still to come
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, one of the world’s biggest multinational trade deals, was signed by 12 member nations on Thursday (February 4) in New Zealand, but the pact will still require years of tough negotiations before it becomes a reality. The TPP, a deal which will cover 40 percent of the world economy, has already taken five years of negotiations to reach Thursday’s signing stage. “Signature today is an important step. But TPP is still […]
EU proposals on Britain pave way for deal, Dutch foreign minister says
(Reuters) — A proposal to help persuade Britain to remain in the European Union is likely to be agreed by EU leaders, the Netherlands, which holds the EU rotating presidency, said on Wednesday (February 3). Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders told the European Parliament the proposal on reforming Britain’s relationship with the EU presented on Tuesday by the European Council will help reach a solution that is acceptable to all members, including Britain. “All […]
Australian court paves way for deportation of infant asylum seekers
Australia’s High Court threw out a challenge to the country’s offshore immigration detention camps on Wednesday (February 3), clearing the way for the deportation of dozens of infants born in Australia to detained asylum seekers. The court rejected a legal test case brought by an unidentified Bangladeshi woman who challenged Australia’s right to deport detained asylum seekers to the tiny South Pacific island nation of Nauru. “Now the legality is one thing, the morality is […]
Turkey’s Erdogan and Peru’s Humala sign bilateral accords
TURKISH President Tayyip Erdogan and Peruvian President Ollanta Humala signed bilateral accords on Tuesday (February 2) to increase bilateral economic and social cooperation. Accompanied by Peruvian Foreign Minister Ana Maria Sanchez and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, the two presidents held a private meeting at the Salon de Embajadores (Ambassadors’ Hall) in the presidential palace. The foreign ministers signed bilateral agreements for cooperation among the two countries’ Chambers of Commerce and official news agencies. The agreements […]
Ecuadorian and Venezuelan FMs meet opposition as President Martelly’s term nears end with no successor
Representing CELAC (The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States), the Ecuadorian and Venezuelan foreign ministers met with opposition parties on Tuesday (February 02) as the international community seeks to resolve political deadlock in the Caribbean nation after presidential elections were cancelled late last month amidst violence and accusations of fraud. Government supporters took to the streets as Haiti’s opposition rejected a proposal by outgoing President Michel Martelly to form a temporary government to organise […]
Trump decries media portrayal of his Iowa result
Donald Trump, the New York businessman seeking the Republican U.S. presidential nomination, said on Tuesday (February 2) he felt “a tinge” of disappointment after losing to Texas Senator Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses. Asked before a rally in Milford, New Hampshire on Tuesday (February 2) evening if he planned to change his campaign strategy, Trump told a news conference he felt confident in his methods, but he was adding more town hall-style events. When […]
Ecuador confirms first pregnant woman with Zika
ECUADORIAN authorities confirmed 22 cases of Zika, including the first reported case of a pregnant woman with the virus in the Andean nation. According to Ecuador’s National Institute of Public Health Investigations (INSPI) the woman is 19-years-old and is in the 27th week of her pregnancy. The institute has said the woman’s condition is stable and they do not believe the baby is at risk of microcephaly because the mother is at the end of her […]
Japan PM Abe to ‘strongly demand’ North Korea refrain from suspected missile launch
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday (February 3) he would work with the United States and others to “strongly demand” that North Korea refrain from a planned satellite launch suspected to be a missile test, calling it a provocative move that threatens the nation’s security. “This has been a meaning actually for a ballistic missile test. In addition to the nuclear tests, North Korea testing these ballistic missiles is an obvious violation of […]
Forest fires in Colombia send smoke plume over Bogota
The Colombian capital city of Bogota was covered in haze on Tuesday (February 2) as strong winds blew smoke and ash from forest fires into the city. Firefighters using helicopters have been battling the flames for nearly two days in the Aguas Claras reserve located south of Bogota. Bogota Mayor Enrique Penaloso said the fire began at a military base. “Unfortunately, despite the great work of the military, the fire department, the civil defence, the […]
South Korea says North will pay a ‘severe price’ for suspected missile launch
(Reuters) — South Korea said on Wednesday (February 3) North Korea’s announced plan to launch a satellite is really a plan to launch a long-range missile and warned that the North will pay a “severe price” if it goes ahead. North Korea should immediately call off the planned launch, which is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, the South’s presidential Blue House said. Seoul’s warning came after the North notified U.N. agencies late […]