FORMER First Lady Barbara Bush was laid to rest yesterday as her two sons paid their respects. The private funeral was attended by her husband, 41st President George, and their son George W - the 43rd US leader. Donald Trump was represented by his wife Melania. The White House said this week that he wanted to avoid disrupting the service with added security. Barack Obama and wife Michelle were among the 1,500 guests. Bill Clinton and wife Hillary were also invited to the service in Houston, Texas. President Trump said his “thoughts and prayers” were with the entire Bush family. At Barbra's own request, her younger son, former Florida governor and 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush, delivered a eulogy. Her longtime friend Susan Baker, the wife of former Secretary of State James Baker, and the historian and author Jon Meacham, who penned a biography of George H.W. Bush, also delivered remarks at the televised service. MOST READ IN WORLD NEWSWATER SCOOTER SHOOTERS Cancun gun … [Read more...] about Four US Presidents among guests as Barbara Bush is laid to rest
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A Pawn in Their Game: US Cozies Up to Taiwan, Angering China
© REUTERS / Thomas White/Illustration/File PhotoUS Weighs Non-Tariff Restrictions on China InvestmentsAfter Chinese President Xi Jinping recently presided over the largest military exercise by the country since 1949 — a massive parade of warships in the disputed South China Sea — state-owned Beijing media outlet Xinhua warned Taiwan and its longstanding military ally the US that independence moves by the island nation will not be tolerated. But the administration of US President Donald Trump continues to buck a foreign policy long held by earlier US presidents, that there would be no overt support of Taiwan independence, in spite of military and other forms of ongoing assistance, alongside Washington's trade-war threats. Trump and his administration appear to be escalating the anger in Beijing, as significant steps by Washington in recent months intending … [Read more...] about A Pawn in Their Game: US Cozies Up to Taiwan, Angering China
Extradite Gulen First: Erdogan’s Response to Trump Call to Free US Pastor
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump voiced support for Brunson's release. The pastor, who ran a Protestant church in southwestern Turkey, was arrested on charges of allegedly helping a group accused of allegedly orchestrating the thwarted July 15, 2016, coup in Turkey. Trump, in his customary fashion, tweeted that Brunson is "being persecuted in Turkey for no reason." Erdogan said on Turkish television news channel NTV that if Washington wants Ankara to release Brunson, it must extradite Gulen to Turkey. Day 1 of US pastor Andrew Brunson's espionage trial in Turkey did not go well. The court ruled that Day 2 won't be until 7 May, then sent him back to the over crowded jail where he was first held. https://t.co/zRg1H4Eg7X pic.twitter.com/WjXh0oFpgb — World Watch Monitor (@wwmonitor) 16 апреля 2018 г. The Brunson trial began … [Read more...] about Extradite Gulen First: Erdogan’s Response to Trump Call to Free US Pastor
Iran would talk prisoners if US shows respect: Zarif
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Tehran is open to prisoner swap negotiations with the US if the Trump administration shows a "change of attitude." Negotiations are a "possibility certainly from a humanitarian perspective, but it requires a change of attitude," Zarif said in an interview with CBS television's "Face the Nation" set to air Sunday. Five Americans are held in Tehran, including 81-year-old Baquer Namazi, who is in failing health. Zarif blasted the US administration for showing "disrespect" toward Iran, a frequent target of President Donald Trump's wrath. Trump has said he wants to rip up the Iran nuclear deal, and his new National Security Advisor John Bolton has advocated for regime change in Tehran. "You do not engage in negotiations by exercising disrespect for a country, for its people, for its government, by openly making claims, including this illusion about regime change," Zarif said, according to interview excerpts. In January 2016, after months of … [Read more...] about Iran would talk prisoners if US shows respect: Zarif
Hundreds of children separated from their parents by US border agents, new data reveals
On 20 February a young woman named Mirian arrived at the Texas border carrying her 18-month-old son. They had fled their home in Honduras through a cloud of tear gas, she told border agents, and needed protection from the political violence there. She had hoped she and her son would find refuge together. Instead, the agents ordered her to place her son in the back seat of a government vehicle, she said later in a sworn declaration to a federal court. They both cried as the boy was driven away. For months, members of Congress have been demanding answers about how many families are being separated as they are processed at stations along the southwest border, in part because the Trump administration has in the past said it was considering taking children from their parents as a way to deter migrants from coming here. Officials have repeatedly declined to provide data on how many families have been separated, but suggested that the number was relatively low. But new data reviewed by The … [Read more...] about Hundreds of children separated from their parents by US border agents, new data reveals