Tillerson says US pressure on North Korea in ‘early stages’

WASHINGTON (AFP) –  US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned Sunday that the United States was still in the “early stages” of applying pressure on Pyongyang, after yet another North Korean missile test in defiance of international sanctions. The test of what the US military described as a medium-range missile fired from Pukchang, North Korea was […]

North Korea tests another missile; Seoul says dashes hopes for peace

North Korea fired a ballistic missile into waters off its east coast on Sunday, its second missile test in a week, which South Korea said dashed the hopes of the South’s new liberal government for peace between the neighbors. A South Korean military official said the missile appeared to be an upgraded, extended-range version of […]

Op-Ed: To share or not to share – Trump’s latest gaffe with Russia

Did he, or didn’t he? The Washington Post and the New York Times both say President Trump revealed “highly classified information” during a meeting in the Oval Office with Russian Ambassador, Sergey Kislyak whose name you may recall being mentioned many times before and Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov last week. Since the release of the […]

Afghan Vice President Dostum flies to Turkey under questioned circumstances

KABUL — Afghanistan’s controversial first vice president, who has been under investigation for months on accusations of assault and sexual abuse, flew to Turkey unexpectedly late Friday for “medical tests,” according to his aides and Afghan government officials. But human rights groups, Afghan analysts and others said they suspect that Abdurrashid Dostum, 63, an ethnic […]

Iran’s president just won a second term — here’s what’s next

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — After Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s electoral victory Saturday, what’s next for the Islamic Republic? Here’s some things to watch for: Hard-liners’ reaction Those backing President Ebrahim Raisi will accept the results. However, hard-liners within Iran’s judiciary and security services will continue to pressure Rouhani in different ways. Even before the […]

As Trump prepared for Riyadh visit, Saudis blocked U.S. on terrorist sanctions

Saudi Arabia, the oil-rich kingdom touted by President Trump as a key ally in the fight against the Islamic State, has helped block a Trump administration proposal to impose sanctions against a Saudi branch of the terrorist group, documents show. The plan to add the Islamic State’s Saudi affiliate to a U.N. list of terrorist […]

Killing C.I.A. informants, China crippled U.S. spying operations

WASHINGTON — The Chinese government systematically dismantled C.I.A. spying operations in the country starting in 2010, killing or imprisoning more than a dozen sources over two years and crippling intelligence gathering there for years afterward. Current and former American officials described the intelligence breach as one of the worst in decades. It set off a […]

North Korea says U.S. has to roll back ‘hostile policy’ before talks

North Korea’s deputy U.N. envoy said on Friday the United States needed to roll back its “hostile policy” toward the country before there could be talks as Washington raised concern that Pyongyang could be producing a chemical used in a nerve agent. “As everybody knows, the Americans have gestured (toward) dialogue,” North Korea’s deputy U.N. […]

As Syria war enters new phase, U.S. looks to expand communications with Russia

The Pentagon has stepped up communication with the Russian military over Syria, a top official said Friday as the Trump administration lays plans for future operations likely to thrust U.S. forces closer to Russian and Syrian troops. Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the United States had […]

USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group joins the USS Carl Vinson in the Pacific

The USS Ronald Reagan, one of the United States’ 10 nuclear powered Nimitz Class aircraft carriers, successfully completed sea trials last week after a long in-port maintenance period, and departed its home port in Yokosuka naval base in Japan to resume scheduled operations in the Asia-Pacific Region on Tuesday. The carrier was originally scheduled to return […]