Top News Stories for Today – Mar 6, 2019
Top News Stories for Today – Mar 6, 2019
N Korea rebuilding rocket launch site
New satellite images of North Korea suggest it is restoring a rocket launch site it had pledged to dismantle, say analysts. The images were taken two days after talks between the leaders of the US and North Korea ended without them reaching a deal on denuclearization.
The Tongchang-ri site, also known as Sohae, has been used for satellite launches and engine testing, never for ballistic missile launches. Work to dismantle it began last year but stopped as the US talks stalled. Most analysts believe it is more likely, at this stage, that Kim is testing Trump’s boundaries and patience, rather than getting ready to test a ballistic missile. BBC
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Trump organization’s insurer subpoenaed
New York State regulators have issued an expansive subpoena to the Trump Organization’s longtime insurance broker, the first step in an investigation of insurance policies and claims involving President Trump’s family business, according to the company and a person briefed on the matter. The subpoena was served late Monday on the company, Aon, one of the largest insurance brokerage firms in the world, as part of an inquiry by the New York State Department of Financial Services.
It came just days after Michael D. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s former fixer and lawyer, indicated in congressional testimony that the Trump Organization inflated the value of its assets to insurance companies. The subpoena is the latest sign that the Trump Organization is facing scrutiny from multiple fronts — federal prosecutors, congressional Democrats, and now, insurance regulators. The New York Times
Thousands stranded at Kenyan airport
Thousands of passengers have been stranded in Kenya’s four main airports after a strike by workers caused major disruption to flights on Wednesday. Workers say they are unhappy over a planned merger between the airport authority and the national airline. About 60 flights failed to leave Jomo Kenyatta International Airport – East Africa’s largest – but some operations had resumed by the afternoon. Airports in Mombasa, Eldoret and Kisumu are also disrupted.
The government has condemned the strike as illegal and Kenyan air force personnel have been brought in to ease the situation. Riot police were deployed and used tear gas and batons to disperse striking workers at the capital’s main airport, local media say. Kenya Airways says the situation is improving, with long-haul flights to Amsterdam and Mumbai having departed, others boarding and domestic flights “set to resume shortly”. Some flights to regional destinations have been cancelled. A key figure in organizing the strike, Kenya Aviation Workers Union secretary-general Moss Ndiema, has been arrested. BBC
Cohen to testify again in Congress
US President Donald Trump’s former longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen returns to testify Wednesday before the House Intelligence Committee, one of several committees in the Democrat-led House that this week launched fresh investigations of the Trump administration.
Cohen made three appearances on Capitol Hill last week, speaking to the House and Senate intelligence committees in closed sessions and publicly testifying before the House Oversight Committee that Trump is a “con man” who directed him to cover up affairs with two women and who lied about his business efforts in Russia. VOA
Nissan chairman released from prison on bail
Former Nissan Chairman Carlos Ghosn has been released from prison after posting a nearly $9 million bail. Ghosn was surrounded by uniformed security guards as he walked out of the Tokyo Detention Center early Wednesday morning, his face shielded by a mask, hat and glasses. A Japanese court approved Ghosn’s release Tuesday night, but it was delayed when prosecutors filed a last-minute appeal.
The Tokyo District Court imposed several restrictions on Ghosn, including where he can live, a ban on foreign travel, and vows not to tamper with evidence. The former head of the Nissan-Mitsubishi Motors-Renault alliance had been in prison since his November 19 arrest on charges of falsifying financial statements for nearly a decade by under-reporting compensation by $82 million. Ghosn reiterated in a statement he is “innocent” and said he was “grateful” for family and friends who supported him “throughout this terrible ordeal.” VOA
Trump pressed staff to grant Ivanka security clearance
President Trump pushed John Kelly, his former chief of staff, and Don McGahn, the former White House counsel, to grant his daughter and senior adviser, Ivanka Trump, a security clearance, three people familiar with the matter told CNN for a Tuesday report. While most security clearances are granted by the White House personnel security office, the president does have legal authority to approve them.
After the FBI finished its background check on Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, the personnel office had concerns over granting them security clearances, CNN reports, and Trump pressured Kelly and McGahn to make the decision avoid the appearance of nepotism. Kelly and McGahn both refused, CNN’s sources said, so Trump granted the security clearances. CNN via The Week