Top Stories Today – August 16, 2019
Top Stories Today – August 16, 2019
N Korea rejects peace talks with S Korea
North Korea has launched a fresh round of short-range weapons into the sea off its east coast, South Korea’s military reported – Pyongyang’s latest apparent outburst of anger at continued US-South Korean military drills. The North fired two “unidentified projectiles” Friday from Gangwon province in the northeast part of North Korea, according to a statement from Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The weapons traveled about 230 kilometers, reaching a height of 30 kilometers, the statement said.
North Korea has conducted six launches in about the past three weeks. Combined with a series of aggressive statements toward South Korea, the launches mark a return to a more provocative stance for Pyongyang, which has refused to hold talks with Seoul or Washington. Following an emergency meeting Friday, South Korea’s National Security Council called on North Korea to stop the launches and warned that such activity may increase military tensions. The Voice of America
Fox News: Warren climbs into 2nd place
In the first major shakeup to the lineup, Elizabeth Warren moves ahead of Bernie Sanders to claim second place behind Joe Biden in the Democratic nomination race. In addition, primary voters sharply divide between embracing former President Obama’s legacy and taking a new path.
A new Fox News Poll finds Biden continues to lead the nomination race with the support of 31 percent of Democratic primary voters. Next is Elizabeth Warren at 20 percent, Bernie Sanders at 10 percent, and Kamala Harris at 8 percent. Fox News
Iran tanker could leave Gibraltar on Friday
An Iranian tanker caught in the standoff between Tehran and the West could sail free from British territory Gibraltar on Friday, unless a last-ditch push by the United States succeeds in dragging the saga back into court.
The Grace 1 was seized by British Royal Marine commandos in darkness at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran. Gibraltar lifted the detention order on Thursday after it said Tehran had given written assurances that the ship would not discharge its oil in Syria. But the United States is still seeking to detain the vessel on grounds it believes it was helping Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Reuters
Israel grants Tlaib’s West Bank visit
Israel’s interior minister said Friday he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds. The decision marked the latest sharp reversal over what had been a planned visit by Tlaib and fellow Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar, to Jerusalem and the West Bank.
On Thursday, Israel had announced it is barring the two from entry — an unprecedented move targeting members of the US Congress. Israel’s decision came after President Donald Trump said in a tweet it would show “weakness” to allow in the two Muslim members of Congress who have been sharply critical of him and of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians. Tlaib had requested permission to enter the West Bank to see relatives, including her 90-year-old grandmother. The Associated Press
We’re not for sale Greenland tells Trump
Greenland has said it is “not for sale” following reports that US President Donald Trump has spoken about buying the world’s biggest island. The president is said to have discussed the idea of purchasing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, during dinners and meetings with advisers. But Greenland’s foreign ministry dismissed the idea, saying: “We’re open for business, not for sale.”
Trump’s reported plans have also been quickly dismissed by politicians in Denmark. “It must be an April Fool’s Day joke…but totally out of [season]!”, tweeted former Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which first reported the news, said Trump had spoken about the purchase with “varying degrees of seriousness”. Sources quoted in other media differed over whether the president was joking or seriously hoping to expand US territory. The White House has not commented on the reports. BBC
Indonesia president proposes relocating capital to Borneo
Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo on Friday proposed to move the capital from Jakarta, a crowded, polluted city of 10 million people, to the island of Borneo, though he left Indonesians guessing as to the exact location. He suggested a new capital in Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of the island shared with Malaysia and Brunei, in a speech to parliament, a day before the country’s independence day holiday.
The new capital should tick several boxes, officials say. It must be in the center of Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands that stretches some 5,000 km (3,000 miles) from its western to eastern tips. The risk of natural disasters should also be lower than other parts of Indonesia often hit by earthquakes, floods and volcanoes. Jakarta is one of the world’s most densely populated cities, home to more than 10 million people and three times that number when counting those who live in surrounding towns. Moving the capital to a safer, less congested location would cost up to $33 billion, according to planning minister Bambang Brodjonegoro. The Voice of America
OPEC sees bearish oil outlook for rest of 2019
OPEC delivered a downbeat oil market outlook for the rest of 2019 on Friday as economic growth slows and highlighted challenges in 2020 as rivals pump more, building a case to keep up an OPEC-led pact to curb supply.
In a monthly report, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries cut its forecast for global oil demand growth in 2019 by 40,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.10 million bpd and indicated the market will be in slight surplus in 2020. The bearish outlook due to slowing economies amid the US-China trade dispute and Brexit could press the case for OPEC and allies including Russia to maintain a policy of cutting output to support prices. Already, a Saudi official has hinted at further steps to support the market. Reuters
Court: US must provide soap, toothpaste to detained children
A US federal appeals court has ruled that the Trump administration must provide adequate food, water and basic hygiene items to children being held in immigration detention centers. A three-judge panel for the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco Thursday ruled that the administration had violated a 1997 settlement agreement that requires the government to provide “safe and sanitary” facilities.
In June, a government lawyer had argued that the agreement did not stipulate that a toothbrush and soap be provided to children during brief stays in custody. Senior director of the National Center for Youth Law, Leecia Welch, said “It should shock the conscience of all Americans to know that our government argued children do not need these bare essentials.” The 1997 Flores settlement mandates that the children should be held in facilities that meet certain standards and released as soon as is reasonably possible. The Voice of America