UNITED KINDOM
G7 ‘united’ over Ukraine
The G7 is absolutely united in its concerns over Russia’s military buildup, and the consequences for Moscow of any invasion of Ukraine, a senior US Department of State official said on Saturday. The official described talks among G7 foreign ministers in the UK as “intense,” and said there was still a diplomatic path to de-escalate tensions with Russia. “If they choose not to pursue that path, there will be massive consequences and severe costs in response, and the G7 is absolutely united in that,” she said.
UNITED STATES
Navarro warned to testify
Former Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy director Peter Navarro was warned that he would be considered in “willful noncompliance” with a congressional subpoena if he fails to testify on Wednesday to a House of Representatives panel investigating the administration of former president Donald Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Representative James Clyburn, the committee’s chairman, did not specify possible consequences in a letter to Navarro on Saturday. Navarro told the panel in a letter dated Tuesday he would not testify due to “a direct order from former President Donald Trump.” Navarro said that he was referring to Trump’s statement on Nov. 20 in which he said: “I’m telling Peter Navarro to protect executive privilege and not let these unhinged Democrats discredit our great accomplishments.”
UNITED STATES
Harris calls Honduras’ Castro
Vice President Kamala Harris congratulated Xiomara Castro on her victory as Honduras’ first female president in a telephone call on Friday, and discussed ways to deepen ties with the Central American country, the White House said. Harris and Castro discussed their shared interest in tackling the root causes of migration, including by increasing economic opportunity, combating corruption, addressing security threats, and improving access to health and education, it said in a statement. “They committed to working together and deepening the partnership between the United States and Honduras,” it added, giving no details.
UNITED STATES
Two Shepards in space
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company blasted its third private crew into space on Saturday and brought it back safely, this time including the daughter of the first US astronaut. The spacecraft blasted off over West Texas for an approximately 11-minute trip to just beyond the internationally recognized boundary of space, 100km high. Laura Shepard-Churchley, whose father Alan Shepard became the first American to travel to space in 1961, flew as a guest of Blue Origin. The company’s suborbital rocket is named New Shepard in honor of the pioneering astronaut. “It’s kind of fun for me to say an original Shepard will fly on the New Shepard,” Shepard-Churchley said in a video before the flight.
UNITED STATES
Biden on ‘Tonight Show’
President Joe Biden on Friday used his first late-night television talk show appearance as US president to highlight his infrastructure bill — and laugh off his flagging approval ratings. Biden’s appearance on NBC’s The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon was the first by a sitting president since former president Barack Obama. Asked by host Jimmy Fallon if he pays attention to approval ratings, Biden said: “Well, not anymore. I’m joking. I was paying attention when it was in the mid-60s, but when it’s in the mid-40s I don’t pay attention.”
‘GREAT OPPRTUNITY’: The Paraguayan president made the remarks following Donald Trump’s tapping of several figures with deep Latin America expertise for his Cabinet Paraguay President Santiago Pena called US president-elect Donald Trump’s incoming foreign policy team a “dream come true” as his nation stands to become more relevant in the next US administration. “It’s a great opportunity for us to advance very, very fast in the bilateral agenda on trade, security, rule of law and make Paraguay a much closer ally” to the US, Pena said in an interview in Washington ahead of Trump’s inauguration today. “One of the biggest challenges for Paraguay was that image of an island surrounded by land, a country that was isolated and not many people know about it,”
DIALOGUE: US president-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform confirmed that he had spoken with Xi, saying ‘the call was a very good one’ for the US and China US president-elect Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) discussed Taiwan, trade, fentanyl and TikTok in a phone call on Friday, just days before Trump heads back to the White House with vows to impose tariffs and other measures on the US’ biggest rival. Despite that, Xi congratulated Trump on his second term and pushed for improved ties, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The call came the same day that the US Supreme Court backed a law banning TikTok unless it is sold by its China-based parent company. “We both attach great importance to interaction, hope for
‘FIGHT TO THE END’: Attacking a court is ‘unprecedented’ in South Korea and those involved would likely face jail time, a South Korean political pundit said Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday stormed a Seoul court after a judge extended the impeached leader’s detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law. Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court on Saturday in a show of support for Yoon, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid last week. After the court extended his detention on Saturday, the president’s supporters smashed windows and doors as they rushed inside the building. Hundreds of police officers charged into the court, arresting dozens and denouncing an
‘DISCRIMINATION’: The US Office of Personnel Management ordered that public DEI-focused Web pages be taken down, while training and contracts were canceled US President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday moved to end affirmative action in federal contracting and directed that all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off. The moves follow an executive order Trump signed on his first day ordering a sweeping dismantling of the federal government’s diversity and inclusion programs. Trump has called the programs “discrimination” and called to restore “merit-based” hiring. The executive order on affirmative action revokes an order issued by former US president Lyndon Johnson, and curtails DEI programs by federal contractors and grant recipients. It is using one of the
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