Acting attorney general says violent protest at US Capitol was ‘intolerable attack on a fundamental institution’
WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting attorney general says violent protest at US Capitol was ‘intolerable attack on a fundamental institution’.
As he prepares to end a tumultuous four years as U.S. president facing potential legal jeopardy, Donald Trump has discussed the possibility of pardoning himself, according to a source familiar with the matter. The Justice Department has previously taken the view that the Constitution does not allow a sitting president to be indicted, but a former president enjoys no such protections. Here is an explanation of the potential constitutional problems with a self-pardon and why such action would not end Trump's legal jeopardy after his term ends on Wednesday.
U.S. law enforcement officials are gearing up for pro-Trump marches in all 50 state capitols this weekend, erecting barriers and calling in their National Guards to try to prevent the kind of violent attack that rattled the nation on Jan. 6. The FBI has warned police agencies of possible armed protests at all 50 state Capitols starting Jan. 16 through President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Jan. 20, fuelled by supporters of President Donald Trump who believe his false claims of electoral fraud. Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Washington are among the states that have activated their National Guards to strengthen security, while Texas took the step of closing its Capitol from Saturday through Inauguration Day.
Armin Laschet, the new head of Germany's conservative CDU party, is a sworn European and defender of multiculturalism who has promised to continue the centrist course of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Saturday fired long-range ballistic missiles into the Indian Ocean on the second day of a military exercise, state media reported. The drill, which comes in the waning days of high tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, was conducted in the country's central desert region. "One of our most important defence policy goals is to use long-range ballistic missiles against enemy warships, including aircraft carriers and warships," state media quoted Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami as saying.
Saudi Arabia expects to re-open its embassy in Qatar in the coming days, Saudi's foreign minister said on Saturday, following a U.S.-backed detente last week in a three-year-old dispute between Arab states. It is just a matter of logistics, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan told journalists in Riyadh when asked about embassy reopenings. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed a diplomatic, trade and travel embargo on Qatar in mid-2017 accusing it of supporting terrorism.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Saturday fired long-range ballistic missiles into the Indian Ocean on the second day of a military exercise, state media reported. The drill, which comes in the waning days of high tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, was conducted in the country's central desert region. "One of our most important defence policy goals is to use long-range ballistic missiles against enemy warships, including aircraft carriers and warships," state media quoted Guards commander Major General Hossein Salami as saying.
Malaysia reported 4,029 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the biggest daily increase recorded in the country since the start of the pandemic, bringing the total number of infections to 155,095. The health ministry also reported eight new deaths, taking the total number of fatalities to 594.
Cap off a banner week for wannabe seafarers the world over with an outfit that references the best of nautical style. From Esquire
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 — Malaysia’s Covid-19 situation deteriorated drastically today, with the Health Ministry reporting a record high of 4,029 new cases detected in the past day. The number...
A top French general in West Africa has dismissed calls for his country to engage more in Central African Republic (CAR) after rebels earlier this week attempted to take the capital Bangui, saying that the situation was different to a rebellion in 2013. The Central African army has been battling groups backed by former president Francois Bozize that are seeking to overturn a Dec. 27 vote in which President Faustin-Archange Touadera was declared victor despite fraud claims. Russia and Rwanda have sent troops to back the government.
Edge Of Tomorrow 2 could easily be made, if Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise decide that they want to star in it.
Matthew McConaughey has teased that he might be about to join the WWE.
Azerbaijan will begin vaccinating citizens against COVID-19 on Monday, using a batch of 4 million doses from China's Sinovac Biotech Ltd, the health ministry said on Saturday. "Medical workers will be vaccinated first, and then over-65s from Feb. 1," presidential aide Shahmar Movsumov added. The doses will be transported first to Turkey, he said, where they will be checked and packaged, before arriving in batches to Azerbaijan.
KUCHING, Jan 16 — Sarawak will place 11 of its 12 divisions under the conditional movement control order (CMCO) for two weeks starting January 18 after it registered 69 more Covid-19 cases today,...
The Taliban welcomed the latest withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan with the insurgents' spokesman Saturday calling the continued reduction of American forces a "good advancement" even as fighting raged across the war-weary country.
China's recent COVID-19 outbreaks in the northeast have come from travelers entering the country or contaminated frozen food imports, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Saturday. NHC Minister Ma Xiaowei made the comments at a government meeting, where he also said the virus was spreading to rural areas and that the handling of the recent situation had exposed how prevention and control measures had been relaxed. "Since Dec. 2020, epidemic clusters have occurred in Beijing, Sichuan, Liaoning, Hebei and Heilongjiang," a statement posted on the NHC's website said citing the briefing by Ma.
Germany's Christian Democrats elected Armin Laschet as chairman on Saturday, aiming to unify their divided party behind a new leader who they hope can succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor when she steps down after federal elections in September. Laschet, the premier of the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia - Germany's most populous - won a runoff vote against Friedrich Merz, securing 521 votes against 466 for his arch-conservative rival, according to a ballot of 1,001 party delegates. At the helm of the CDU he replaces Europe's predominant politician and a consistent winner with German voters since taking office in 2005, who has said she will not run for chancellor again.
Ukraine is considering resuming production of the Antonov-74 air cargo plane and supplying them to the country's armed forces, the government said on Saturday. The Soviet-designed An-74 is a light transport aircraft with jet engines capable of flying 4,600 km at a speed of 560 km per hour. Ukraine, the designer of the world's largest transport aircraft An-225, has all but stopped building planes in recent years due to a severe economic crisis and the severing of relations with Russia, where a significant part of the components was produced.
Armin Laschet was elected as the new leader of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat party (CDU) on Saturday, signalling the start of an election campaign that will see the end of her 15 years in power. The 59-year-old Mr Laschet will hope to succeed Mrs Merkel as chancellor when she stand down following general elections in September. Mr Laschet defeated Friedrich Merz, a long-standing rival of Mrs Merkel, and Norbert Röttgen, a former environment minister, to win the leadership with the votes of 521 of the 1,0001 party delegates. It was a vote to stay on the course Mrs Merkel has set for the party. Mr Laschet pitched himself as the continuity candidate against the pro-business Mr Merz, who wanted to take the CDU back to what he saw as its conservative roots. "We'll only win if we stay strong in the middle of society," he said in his final pitch to delegates."We have to win, not because we want to win, but because we have to for our country, for our future." As regional leader of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, he had the most government experience of the candidates, but saw his standing damaged by his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Although he failed to inspire during the campaign, he was the preferred candidate of the party establishment, and Mrs Merkel made her own backing clear in a speech on Friday when she said she wanted to see "a team" win -- Mr Laschest was the only candidate standing in a team, with Jens Spahn the popular health minister as his running mate. But Mr Laschet is not guaranteed a clear run at the chancellorship in September. German party leaders are not automatically candidates for chancellor and the CDU is not set to name its candidate until Easter. Waiting in the wings are Markus Söder, the leader of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party, and Mr Spahn, Mr Laschet's running mate. Both are considerably more popular with voters than Mr Laschet and both have both been on manouvres to secure the chancellor candidacy. But the CDU will be relieved the party leadership is finally settled. A new leader was supposed to have been elected last April, but the contest was twice delayed by the pandemic. In the end the party conference had to be held online, with delegates watching from their homes as the three candidates spoke in an empty television studio.
He's been discussing the importance of mental health support for frontline COVID workers.