Diane is a perfectionist. She enjoys searching the internet for the hottest events from around the world and writing an article about it. The details matter to her, so she makes sure the information is easy to read and understand. She likes traveling and history, especially ancient history. Being a very sociable person she has a blast having barbeque with family and friends.
The group, which included student leader Joshua Wong, had staged a protest at an iconic sculpture symbolizing the handover.
Image source Reuters
The golden sculpture of a bauhinia flower – Hong Kong’s emblem – by the city’s harbor was a gift from China.
President Xi Jinping arrived for the three-day visit with his wife Peng Liyuan at Hong Kong’s main Chek Lap Kok airport. The couple was welcomed by a marching band and children waving flags.
In a brief speech on the tarmac, President Xi said Hong Kong was “always in my heart”.
Beijing’s central government “has always been a strong backer of Hong Kong” and “will, as always, support Hong Kong’s economic development and improvement of people’s lives”.
President Xi also said Beijing was “willing to work with all sectors of Hong Kong’s society in maintaining Hong Kong’s extraordinary journey these past 20 years”, and would “ensure ‘one country, two systems’ will continue with stability”.
Hong Kong was handed back from British to Chinese rule in 1997.
Beijing agreed to govern it under “one country, two systems”, granting the city its own legal system, limited democracy with multiple political parties, and rights like freedom of assembly and free speech.
However, China’s growing influence has been met with unease and concerns that the mainland could undermine Hong Kong’s more politically liberal traditions.
Activists have been campaigning for years for Hong Kong to have more political freedom.
In an address from the presidential palace, Nicolas Maduro said the helicopter had flown over the Supreme Court and also the justice and interior ministries.
Officials quoted by Reuters said four grenades were dropped on the court and 15 shots had been fired at the interior ministry.
No injuries were reported but President Maduro said “a social event” had been taking place at the Supreme Court and the attack could have caused “dozens of deaths”. One of the grenades failed to detonate, he added.
Nicolas Maduro has placed the military on alert.
“I have activated the entire armed forces to defend the peace,” he said.
“Sooner or later, we are going to capture that helicopter and those who carried out this terror attack.”
The police officer identified himself as Oscar Pérez in video statements posted on the social media platform Instagram.
Appearing in military fatigues and flanked by armed, masked men in uniform, he appealed to Venezuelans to oppose “tyranny”.
According to a congressional report published on June 26, some 22 million Americans could lose their health insurance over the next decade under a Senate bill to replace ObamaCare.
The non-partisan Congressional Budgetary Office (CBO) said the bill would reduce the budget deficit.
Similar legislation passed by the House was also said to leave millions uninsured. Some Republicans have voiced reservations about the plan.
However, the White House disputed the CBO’s figures.
Image source Wikimedia
Responding to the report, it said: “The CBO has consistently proven it cannot accurately predict how healthcare legislation will impact insurance coverage.”
The report is a review of draft legislation unveiled by the Republican Party last week.
It is unlikely to be approved by Democrats, who see the proposals as cruel and unfair.
The CBO said that 15 million more people would be uninsured by 2018 under the proposed legislation than under current law, largely because the penalty for not having insurance would be eliminated.
President Donald Trump’s party is struggling to secure the 50 votes it needs to get its bill through the Senate when it comes to the floor.
The Senate bill would slash taxes for the wealthy offering less help for working families to buy medical insurance.
Republicans have rejected the notion that anyone will die as a result of their healthcare plan.
Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied any Russian interference into the presidential election.
According to the Washington Post article, President Obama was told early last August by sources deep within the Russian government that President Putin was directly involved in a cyber campaign to disrupt the election, injure Hillary Clinton and aid a Trump victory.
Image source AP
The Post said Barack Obama secretly debated dozens of options to punish Russia but in the end settled on what it called symbolic measures – the expulsion of 35 diplomats and closure of two Russian compounds. They came in late December, well after the election.
The paper reported that Barack Obama was concerned he might himself be seen as trying to manipulate the election.
The Post quoted a former administration official as saying: “From national security people there was a sense of immediate introspection, of, <<Wow, did we mishandle this>>.”
Measures President Obama had considered but which were not put into action included planting cyber weapons in the Russian infrastructure and releasing information personally damaging to Vladimir Putin.
President Trump tweeted on June 23: “The Obama Administration knew far in advance of November 8th about election meddling by Russia. Did nothing about it. WHY?”
The president followed that up with two more tweets on June 24, the second saying: “Obama Administration official said they “choked” when it came to acting on Russian meddling of election. They didn’t want to hurt Hillary?”
Donald Trump repeats the argument in an interview with Fox News, which will air on June 25.
“If he had the information, why didn’t he do something about it? He should have done something about it. But you don’t read that. It’s quite sad.”
Allegations of collusion between the Trump team and Moscow officials during the election have dogged the president’s first five months in office.
Donald Trump has repeatedly denied the allegations, calling the investigations a “witch hunt”.
Media say special counsel Robert Mueller is also investigating Donald Trump for possible obstruction of justice over the Russia inquiries.
They involve Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, who led one of the inquiries, and President Trump’s alleged attempt to end a probe into sacked national security adviser Mike Flynn.
President Donald Trump has questioned the neutrality of the investigator of the Russian interference in last year’s election.
President Trump said Robert Mueller’s friendship with James Comey, who had been heading the inquiry until sacked from his role as FBI chief, was “bothersome”.
Asked on Fox News whether Robert Mueller should step down, Donald Trump said: “We’re going to have to see.”
However, President Trump did call Robert Mueller an “honorable man”.
Robert Mueller was given the role of special counsel by the justice department to lead its investigation into alleged Russian interference after James Comey was sacked on May 9.
Robert Mueller has not given any details of his investigation but US media have reported he is investigating President Trump for possible obstruction of justice, both in the firing of James Comey and whether Donald Trump tried to end an inquiry into sacked national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Donald Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia, calling it a “witch hunt”.
The president did so again in his interview with Fox & Friends on June 23, saying “there has been no obstruction. There has been no collusion.”
He called the accusations of obstruction of justice “ridiculous”.
Asked whether Robert Mueller should recuse himself from the inquiry because of his friendship with James Comey, President Trump said: “Well he’s very, very good friends with Comey which is very bothersome. But he’s also… we’re going to have to see.”
Image source Wikimedia
President Trump also said that “the people that’ve been hired were all Hillary Clinton supporters”.
When Robert Mueller was appointed President Trump was said to be furious, but the special counsel won widespread initial praise from both Republicans and Democrats.
However, lately some influential conservatives have intensified their attacks, openly calling for Robert Mueller’s dismissal.
President Trump advocate Newt Gingrich urged the president to “rethink” Robert Mueller’s position, saying: “Republicans are delusional if they think the special counsel is going to be fair.”
The New York Times has reported that President Trump has considered firing Robert Mueller but has so far been talked out of it by aides.
Ten days ago, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said: “While the president has every right to” fire Robert Mueller “he has no intention to do so”.
On June 23, her colleague Sean Spicer repeated there was “no intention” to dismiss Robert Mueller.
In his Fox interview, President Trump said: “Robert Mueller is an honorable man and hopefully he’ll come up with an honorable conclusion.”
Earlier this month, James Comey testified to Congress that President Trump had pressured him to drop the investigation into Mike Flynn.
Mike Flynn was sacked in February for failing to reveal the extent of his contacts with Russian Ambassador to Washington Sergei Kislyak.
James Comey testified he was “sure” Robert Mueller was looking at whether Donald Trump had obstructed justice.
According to media, Robert Mueller was also examining whether James Comey’s sacking was an attempt by the president to alter the course of the investigation.
On June 16, Donald Trump sent out a tweet appearing to accept he was under investigation, although later his aides suggested that was not the intention.
On June 22, President Trump also made it clear that he had not made secret recordings of his conversations with James Comey, despite an earlier hint to the contrary.
The president’s tweet came a day before he was required by Congress to hand over any such tapes.
Donald Trump had kick-started speculation of the recordings in a tweet he posted days after firing James Comey, saying: “James Comey better hope there are no <<tapes>> of our conversations.”
Allegations of collusion between the Trump team and Moscow officials during the election have dogged the president’s first five months in office.
Investigators are looking into whether Russian cyber hackers targeted US electoral systems in order to help Donald Trump win – something Moscow has strongly denied.
Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of South Korea’s former President Park Geun-hye, has been jailed for three years for corruption.
Her conviction for soliciting favors for her daughter is the first in a wide-reaching influence-peddling scandal which brought down President Park Geun-hye.
She also faces charges that she accepted bribes for Park Geun-hye.
Park Geun-hye has denied all allegations of corruption.
Choi Soon-sil was found guilty of using her position to influence officials at a university to admit her daughter, Chung Yoo-ra, as well as give her daughter grades for papers or exams she never took.
Image source Getty Images
According to the Yonhap news agency, the court stated in its verdict that “she committed too much wrongdoing to consider the actions were out of love as a mother who wants the best for her child”.
Two former officials at the prestigious Ewha Womans University in Seoul have also been jailed for colluding with Choi Soon-sil.
Choi Soon-sil still faces other charges including abuse of authority, coercion, attempted coercion and attempted fraud.
Prosecutors say Chung Yoo-ra, a 21-year-old award-winning dressage rider, was involved in economic crimes, exam fraud, obstructing business and concealing criminal proceeds.
She has denied all these accusations and said she had no knowledge of her mother’s dealings, including those with Park Geun-hye.
She is currently not in detention in Seoul. On June 20, a local court said there was no need to detain her and refused the prosecution’s request for an arrest warrant.
Choi Soon-sil is on trial accused of using her presidential connections to pressure companies to give millions of dollars in donations to two non-profit foundations she controlled.
In exchange, it is alleged they received preferential treatment from the government.
Park Geun-hye is alleged to have been personally involved, instructing Choi Soon-sil and two presidential aides to collect money for the launch of the foundations.
The claims have swept up some of South Korea’s biggest companies, including electronics giant Samsung.
Samsung VP Lee Jae-yong is on trial. Several other Samsung executives and former presidential aides are also either facing trial or are under investigation.
Choi Soon-sil is also accused of having received confidential government documents from Park Geun-hye.
Park Geun-hye was arrested in April and preliminary hearings began in May.
The former leader has previously admitted to some lapses, such as consulting Choi Soon-sil for advice and letting her edit presidential speeches, and has apologized for them.
The House Intelligence Committee had earlier this month asked the White House to hand over any such recordings.
Image source Flickr
James Comey was heading the FBI inquiry into alleged Russian interference in last year’s presidential election, and whether the Trump team had any links to Russia, when he was fired on May 9.
In the days that followed, a succession of stories appeared in US newspapers with allegations surrounding a private meeting President Trump had with James Comey in the Oval Office in February.
It was in that context that President Trump sent his tweet, hinting that there were tapes of the conversation.
Appearing before Congress earlier this month, James Comey confirmed he had been asked by the president to “let go” any possible prosecution of Mike Flynn for lying to federal agents about a conversation with the Russian ambassador.
James Comey said he was also asked by the president in no uncertain terms to give assurances that he would be loyal.
When asked whether he thought the conversation had been recorded, James Comey replied: “Lordy, I hope there are tapes.”
President Trump told cheering supporters at a campaign-style rally in Cedar Rapids on June 21 that he would “give you an idea that nobody has heard about yet”.
He said: “We’re thinking of something that’s unique, we’re talking about the southern border, lots of sun, lots of heat. We’re thinking about building the wall as a solar wall, so it creates energy and pays for itself. And this way, Mexico will have to pay much less money, and that’s good, right?”
The president added: “Solar wall, panels, beautiful. I mean actually think of it, the higher it goes the more valuable it is. Pretty good imagination right? Good? My idea.”
More than 200 companies have reportedly responded to an invitation from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to submit designs for the Mexican wall.
Among them was one from Gleason Partners in Las Vegas that proposed a wall of steel, cement and solar panels.
In April, media reported that President Trump had raised the idea with Republican Congressional leaders in talks at the White House.
In an article for the Wall Street Journal in March, two academics also suggested the idea of a solar paneled wall.
Republicans have won a closely contested congressional election in Georgia.
The election is seen by many as a referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency.
Karen Handel retained the Atlanta seat with 53% of the vote, against 47% for her Democratic rival Jon Ossoff.
The vacancy arose when Tom Price left to become health secretary.
Tom Price had won the seat with a 23 point lead.
In South Carolina, Republican Ralph Norman beat Democrat Archie Parnell in a solidly conservative area.
President Donald Trump congratulated both candidates.
On the victory in suburban Atlanta, the president tweeted: “Congratulations to Karen Handel on her big win in Georgia 6th. Fantastic job, we are all very proud of you!”
Image source karenhandel.com
Georgia’s sixth district is a traditionally safe Republican seat but Democrats had hoped to capitalize on Donald Trump’s low approval ratings.
Spending on candidates was put at $56 million, making it the costliest congressional election in US history.
Democrats have already suffered narrow defeats in Kansas and Montana this year.
Addressing jubilant supporters, Karen Handel thanked key Republican figures, including President Trump.
She said: “I need to also thank Speaker Ryan and the House leadership and so many of the members across this country. And a special thanks to the President of the United States of America.”
Jon Ossoff told his supporters they had provided “a beacon of hope for people here in Georgia, for people across the country, and for people around the world”.
He also said they should celebrate having turned a conservative stronghold into a competitive district.
“We showed the world that in places where no-one thought it was even possible we could fight,” he said.
In April, Jon Ossoff narrowly failed to win the 50% needed to secure outright victory in a first round, forcing the run-off against Karen Handel.
Karen Handel had come a distant second in the first round, but the Republican vote had been split among 11 candidates.
Republicans believed the run-off would favor them in an affluent seat they have held since 1979.
They also believed that last week’s shooting of Republicans on a Virginia baseball field would count in their favor at the polls.
The suspected gunman was a Democratic supporter and a Republican advert that sought to politicize the attack was condemned by Karen Handel.
The South Carolina fifth-district seat, vacated when Mick Mulvaney became President Trump’s budget director, had been expected to be an easy win for Republicans.
The Republicans have so far staved off defeats by the Democrats this year.
In April they narrowly defended a deeply conservative Kansas seat vacated when President Trump appointed Congressman Mike Pompeo to lead the CIA.
Last month, Republican Greg Gianforte won a special congressional election in Montana, despite being charged with assaulting a UK reporter.
Otto Warmbier was detained in North Korea for more than 15 months.
The coroner said only an external exam was performed on Otto Warmbier, who arrived home in a coma.
North Korea claims Otto Warmbier’s coma was due to botulism and a sleeping pill, but his family and doctors disagree.
Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor in March 2016 after being tried for attempting to steal a propaganda sign from a hotel.
The coroner’s office in Cincinnati, Ohio, said in a statement: “No conclusions about the cause and manner of Mr. Warmbier’s death have been drawn at this time as there are additional medical records and imaging to review and people to interview.
“Our deepest sympathies are with the family and friends of Mr. Warmbier at this time of their tragic loss.”
Doctors at the Cincinnati Medical Center, where Otto Warmbier was treated following his return to the US on June 13, determined he suffered from “unresponsive wakefulness”, also known as persistent vegetative state, due to “severe neurological injury”.
However, it remains unclear exactly what happened to the student while in North Korea detention. His family and doctors dispute North Korea’s version of events.
A funeral is to take place on June 21 at a high school in Wyoming, Ohio, that Otto Warmbier attended before enrolling at the University of Virginia.
“All those that wish to join his family in celebrating his life are cordially invited,” the announcement states.
President Donald Trump has condemned North Korea’s “brutal regime” after the death of American student Otto Warmbier who had been jailed there for more than 15 months.
North Korea returned the 22-year-old student to the US last week, saying he had been in a coma for a year and that it was acting on humanitarian grounds.
Otto Warmbier’s parents said he had been subjected to “awful torturous mistreatment”.
Fred and Cindy Warmbier wrote: “When Otto returned to Cincinnati late on June 13, he was unable to speak, unable to see and unable to react to verbal commands.
“He looked very uncomfortable – almost anguished. Although we would never hear his voice again, within a day, the countenance of his face changed – he was at peace. He was home, and we believe he could sense that.”
They also said: “The awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans ensured that no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today.”
President Trump said that a “lot of bad things happened” to Otto Warmbier, but added: “At least we got him home to be with his parents, where they were so happy to see him, even though he was in very tough condition.”
The president said Otto Warmbier’s death had deepened his administration’s resolve “to prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency”.
“The United States once again condemns the brutality of the North Korean regime as we mourn its latest victim.”
The company Otto Warmbier traveled with, Chinese company Young Pioneer Tours, has announced it will no longer take visitors from the US to North Korea.
However, a team of doctors assessing Otto Warmbier in Cincinnati said they had found “no sign of botulism”.
Otto Warmbier had suffered a “severe neurological injury” of unknown cause, the doctors said, leading to an extensive loss of brain tissue.
He could open his eyes but showed no sign of response to communication.
Doctors said the most likely cause, given Otto Warmbier’s young age, was cardiopulmonary arrest that had cut the blood supply to the brain.
It is not known when Otto Warmbier had fallen into his coma and there is a suspicion it was quite recently, as the US was only told at the beginning of this month about his health situation.
The North Koreans may have realized there was the possibility of an American citizen dying on their hands.
Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who has helped free other Americans in North Korea, said he had met North Korean envoys 20 times during Otto Warmbier’s incarceration and on no occasion was his health mentioned.
Bill Richardson called for the release of the three US citizens still held in North Korea:
Kim Dong-chul, a 62-year-old naturalized US citizen born in South Korea, who was sentenced to ten years hard labor in April 2016 for spying;
Korean-American professor Kim Sang-duk (known as Tony Kim), who was detained in April 2017. The reasons for his arrest are not yet clear;
Kim Hak-song, like Kim Sang-duk, worked at the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (PUST) and was detained in May 2017 on suspicion of “hostile acts” against the state.
President Donald Trump was criticized in May when he said he would be “honored” to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the “appropriate” time.
La Republique en Marche, the party of French President Emmanuel Macron, has won a clear parliamentary majority, weeks after his own presidential victory.
The winning margin is lower than some expected, with turnout down from 2012.
La Republique en Marche was formed just over a year ago, and half of its candidates have little or no political experience.
The result has swept aside all of the mainstream parties and gives President Macron a strong mandate in parliament to pursue his pro-EU, business-friendly reform plans.
The second round of the parliamentary election was marked by weak voter turnout, estimated to be a record low of about 42%, down sharply on five years ago.
Correspondents say opponents of the 39-year-old president may simply have not bothered to turn out.
PM Edouard Philippe acknowledged the low turnout, promising his party would act for France as a whole.
The comfortable majority of La République en Marche (Republic on the Move or LREM) and MoDem – surpassing the 289-seat threshold required to control the National Assembly – will be a big blow to traditional parties on both the left and right.
The conservative Republicans and their allies could form a large opposition block, with 125-131 seats. But this figure is down from 200 seats in the last parliament.
The Socialists, who were in power for the past five years, alongside their partners, looked set to get only 41-49 seats – their lowest tally ever.
Socialist leader Jean-Claude Cambadélis announced his retirement from the post, and urged the left “to change everything, its form and its substance, its ideas and its organization”.
Marine Le Pen’s National Front (FN) party won eight seats, but it had set its sights on 15.
The 48-year-old leader has won a seat in parliament for the first time, representing Henin-Beaumont, a depressed former mining town in the north. However, two of her top aides, including her deputy leader, were eliminated.
Marine Le Pen said President Macron may have got a large parliamentary majority, but “he must know that his ideas are not of the majority in the country and that the French will not support a project that weakens our nation”.
The US authorities have been accused by North Korea of “literally mugging” its diplomats at a New York airport.
A spokesman for North Korea said the country’s officials had been “robbed” of a diplomatic package at John F. Kennedy Airport on June 16.
According to North Korea’s state news agency KCNA, the incident proved the US was a “lawless gangster state”.
The White House – which considers “solving” the North Korea crisis a priority – has yet to comment.
Image source Wikimedia
The North Korean diplomats were reportedly returning from a UN conference on disability rights when the incident – branded by KCNA as an “illegal and heinous act of provocation” – took place.
The news agency said: “The international community needs to seriously reconsider whether or not New York, where such an outrageous mugging is rampant, is fit to serve as the venue for international meetings.”
This alleged incident marks the latest addition to a catalogue of increasingly strained tensions between the two countries.
Last week, North Korea released American student Otto Warmbier, more than a year after he had been sentenced to 15 years’ hard labor.
North Korea said Otto Warmbier’s coma was caused by botulism and a sleeping pill he took after his trial last year.
However, US doctors disputed this, while Otto Warmbier’s father said: “Even if you believe their explanation of botulism and a sleeping pill causing the coma – and we don’t – there’s no excuse for a civilized nation to have kept his condition secret and to have denied him top notch medical care.”
North Korea had accused Otto Warmbier – who had been on a tour of North Korea – of stealing a propaganda sign, claims disputed by those who were with him on the trip.
French voters go to polls in the second round of parliamentary elections on June 18, in a run-off between the top candidates from June 11 first round.
President Emmanuel Macron, 39, is seeking to obtain a strong mandate in parliament to help him pursue his reform plans.
His La République en Marche (Republic on the Move or LREM) with its MoDem allies is expected to win most seats.
Traditional parties are urging voters to back Emmanuel Macron’s rivals to stop a monopolization of power.
Emmanuel Macron formed his party just over a year ago, and half of its candidates have little or no political experience.
They include a retired bullfighter, a Rwandan refugee and a mathematician.
Image source Flickr
A party needs 289 seats to control the 577-seat National Assembly. LREM is predicted to win more than 400.
In the first round, Emmanuel Macron’s LREM and MoDem won 32.3% of the vote.
The center-right Republicans had 21.5%, while Marine Le Pen’s National Front (FN) had 13.2%, followed by the far-left La France Insoumise (France Unbowed) on just over 11%.
The Socialists, previously France’s ruling party, and their allies won just 9.5%.
However, the turnout was low, despite claims that President Emmanuel Macron had re-energized the voting public.
Analysts said it reflected a sense of resignation among his opponents.
Only four seats were settled in the first round.
The second round will see the two top-placed contenders for each seat facing each other, along with any other candidate who won the support of at least 12.5% of registered voters in the district.
The president needs a majority to push through the changes that he promised in his campaign, which include budget savings of €60 billion ($65 billion) in the next five years, cutting the number of public servants by 120,000, reforming the labor market and generous state pension schemes, bringing them into line with private schemes.
Cuban government has denounced President Donald Trump’s decision to roll back on policy changes towards Cuba.
However, Cuba says it will still co-operate with its larger neighbor.
Speaking earlier in Miami, Florida, President Trump said he was re-imposing certain travel and trade restrictions eased by the Obama administration, condemning a “completely one-sided deal”.
However, President Trump is not reversing key diplomatic and commercial ties.
Cuban state TV said: “The government of Cuba denounces the new measures toughening the embargo.”
However, Cuba also reiterated “its willingness to continue the respectful dialogue and cooperation”.
President Donald Trump says his new policy will tighten rules on travel and on sending funds to Cuba.
Announcing the changes on June 16, President Trump cited human rights concerns, saying doing a deal with the “brutal” Castro government was “terrible” and “misguided”.
Later that night, Cuban state news said: “Any strategy aimed at changing the political, economic and social system in Cuba – whether by pressure or imposition or through more subtle means – is destined to fail.”
However, President Donald Trump is not rowing back on all parts of Barack Obama’s deal.
Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl has died at the age of 87.
He was the architect of Germany’s reunification in 1990.
Helmut Kohl led Germany from 1982 to 1998. He is credited with bringing East and West Germany together after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Together with his French ally President Francois Mitterrand, Helmut Kohl was responsible for the introduction of the euro.
European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has ordered flags at EU institutions to be flown at half-mast.
Jean-Claude Juncker said in a tweet: “Helmut’s death hurts me deeply.
“My mentor, my friend, the very essence of Europe, he will be greatly, greatly missed.”
Image source Wikimedia
Former President George H.W. Bush paid tribute to the man he knew while in office from 1989 to 1993 as a “true friend of freedom” and “one of the greatest leaders in post-war Europe”.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel paid tribute to a “great German statesman and above all a great European”.
Helmut Kohl suffered a bad fall in 2008 and had been using a wheelchair.
According to Bild newspaper, Helmut Kohl died at his house in Ludwigshafen, in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Helmut Kohl, who led the center-right Christian Democrats, was the longest-serving chancellor of the 20th Century.
A passionate believer in European integration, he persuaded Germans to give up their cherished deutschmark in favor of euro.
Helmut Kohl fell from grace when a funding scandal under his leadership of the Christian Democrats came to light after he left office in 1998.
Angela Merkel publicly denounced Helmut Kohl and called for his resignation when it was revealed the party had received millions of dollars worth of illegal donations using secret bank accounts.
In 2011, in a series of interviews and statements, Helmut Kohl spoke out against Angela Merkel’s policy of strict austerity to deal with the European debt crisis.
According to recent reports, President Donald Trump is being investigated by special counsel Robert Mueller for possible obstruction of justice.
Senior intelligence officials will be interviewed on whether President Trump tried to end an inquiry into his sacked national security adviser, and about the firing of FBI chief James Comey.
Robert Mueller is leading an FBI inquiry into Russian meddling in the election.
Donald Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia, describing the ongoing inquiry as a “witch hunt”.
The latest development was first carried in the Washington Post. Later the New York Times and Wall St Journal reported the story, citing their own sources.
The Washington Post said the decision by Robert Mueller to investigate President Trump’s own conduct is a major turning point in the investigation, which until recently focused on the Russian angle.
The latest media reports say the obstruction of justice investigation began just days after Donald Trump fired James Comey on May 9.
James Comey, who had been leading one of several Russia inquiries, testified to Congress last week that President Trump had pressured him to drop the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.
Mike Flynn was sacked in February for failing to reveal the extent of his contacts with Russian ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak.
Image source Wikipedia
James Comey testified under oath that President Trump had told him during a private meeting: “I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.”
The White House has said President Trump “has never asked Mr. Comey or anyone else to end any investigation, including any investigation involving General Flynn”.
James Comey had testified he was “sure” Robert Mueller was looking at whether Donald Trump had obstructed justice.
However, James Comey also testified that, to his knowledge, President Trump had not tried to stop the Russia investigation.
Meanwhile, the Wall St Journal quoted a source as saying that Robert Mueller would examine whether James Comey’s sacking was an attempt by the president to alter the course of the investigation.
President Trump said he had fired James Comey because of the “Russia thing”.
He reportedly told Russian officials at an Oval Office meeting a day after sacking Director James Comey that his position had now eased.
“I faced great pressure because of Russia. That’s taken off,” Donald Trump said, according to a US official quoted by the New York Times.
The latest reports also speak of an investigation into possible money laundering among Trump associates.
A former senior official told the New York Times that any collusion between the Trump team and Russian officials would have involved a pay-off, and that there may have been attempts to hide the route of the payments by using offshore banking.
The three names being mentioned in media are Daniel Coats, the director of national intelligence, Mike Rogers, the head of the National Security Agency, and Richard Ledgett, until recently Admiral Rogers’ deputy.
At a Senate panel last week, Daniel Coats and Mike Rogers declined to answer questions about conversations with the president, but said that they had never felt pressured to interfere in investigations.
The Washington Post says the three have agreed to be interviewed by investigators and the questioning could happen as early as this week.
The three were not involved in the Trump campaign but may be asked whether President Trump sought their help to end the Flynn inquiry.
A separate Washington Post report has said that Daniel Coats told associates in March that the president had asked him to try to get the FBI to back off.
However, the Times points out that the latest questioning does not mean a criminal case is being built against President Trump, simply that information is being gathered by the FBI. It will be passed to prosecutors who will then have to decide.
Nearly 200 Democratic lawmakers have joined forces to file a legal case against President Donald Trump over receipt of payments from foreign governments via his businesses.
The plaintiffs accuse President Trump of violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause, prohibiting receipt of gifts without congressional approval.
They say this is the largest number of legislators ever to sue a US president.
State officials and private businesses are suing Donald Trump in similar cases.
Spokesman Sean Spicer said that “partisan politics” could be behind the lawsuit of the attorneys general.
Image source Flickr
The justice department declined to comment on the latest suit by legislators, but has said previously it is unconstitutional to sue the president in his private capacity.
At least 30 senators and 166 representatives are involved.
They say President Trump has not sought congressional approval for any payments received by his businesses from foreign governments since he took office.
“President Trump has conflicts of interest in at least 25 countries, and it appears he’s using his presidency to maximize his profits,” said Representative John Conyers, quoted by Reuters.
“We do this not out of any sense of pleasure or partisanship, but because President Trump has left us with no other option.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal said: “The president’s failure to tell us about these emoluments… mean that we cannot do our job. We cannot consent to what we don’t know. He’s interfering with our constitutional duty.”
Donald Trump’s worldwide organization includes more than 500 business entities, including hotels, golf courses and apartment buildings, many of which have done business with foreign governments.
Since taking office in January, Donald Trump has turned day-to-day control of his real estate empire and other assets over to a trust managed by his adult sons.
However, he has not sold them off as critics said he should do in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
A non-governmental organization, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), lodged a similar legal action in January.
Donald Trump’s lawyers have argued the emoluments clause is intended only to stop federal officials from accepting a special consideration or gift from a foreign power and does not apply to payments such as a bill for a hotel room.
US intelligence agencies believe that Moscow interfered in the last year’s election in order to help Donald Trump get elected.
The Senate committee is of one several congressional panels that, along with a special counsel, is also investigating whether any Trump campaign officials colluded with the alleged Kremlin plot.
Image source Wikimedia
Jeff Sessions told the Senate committee he has never received a classified briefing about Russian meddling in last year’s election.
Jeff Sessions said on June 13: “I have never met with or had any conversation with any Russians or any foreign officials concerning any type of interference with any campaign or election in the United States.”
He is the most senior member of the Trump administration to testify before the Senate committee.
Jeff Sessions acknowledged he met Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak twice, but suggested he could not remember whether he met the envoy at a foreign policy speech event for then-candidate Donald Trump at the Mayflower Hotel on April 27, 2016, as media have reported.
The former Alabama senator also denied media reports that he offered his resignation when Donald Trump was reportedly angered by his recusal from the FBI Russia probe, telling the panel he “will not be deterred”.
Vice-Chairman Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, pressed Jeff Sessions about his role in the sacking of James Comey.
Jeff Sessions said he never spoke to the former FBI director, who reports to the US attorney general, about his job performance before President Trump fired him in May.
However, Jeff Sessions did confirm James Comey’s assertion that he told the US attorney general that he felt uncomfortable speaking directly to President Trump in a one-on-one setting.
Several Democratic senators expressed frustration because Jeff Sessions repeatedly refused to answer questions relating to conversations he had with the president.
Similar answers were heard last week during testimony from intelligence chiefs before the same panel.
President Donald Trump is being sued by officials in Maryland and Washington DC for accepting payments from foreign governments via his business empire.
The lawsuit cites the US constitution’s emoluments clause, which says no federal official should receive a gift or a fee from a foreign government.
The suit – which is the first of its kind filed by government entities – claims Donald Trump is “flagrantly violating the constitution”.
The White House has denied the claims.
The attorneys general for the District of Columbia and Maryland, Karl Racine and Brian Frosh, announced the lawsuit on June 12.
“Never in the history of this country have we had a president with these kinds of extensive business entanglements or a president who refused to adequately distance himself from their holdings,” said Karl Racine.
Image source Wikipedia
A non-governmental organization, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), lodged a similar legal action in January.
On June 9, the Justice Department said those plaintiffs did not suffer in any way and there were no grounds for the suit. The department also said it was unconstitutional to sue the president in his official capacity.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said on June 12: “The president’s interests, as previously discussed, do not violate the emoluments clause.
“This lawsuit is just another iteration of the case that was filed by that group, Crew, filed actually by the same lawyers. So it’s not hard to conclude that partisan politics may be behind the scene.”
Sean Spicer added: “So we will continue to move to dismiss this case in the normal course of business.”
President Trump is already contending with inquiries by congressional committees and a special prosecutor into his campaign’s alleged links to Russia, which American intelligence agencies accuse of meddling in last November’s US election in a bid to boost support for the property developer.
Since taking office in January, Donald Trump has turned day-to-day control of his real estate empire and other assets over to a trust managed by his adult sons.
However, he has not sold them off as critics said he should do in order to avoid conflicts of interest.
“The emoluments clauses are a firewall against presidential corruption and the one thing we know about President Trump is he understands the value of walls,” Brian Frosh said, referring to Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border.
“This is one he can’t climb over and one he can’t dig underneath.”
The lawsuit will ask for a court injunction blocking Donald Trump from accepting foreign money.
The lawsuit is also seeking to access to his personal tax returns as part of the legal process known as discovery.
A key case in the dispute is Trump International Hotel in Washington DC, just down the road from the White House.
Donald Trump opened the business in 2016 by leasing a large building that used to be a central post office.
In the interview with the Fox and Friends morning TV show, Ivanka Trump has criticized “the level of viciousness” her father has been subjected to.
President Trump’s daughter said that it went far beyond what she was expecting.
Ivanka Trump said that she had been left blindsided by the ferocity of some of the attacks leveled against the president.
President Trump is under intense scrutiny in the US, including over the Russia investigations and his business ties.
His daughter said that she felt “very vindicated” by James Comey’s recent Senate testimony, in which the former FBI director spoke about the probe into alleged links between the Trump election campaign and Moscow.
Image source Flickr
Ivanka Trump said his evidence supported her father’s insistence that he was not being personally investigated, and that James Comey had on at least one occasion supplied a leak to The New York Times.
She said that while she was “not expecting the intensity of this experience”, she realized that the business of government “isn’t supposed to be easy”.
“My father and this administration intends to be transformative, and we want to do big, bold things,” Ivanka Trump said.
“With all the noise, with all the intensity of the media coverage… ultimately, we’re really focused on why the American people elected Donald Trump as their president.”
Last week, President Trump’s son Eric told Fox News that he had “never seen hatred like this” and “morals have flown out the window”.
“They’re not even people,” he said as he described his father’s critics.
Ivanka Trump, like her husband Jared Kushner, is a special adviser to the president.
Fox News described her as “a political novice like her dad”, who had “glided past the more controversial interview topics like a seasoned vet”.
The Washington Post described it as a “largely friendly” interview, and noted that Ivanka Trump avoided answering two big questions about James Comey’s evidence and the work of her husband, “masterfully pivoting from an unfavorable subject to a better one”.
The New York Times also noted that Ivanka Trump dodged questions as to whether Jared Kushner had quarreled with other senior members of her father’s team.
The decision was seen as strange by some, as Melania Trump was the first presidential spouse in recent years not to relocate to the capital immediately.
Her predecessor, Michelle Obama, even moved to Washington early to get her daughters settled in their new school.
Image source Wikimedia
However, it seems Melania Trump is delighted by the move, tweeting a picture looking out across the White House lawn, marking the occasion.
The move will also no doubt be welcomed by New Yorkers, who have footed a hefty security bill keeping Melania and Barron Trump safe in Trump Tower.
Their presence in New York has also been known to create a fair few traffic problems. The New York Post warned of a potential “traffic apocalypse” if they did not make the move.
Meanwhile, President Trump – who did not acknowledge the move on his personal Twitter account – has turned his attention to eldest daughter Ivanka’s appearance on Fox and Friends on June 12.
It is not known what Ivanka Trump will be discussing.
Jeff Sessions announces he will appear before a Senate panel in response to former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony.
The US Attorney General will appear before the Senate intelligence committee on June 13, he announced in a letter.
Jeff Sessions said the decision had been made “in light of Mr. Comey’s recent testimony”.
James Comey told the panel this week that he had asked Jeff Sessions to “prevent any future direct communication between the president and me”.
The testimony made headlines around the world, as it was the first time James Comey had publicly given his side of the apparent fall-out between himself and President Donald Trump in the run-up to his being fired in May.
In his letter on June 10, Jeff Sessions said: “It is important that I have an opportunity to address these matters in the appropriate forum.”
Image source Flickr
Jeff Sessions had been due to appear before the Senate and House appropriations subcommittees on June 6. He said in the letter deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein would attend instead.
He removed himself from the FBI’s inquiry into alleged Russian meddling in the US election back in March after it emerged he had met Moscow’s envoy during last year’s White House race.
James Comey told the Senate there were a “variety of reasons” why Jeff Sessions’ involvement in the investigation of Russia’s alleged interference would be problematic.
However, he said he was unable to speak about them in an open session of the hearing.
James Comey also told the Senate that the Trump administration’s comments about him and the FBI were “lies plain and simple”.
He said he was “confused” by the “shifting explanations” for his sacking, which came as he led an inquiry into any links between the Trump campaign and Russia.
President Trump later said he never sought to impede the inquiry, and accused James Comey of saying some things that “just weren’t true”.
The president has said he is “100%” willing to speak under oath about his conversations, denying he asked for James Comey’s loyalty or for the inquiry into former White House aide Michael Flynn to be dropped.
President Trump went on to say he was considering releasing further information about possible recordings of the conversations between himself and James Comey.
Shortly after the press conference, leaders of the House intelligence committee said they had asked the White House whether there were any such tapes.
The House panel requested that if the recordings existed, they should be submitted by June 23.
Conservatives have lost their majority in the UK’s snap general election that has resulted in a hung parliament.
With just a handful of seats left to declare, June 8 poll shows gains for the opposition Labour Party.
This is seen as a humiliation for PM Theresa May, who chose to call the election to try to strengthen her hand in talks with the EU on Brexit.
Labour leader and Theresa May’s main rival, Jeremy Corbyn, urged her to resign, but she said her party would “ensure” stability in the UK.
Image source Wikipedia
She said on June 9: “At this time more than anything else, this country needs a period of stability.
“And if, as the indications have shown and if this is correct that the Conservative Party has won the most seats and probably the most votes, then it will be incumbent on us to ensure we have that period of stability – and that is exactly what we will do.”
Theresa May – who had a small majority in the previous parliament – had called an early election to try to improve her negotiation positions on Brexit.
However, EU Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger told German radio he was unsure Brexit talks could start later this month as scheduled. He said discussions with a weak UK negotiating partner could lead to a poor outcome.
Jeremy Corbyn earlier said: “If there is a message from tonight’s results, it’s this: the prime minister called this election because she wanted a mandate. Well, the mandate she’s got is lost Conservative seats, lost votes, lost support and lost confidence.”
“I would have thought that’s enough to go, and make way for a government that will be truly representative of all of the people of this country,” he added.
Final election results are expected on June 9 at midday.
The biggest shock of the night so far has been Liberal Democrat Nick Clegg losing his seat to a Labour candidate. He was deputy prime minister of the UK from 2010 to 2015 in a coalition government with the Conservatives.
Former Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond was also defeated, losing his seat to a Conservative.
A total of 650 Westminster lawmakers are being elected, with about 45.8 million people entitled to vote. A party needs 326 seats to have an overall majority.
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