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.
President Barack Obama has said he may speak out, against tradition, after leaving office if he feels Donald Trump is threatening core American values.
By convention, former presidents tend to leave the political fray and avoid commenting on their successors.
President Obama said he would give Donald Trump time to outline his vision but added that, as a private citizen, he might speak out on certain issues.
President-elect Donald Trump spent the weekend interviewing candidates for top jobs in his cabinet.
Speaking at a forum in Lima, Peru, President Obama said: “I want to be respectful of the office and give the president-elect an opportunity to put forward his platform and his arguments without somebody popping off.”
However, President Obama added, if an issue “goes to core questions about our values and our ideals, and if I think that it’s necessary or helpful for me to defend those ideals, then I’ll examine it when it comes”.
Barack Obama described himself as an “American citizen who cares deeply about our country”.
Speaking at a news conference to mark the end of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, President Obama reiterated that he would extend to Donald Trump’s incoming administration the same professional courtesy shown to his team by his predecessor George W. Bush.
George W. Bush has refrained since leaving office from commenting on Barack Obama’s presidency.
“I don’t think it does any good,” President Bush told CNN in 2013, after Barack Obama was elected for a second time.
“It’s a hard job. He’s got plenty on his agenda. It’s difficult. A former president doesn’t need to make it any harder. Other presidents have taken different decisions; that’s mine.”
George W. Bush’s stance falls in line with tradition. US presidents tend to avoid criticizing predecessors or successors. Barack Obama was clear that he would not weigh in on Donald Trump’s decisions while he was still in office.
However, his suggestion that, as a private citizen, he would seek to defend “core values” comes amid mounting concern among civil rights groups and others about Donald Trump’s political appointments.
Donald Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon, was previously the head of Breitbart, a website accused of promoting racism and anti-Semitism.
His national security adviser, Gen. Michael Flynn, has previously likened Islam to a “cancer” spreading through the US.
Jeff Sessions, Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, lost the chance to become a federal judge in 1986 because of allegedly racist remarks.
President Obama said he believed the intense responsibility of the presidency would force Donald Trump to moderate some of the more extreme policy positions he had advocated during his campaign.
On November 20, Donald Trump indicated he had made more selections after a weekend of interviews at his golf resort in New Jersey, saying: “We really had some great meetings, and you’ll be hearing about them soon.”
He has confirmed he is considering retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis for the role of defense secretary, calling him “very impressive” in a tweet. He also met former critic Mitt Romney, who is now being considered for secretary of state.
The incoming president also says that his wife, Melania, and their 10-year-old son Barron will not move into the White House straight away. They would move “very soon, right after he finishes school”, he said. The school year runs from late August or early September until late May or June.
Barack Obama, meanwhile, said his first priority after leaving office was to take Michelle on vacation and “get some rest, spend time with my girls and do some writing, do some thinking”.
Asked about the failure of the Democratic Party’s campaign under Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama criticized the “micro-targeting” of “particular, discrete groups”, arguing there should have been an effort to reach out to the entire country.
Hillary Clinton has been criticized for focusing her energy on certain demographics, including Latinos and women, who were believed to support her, at the expense of a more inclusive campaign.
That approach “is not going to win you the broad mandate that you need”, Barack Obama said, adding that the party needed a “smarter message”.
France’s former President Nicolas Sarkozy has been knocked out of the first round of the conservatives’ primary to choose the presidential candidate of the center-right Republican party.
Admitting defeat, Nicolas Sarkozy endorsed Francois Fillon, a moderate who finished first in November 20 first round, according to near-complete results.
Nicolas Sarkozy has announced his return to French politics
Alain Juppe, who like Francois Fillon is an ex-prime minister, finished second.
They will face each other in a run-off on November 27. The winner will compete in next year’s presidential election.
The winner of the Republican primary is likely to make the presidential run-off, where he or she will probably face far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
With the governing socialists unpopular and divided, it seems unlikely that any left-wing candidate will survive the first round in April.
Polls currently suggest that the center-right candidate would win the second round in May.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced that she will run for a fourth term in office.
Speaking at a meeting of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Berlin, Angela Merkel said she expected her toughest campaign to date, and vowed to “fight for our values and our way of life”.
General elections are expected in Germany in 2017.
Angela Merkel’s poll ratings have slipped since the height of her popularity but she retains wide support.
The center-right chancellor, who has been in office since 2005, is being challenged by the populist right-wing AfD party.
Angela Merkel announced she would stand again after meeting party leaders at CDU headquarters.
She told reporters that the decision to run for a fourth term had been “anything but trivial after 11 years in office”.
Angela Merkel added that she expected challenges from both the right and the left of the political spectrum.
In September, she accepted responsibility for election defeats for the CDU in several states and conceded that her open-door policy towards migrants was a factor.
Germany expected up to 300,000 refugees to arrive in the country in 2016, the head of the country’s federal office for migration and refugees said earlier this year.
In 2015, Germany received more than a million applications for asylum.
A pastor’s daughter who grew up in communist East Germany, Angela Merkel has run the united country since 2005.
If she wins next year’s elections, Angela Merkel would equal the post-war record set by Helmut Kohl, who was chancellor from 1982 to 1998.
Germany does not have term limits on the country’s top job.
Mike Pence has confirmed that Donald Trump is considering Mitt Romney for the post of secretary of state, among others.
The VP-elect’s statement, in a Fox News interview, comes after President-elect Donald Trump met Mitt Romney, a Republican who criticized him during the campaign.
There has been speculation that the post of secretary of state was discussed.
Neither man gave details of their meeting on November 20. Mitt Romney said talks had been “far-reaching”.
Photo Facebook
Mitt Romney, who ran an unsuccessful campaign against Barack Obama in 2012, met Donald Trump at the president-elect’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey.
Mike Pence told the Fox News Sunday: “It was a warm and a substantive exchange and I know he is under active consideration to be secretary of state (…) along with some other distinguished Americans.”
In March, during the Republican primary race, Mitt Romney said Donald Trump had neither “the temperament nor the judgement to be president”, accusing him of bullying, misogyny and dishonesty.
“Prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished” if Donald Trump became the nominee, Mitt Romney said.
Donald Trump responded by mocking Mitt Romney, calling him a “failed candidate” and a “choke artist”.
However, media have suggested that the role of secretary of state could be up for grabs. In the past, Mitt Romney has taken a far more critical line on Russia than that suggested by Donald Trump.
Donald Trump has settled several posts so far, a number of them controversial.
Mike Pence was asked about the way he was treated when attending a performance of the Broadway musical Hamilton on November 18.
The audience booed Mike Pence and a cast member read out a letter saying “diverse America” was “alarmed and anxious” at the future administration.
Mike Pence told Fox News Sunday that he was relaxed about it and had said to his daughter during the incident: “That’s what freedom sounds like.”
Hamilton won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, along with 11 Tony awards for live theater. Tickets to the show are the most coveted on Broadway, sometimes changing hands for thousands of dollars.
According to South Korean prosecutors, President Park Geun-hye had a “considerable” role in a corruption scandal involving her close confidante Choi Soon-sil.
Speaking after Choi Soon-sil and two of Prak Geun-hye’s aides were charged, Chief Prosecutor Lee Young-ryeol said the president was “involved as a conspirator” but was immune from prosecution.
Park Geun-hye has faced huge protests and opponents have urged her to quit.
The prosecutor said she would be questioned soon.
Image source Wikimedia
Park Geun-hye, whose approval rating has dropped to 5%, has apologized twice on national TV but has so far resisted calls to resign.
Her office had no comment on November 20. She has previously pledged to cooperate in the investigation but resisted prosecutors’ plans to question her last week, Reuters reported.
South Korea’s parliament has approved a bill to appoint a special prosecutor, who will take over the case from state prosecutors.
South Koreans have reacted angrily to the revelations. The country has witnessed the largest protests since the pro-democracy demonstrations of the 1980s.
Organizers said as many as 500,000 people attended a candlelit rally in the capital this weekend, which brought streets to a standstill for the fourth consecutive Saturday. Police put the figure far lower.
Park Geun-hye is facing growing calls to resign over the scandal. Opposition figures may attempt to impeach her if she refuses to resign in order to protect her immunity.
Choi Soon-sil is accused of trying to extort huge sums of money from South Korean companies, and suspected of using her friendship with Park Geun-hye to solicit business donations for a non-profit fund she controlled.
Also indicted was Ahn Jong-beom, Park Geun-hye’s former senior secretary for policy coordination. Ahn Jong-beom was charged with abuse of authority, coercion and attempted coercion.
The second aide to be charged was Jung Ho-sung, accused of passing classified presidential documents to Choi Spoon-sil, including information on ministerial candidates.
Donald Trump has met Mitt Romney, with reports suggesting he may be considered for secretary of state.
Mitt Romney was one of Donald Trump’s fiercest critics during the election campaign.
Neither man gave details of their 80-minute meeting on November 19.
Mitt Romney said the talks had been “far-reaching”.
During the campaign, Mitt Romney called Donald Trump a “fraud”, while Trump said Romney’s unsuccessful presidential bid in 2012 had been “the worst ever”.
Donald Trump has settled several posts so far, a number of them controversial.
The nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, was rejected from becoming a federal judge in 1986 because of alleged racist remarks.
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the new national security adviser, has drawn concern over his strident views on Islam.
On leaving Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, Mitt Romney did not answer questions on whether he would accept a cabinet position, or whether he still thought his host was “a con artist”.
Mitt Romney said only that they had held a “far-reaching conversation with regards to the various theatres of the world” in which the US had an interest.
Donald Trump will conduct more meetings with potential appointees at the golf course over the weekend.
Donald Trump will meet Mitt Romney as he continues to build his transitional team.
Mitt Romney was one of Donald Trump’s severest critics during the election campaign.
Media have speculated the post of secretary of state could be discussed.
During the election campaign, Mitt Romney called Donald Trump a “fraud” and “phony”, while Trump said Romney’s unsuccessful campaign against Barack Obama in 2012 was “the worst ever”.
Donald Trump has settled several posts so far, a number of them controversial.
The nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, was rejected from becoming a federal judge in 1986 because of alleged racist remarks.
Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the new national security adviser, has drawn concern over his strident views on Islam.
Also on November 18, Donald Trump settled three lawsuits for fraud brought against him over his Trump University.
He tweeted on November 19 that he had settled “for a small fraction of the potential award because as President I have to focus on our country”.
Donald Trump will be at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey, all weekend to conduct more meetings with potential appointees.
The president-elect tweeted: “Will be working all weekend in choosing the great men and women who will be helping to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Asked about the Romney meeting, Sean Spicer, a spokesman for the presidential transition, told reporters: “The president-elect wants the best and brightest people to put this country forward: people who supported him, people who didn’t support him.”
Sean Spicer said Donald Trump usually started conversations by soliciting opinions and thoughts, and then deciding if a candidate warranted appointment.
“The conversation with Mitt Romney is just that: an opportunity to hear his ideas and his thoughts,” he said.
Mitt Romney’s thoughts back in March were decidedly hostile.
The Republican said Donald Trump had neither “the temperament nor the judgement to be president”, accusing him of bullying, misogyny and dishonesty.
“Prospects for a safe and prosperous future are greatly diminished” if Donald Trump became the nominee, he said.
“His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University.”
Donald Trump responded by mocking Mitt Romney, calling him a “failed candidate” and a “choke artist”.
However, media suggest the role of secretary of state could be up for grabs, despite former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani being the early frontrunner.
Mitt Romney would certainly be another link to the Republican establishment, following the appointment of party insider Reince Priebus as chief of staff.
The 2012 Republican candidate in the past has taken a far more critical line on Russia than that suggested by Donald Trump.
Ex-ambassador to the UN John Bolton, Tennessee Senator Bob Corker and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley are also in the running.
Another of those meeting Donald Trump on November 19 will be James Mattis, a retired Marine Corps general being considered for defense secretary.
Gen. James Mattis oversaw military operations in the Middle East from 2010 to 2013 but disagreed with President Barack Obama’s desire for a greater presence in the Gulf.
He is not the only candidate though – Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas met Donald Trump on November 18, the New York Times reported.
The other key appointments so far are Mike Pompeo as CIA director and Stephen Bannon as chief strategist.
In settling the Trump University class-action lawsuits, Donald Trump “was willing to sacrifice his personal interests, put this behind him, and move forward”, his lawyer said.
Donald Trump had been sued by former students who paid $35,000 for real estate “secrets” from his “hand-picked” instructors.
The lawsuits alleged the school had misled students and failed to deliver on its promises.
In his tweets on November 19, Donald Trump said the only thing bad about his election victory was that he would not be able to win the Trump University case in court.
Mike Pence was booed on November 18 at a performance of the hit musical Hamilton.
After the show, a cast member thanked the vice-president-elect for attending and read a letter to him on stage.
“We, sir, are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us,” Brandon Dixon said.
The message was reportedly penned by Hamilton‘s writers when they learned that Mike Pence planned to attend.
Brandon Dixon’s reading was greeted with cheers from the audience at the Richard Rogers Theatre in New York.
Photo Getty Images
An audience member tweeted to say there was a three-minute standing ovation when one character performed a song directly to Mike Pence which included the lyrics: “A small query for you / What comes next? / You’ve been freed / Do you know how hard it is to lead?”
Mike Pence was loudly booed as he entered the theatre, and audience members said the performance was repeatedly stopped because of jeers.
When Brandon Dixon addressed theatergoers at the end, he urged them not to boo and asked Mike Pence, who was leaving, to stay and listen.
“You know, we had a guest in the audience this evening, and Vice-President-elect Pence, I see you are walking out but I hope you will hear us.
“There’s nothing to boo here, ladies and gentlemen… We have a message for you, sir, and we hope you will hear us out.”
Brandon Dixon continued: “We truly hope that his show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us.
“We truly thank you for sharing this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds, and orientations.”
A staunch conservative, Mike Pence sparked an outcry earlier this year after signing a law critics said discriminated against the LGBT community by allowing businesses to refuse service over religious beliefs. He later amended the bill.
Mike Pence is not the first high-profile politician to attend the critically-acclaimed and hugely popular Hamilton, which tells the story of US founding father Alexander Hamilton.
President Barack Obama saw Hamilton in 2015 and joined the cast backstage after the performance.
Hillary Clinton, who lost to Donald Trump in last week’s election, also saw the show. She was supported by its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, during her campaign.
President-elect Donald Trump has settled three Trump University lawsuits for $25 million, the New York Attorney General has said.
Donald Trump was being sued by former students who paid $35,000 for real estate “secrets” from his “hand-picked” instructors.
He had repeatedly said he would not settle the class-action lawsuits.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the settlement was a “stunning reversal” by Donald Trump and a “major victory” for victims.
However, Donald Trump’s lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said his client was pleased with the outcome, saying “he was willing to sacrifice his personal interests, put this behind him, and move forward”.
Image source Wikipedia
The president-elect faced three fraud lawsuits – which alleged the school misled students and failed to deliver on its promises – in California and New York.
A trial in one of the cases had been due to begin in San Diego on November 28, although Donald Trump’s lawyers had attempted to delay the case.
Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement: “Today’s $25 million settlement agreement is a stunning reversal by Donald Trump and a major victory for the over 6,000 victims of his fraudulent university.
“The victims of Trump University have waited years for today’s result and I am pleased that their patience – and persistence – will be rewarded by this $25 million settlement.”
Eric Schneiderman, who Donald Trump has attacked as a “lightweight”, had sought a $40 million payout from Trump over the university, which closed in 2010.
He called Trump University a “fraud from beginning to end” in July, adding that the organization used “false promises to prey on desperate people”.
District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over the two California cases, had been urging both sides to settle out of court.
In June, Donald Trump said: “I will win the Trump University case. I already am, as far as I’m concerned.
“I could settle that case. I could have settled that case. I just choose not to.”
Trump University promised students the opportunity to learn from “hand-picked” teachers, that actually were not chosen by Donald Trump himself.
Eric Schneiderman alleged that the closest students ever got to the real estate mogul was having their photo taken beside a cardboard cutout of him. He also said that Donald Trump personally pocketed about $5 million in the “scheme”.
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general.
Jeff Sessions, a former prosecutor, was turned down for a federal judgeship in 1986 because of alleged racist remarks.
Donald Trump has also nominated Mike Pompeo as CIA director and retired Lt-Gen Michael Flynn has been appointed national security adviser.
His latest picks were praised on Twitter by David Duke, former leader of the white supremacist KKK group.
In a statement, Donald Trump called Jeff Sessions a “world class legal mind”.
Image source Flickr
“Jeff is greatly admired by legal scholars and virtually everyone who knows him,” he added.
Jeff Sessions, 69, said in a statement that he “enthusiastically” embraced Donald Trump’s vision for “one America and his commitment to equal justice under law”.
“I look forward to fulfilling my duties with an unwavering dedication to fairness and impartiality,” he said.
Jeff Sessions and Gen. Michael Flynn, 57, have been close allies of Donald Trump since the early days of his campaign and share many of his views.
Jeff Sessions opposes any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and was an enthusiastic backer of Donald Trump’s pledge to build a wall on the border with Mexico.
In 1986, Jeff Sessions was nominated by then-President Ronald Reagan for a federal judgeship, but was rejected because of allegations that he had made racist remarks. He strongly denied the claims.
Gen. Michael Flynn, a vocal critic of the Obama administration since he was ousted as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014, agrees with Donald Trump on renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal, strengthening ties with Russia and intensifying the fight against Islamic extremists.
He once tweeted that fear of Muslims was “rational”.
Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo, 52, is a supporter of the conservative Tea Party movement. He originally backed Marco Rubio as the Republican candidate but supported Donald Trump after he won the nomination.
Mike Pompeo has also been a fierce critic of Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, tweeting on November 17: “I look forward to rolling back this disastrous deal with the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
The Japanese prime minister has said he has “great confidence” in President-elect Donald Trump and he believes they can build a relationship of trust.
Shinzo Abe described the 90-minute meeting in Trump Tower, New York, as “candid”, with a “warm atmosphere”.
Some of Donald Trump’s campaign rhetoric cast doubt over long-standing US alliances, including with Japan.
The meeting was Donald Trump’s first face-to-face with a world leader since winning the presidential election.
Image source Reuters
The United States and Japan have been key allies since the end of World War Two, when the US helped Japan rebuild its economy.
Donald Trump has vowed to scrap the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, which PM Shinzo Abe strenuously supports as a means of countering China’s growing economic strength.
The deal was approved by the Japanese parliament, despite the likelihood that it would be cancelled when Donald Trump takes office.
The president-elect has also said Japan needs to pay more to maintain US troops on its soil, and has floated the idea that Japan and South Korea should develop their own nuclear weapons to counter the threat from North Korean missiles.
The meeting was reportedly arranged when Shinzo Abe rang Donald Trump to congratulate him, mentioning that he would be passing through New York on the way to an Asia-Pacific trade summit in Peru.
Speaking after the meeting, Shinzo Abe said: “We were able to have a very candid talk over a substantial amount of time. We held it in a very warm atmosphere.
“I do believe that without confidence between the two nations the alliance would never function in the future and as the outcome of today’s discussion I am convinced Mr. Trump is a leader in whom I can have great confidence.”
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has announced he already submitted his letter of resignation.
General James Clapper told the House Intelligence Committee that “it felt pretty good”.
He had been expected to step aside, as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to appoint his own officials.
Analysts believe that James Clapper is sending a signal to the Trump administration that they must now speed up the transition.
President-elect Donald Trump has denied that his transition team is in turmoil, despite having only filled two postings so far.
One of Donald Trump’s close advisers, Kellyanne Conway, told reporters at Trump Tower in New York that announcements would be made before or after Thanksgiving, which is one week away.
James Clapper will remain in post until President Barack Obama leaves office.
“I submitted my letter of resignation last night which felt pretty good. I’ve got 64 days left,” he said.
Committee members jokingly asked him to stay for four more years.
James Clapper has authority over 17 different agencies including the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), and the (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
More than 107,000 employees report to James Clapper with a combined budget of over $52 billion.
In a profile published by Wired magazine only hours before James Clapper’s announcement, he said that he never questioned the morality of his profession.
In his role, James Clapper has often been in the position of defending the National Security Agency (NSA), just one of the covert agencies that his office oversees.
NSA’s image was badly damaged after Edward Snowden revealed how they collect information on American citizens.
During a 2013 congressional hearing, James Clapper was asked: “Does the NSA collect any type of data at all on millions, or hundreds of millions, of Americans?”
“No, sir,” he replied.
“It does not?” the incredulous senator responded.
“Not wittingly,” James Clapper said.
“There are cases where they could inadvertently, perhaps, collect, but not wittingly.”
On November 17, James Clapper was asked if Donald Trump will open up a rapprochement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but answered that he does not predict a “significant change in Russian behavior”.
James Clapper, 75, has served in the job for six years after previously working for the US Air Force and the Defense Intelligence Agency.
At least 40 demonstrators stormed Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies demanding a military coup.
The protesters scuffled with guards and took over the podium as a session began on November 16.
Denouncing government corruption, protesters called for a return to military rule – which Brazil saw from 1964 to 1985.
In Rio de Janeiro, police fired tear gas at public sector workers protesting against cuts.
Demonstrators swept past security guards and smashed a glass door to get into the parliament chamber, where they shouted “general here, general here” and sang the national anthem.
According to Reuters, it took police three hours to round up all the protesters.They were all detained.
Later in the day, President Michel Temer’s spokesman, Alexandre Parola, called the protest an “affront” and said it was a “violation of the norms of democratic co-existence.”
Public confidence in Brazilian institutions has been eroded by a massive corruption scandal and the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff.
Michel Temer was Dilma Rousseff’s vice-president before being promoted after her dismissal.
Last week Dilma Rousseff filed court documents accusing Michel Temer of accepting a large bribe. Michel Temer’s party says the money was a legal campaign donation.
Brazil was one of several Latin American nations where the military overthrew democratic governments in the 1960s and 70s.
The generals said they were countering the very real threat of a communist insurgency and had support from a considerable part of Brazil’s elite.
The military regime detained, tortured – and in some cases – killed its opponents, while overseeing rapid economic growth.
Also on November 16, protesters gathered outside the state legislature where austerity plans to tackle the city’s financial crisis were being debated
Police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and stun grenades into a crowd of about 2,000 protesters, ranging from teachers to off-duty police officers, AFP reported.
Brazil has been hit by a drop in global oil and commodity prices and declared a financial emergency ahead of the Rio Olympics earlier this year.
The first foreign leader to meet President-elect Donald Trump is Japan’s PM Shinzo Abe.
The Japanese prime minister said he wanted to “build trust” and “work together for prosperity and world peace”, before leaving for his trip.
The New York meeting on November 17 comes amid concern over the foreign policy direction of Tokyo’s biggest ally.
Donald Trump has said Japan needs to pay more to maintain US troops on its soil.
Image source india.com
During his campaign, the Republican candidate also condemned a major trade deal struck by President Barack Obama with Japan and other Pacific Rim countries.
The US and Japan have been key allies since the end of World War Two, when the US helped Japan rebuild its economy.
Shinzo Abe is stopping in New York on his way to an Asia-Pacific trade summit in Peru.
However, details of today’s meeting are unclear, with a Japanese official saying exactly where it will happen has not been firmed up.
“There has been a lot of confusion,” a Japanese official told Reuters.
Donald Trump has also yet to select his new cabinet and other positions. He has denied that the transition to the White House is in a disarray.
The president-elect and Vice President-elect Mike Pence have spoken with 29 world leaders since the election, according to a statement from the transition team.
It remains unclear who else might be at the meeting with PM Shinzo Abe.
High-level talks are rarely held in such an informal context and Tokyo is keen to minimize uncertainty during the long handover of power.
Senior Japanese foreign ministry official Tetsuya Otsuru said about meeting: “We want to safeguard our alliance with the United States during the transition.”
In her first public appearance since losing presidential election last week, Hillary Clinton has laid bare her disappointment at her defeat to Donald Trump.
Hillary Clinton said she had wanted to “curl up with a good book and never leave the house again”.
However, in a speech at the Children’s Defense Fund, Hillary Clinton urged the audience to fight for American values and “never give up”.
The Democratic candidate won the popular vote but was beaten to the presidency in the all-important states.
“Now I will admit coming here tonight wasn’t the easiest thing for me,” Hillary Clinton said as she was honored by the charity.
Hillary Clinton continued: “I know many of you are deeply disappointed about the results of the election. I am, too, more than I can ever express.
“I know this isn’t easy. I know that over the past week a lot of people have asked themselves whether America is the country we thought it was.
“The divisions laid bare by this election run deep, but please listen to me when I say this.
“America is worth it. Our children are worth it. Believe in our country, fight for our values and never, ever give up.”
Donald Trump has defended his handling of the transition to the White House, amid reports of disarray in his team.
The president-elect tweeted that the process of selecting his new cabinet and other positions was “very organized”.
According to recent reports, two senior members of the transition team working on national security have been forced out.
Donald Trump has already replaced New Jersey Governor Chris Christie with Vice-President-elect Mike Pence as head of the transition team.
According to reports, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner was behind the change.
Chris Christie was New Jersey attorney general when Jared Kushner’s father was tried and jailed in the state for tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions and witness tampering in 2004.
Former Congressman and House intelligence committee chairman Mike Rogers, who was handling national security for the transition, announced on November 15 that he was leaving.
Mike Rogers and another member of the national security team, Matthew Freedman, were sacked, the New York Times reported.
He is thought to have been close to Gov. Chris Christie, while Matthew Freedman is said to be a protégé of Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager who quit in August.
However, Donald Trump sought to calm fears of turmoil, tweeting: “Very organized process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions.
“I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!”
NYC ex-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani – who has been tipped for a senior post – said presidential transitions were always a complex process, and glitches were normal.
Donald Trump is due to be inaugurated as president on January 20, 2017.
President Barack Obama is seeking to assure United States allies that President-elect Donald Trump will honor the country’s international alliances when he takes office in January.
He told reporters that Donald Trump had “expressed a great interest” in maintaining the US commitment to NATO.
During the campaign, Donald Trump said he might abandon a guarantee of protection for fellow NATO countries.
The Republican candidate’s statements alarmed the Baltic states, which fear Russian aggression.
Article 5 of the NATO treaty commits allies to come to the aid of a member state under attack.
In July, the Republican candidate said the US would only come to the aid of allies if they have “fulfilled their obligations to us”.
The US has long been pressing its European allies to spend more on defense.
President Obama was speaking hours before his arrival in Greece, on his final official overseas trip.
He will later travel on to Germany and then to Peru.
Security has been stepped up in the Greek capital Athens, where anti-US protests are planned.
Barack Obama is expected to use his final foreign visit to calm nerves over the forthcoming administration of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump’s surprise election victory has raised concern among some world leaders after a string of controversial statements he made during his campaign.
At a White House news conference on November 14, President Obama said Donald Trump had “expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships”.
He said this included “strong and robust NATO” partnerships, which he said would convey “enormous continuity” to the world.
The president said that in last week’s White House meeting with his successor, he had urged Donald Trump to send “some signals of unity… and to reach out to minority groups or women or others that were concerned about the tenor of the campaign”.
President Obama said he “absolutely” had concerns about Donald Trump but urged his fellow Democrats to accept the result and “recognize that that is how democracy works”.
On November 15, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed confidence about the Western alliance’s future.
“President-elect Donald Trump stated during the election campaign that he is a big fan of NATO, and I am certain that he will be a president… who will live up to all the commitments of the United States in the alliance,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said on November 14 that President Vladimir Putin had spoken by phone to Donald Trump and agreed to work with him towards improving US-Russia relations.
Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Vladimir Putin, describing him as a stronger leader than Barack Obama.
Greek minister of state Nikos Pappas said there was surprise in Greece as elsewhere at the election result, but added: “Everybody would be expecting the US government to continue to be on our side.”
“The mood of Greek people for this political change is <<wait and see>>,” he said.
High on the agenda in talks between Barack Obama and PM Alexis Tsipras on November 15 will be Greece’s crippling debt problems.
The US and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have urged restructuring of the debt but face resistance from EU states, particularly Germany.
As preparations for Barack Obama’s visit went ahead, Greek anarchist and left-wing groups announced they were planning protest marches “against the representative of imperialist powers”.
Police banned public gatherings in central Athens and near the city’s international airport until after Barack Obama’s departure. Extra officers are also being deployed.
The last official visit to Greece of a sitting US president – by Bill Clinton in 1999 – was marked by extensive violent protests.
Donald Trump’s new chief of staff, Reince Priebus, has defended the choice of right-wing media man Stephen Bannon as chief strategist, calling him a “force for good”.
A number of critics have denounced Stephen Bannon as supporting white supremacism.
Reince Priebus said this was “not the Steve Bannon that I know”, adding he was a “very, very smart person”.
His appointment is seen as an attempt by Donald Trump to improve links to the Republican establishment.
Donald Trump himself said he fought the election as the “ultimate outsider”, and it would fall to Reince Priebus, the current chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), to act as a conduit both to the party and to Congress.
One of Reince Priebus’ first tasks was to defend the appointment of Stephen Bannon, who had stepped aside from his role as chief executive of the Breitbart News Network – a combative conservative site with an anti-establishment agenda – to act as Donald Trump’s election campaign chief.
Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, said of Stephen Bannon: “It is easy to see why the KKK views Trump as their champion when Trump appoints one of the foremost peddlers of White Supremacist themes and rhetoric as his top aide.”
Jonathan Greenblat, of the Anti-Defamation League civil rights group, said: “It is a sad day when a man who presided over the premier website of the <<alt-right>> – a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites and racists – is slated to be a senior staff member in the <<people’s house>>.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center group said: “Stephen Bannon was the main driver behind Breitbart becoming a white ethno-nationalist propaganda mill… Bannon should go.”
However, Reince Priebus told Good Morning America: “I don’t know where they’re coming from… that’s not the Steve Bannon that I know.”
On November 13, Stephen Bannon on thanked Donald Trump for his appointment, saying: “We had a very successful partnership on the campaign, one that led to victory. We will have that same partnership in working to help President-elect Trump achieve his agenda.”
In a statement released by his campaign, Donald Trump described Reince Priebus and Stephen Bannon as “highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory”.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is being questioning by Sweden’s chief prosecutor about a rape allegation at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
Julian Assange denies the allegation that he raped a Swedish woman in 2010.
Prosecutor Ingrid Isgren is listening as an Ecuadorean prosecutor puts the questions to Julian Assange.
The WkiLeaks founder took refuge in the embassy four years ago, fearing extradition. He says the relation was consensual and believes the allegations are politically motivated.
The accusations relate to a visit Julian Assange made to Stockholm in August 2010 to give a lecture.
Julian Assange has refused to travel to Sweden for questioning citing concerns he would be extradited to the US over WikiLeaks’ release of 500,000 secret military files on the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
However, lawyers argue that his extradition from Sweden would be even less likely than from the UK.
He is accused of raping a woman, named in legal papers as SW, at her home in August 2010.
Swedish prosecutors dropped part of their investigation in 2015 because of a statute of limitations.
At the embassy Julian Assange is beyond the reach of the UK authorities. Sweden has issued an arrest warrant for him, which he has appealed against.
Shortly after Ingrid Isgren entered the embassy, a cat – said to belong to Julian Assange – appeared at one of the windows and began watching the journalists and Assange supporters gathered outside.
The cat has its own Twitter feed, which says it lives with Julian Assange and is “interested in counter-purrveillance”.
A statement on behalf of the Swedish prosecutors, quoted by the Press Association, said the investigation would remain confidential, including the interview at the embassy.
One of Julian Assange’s lawyers, Per Samuelson, said his client “is very happy that he finally will be given the opportunity to give his statement to the Swedish prosecution.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has ruled out holding early elections amid calls from opposition groups for him to resign.
In a TV address, Nicolas Maduro said “nobody should get obsessed with electoral processes that are not in the constitution”.
The president’s comment comes a day after the government and opposition groups agreed on a road map to resolve Venezuela’s political and economic crisis.
President Maduro’s term ends in early 2019.
The opposition blames him and his government for the dire state of Venezuela’s economy.
Image source Wikimedia
Venezuela is suffering from sky-high inflation and there are shortages of many basic goods, including medical supplies.
According to a recent poll, more than three-quarters of Venezuelans are unhappy with Nicolas Maduro’s leadership.
However, an attempt by the opposition to organize a referendum to oust Nicolas Maduro from office has stalled after the Supreme Court ruled that there had been fraud during the early stages of the process.
The move caused outrage among opposition groups which then began to call for early elections as an alternative way to remove Nicolas Maduro from his post.
Speaking on his weekly TV program on November 13, Nicolas Maduro asked: “An electoral way out? Way out to where?”
Negotiators for the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) and the government met on November 11 for two days of Vatican-backed talks on how to end the political and economic crisis.
They released a joint statement in which they pledged to “live together in peace” and laid out a road map on how to defuse the situation.
While there was no mention of early elections in the joint statement, opposition lead negotiator Carlos Ocariz later announced that the MUD coalition would stay at the negotiating table only until it obtained early elections or a recall referendum.
After ruling out early elections, Nicolas Maduro mocked Carlos Ocariz’s statement saying that “it makes me very happy that the MUD will continue in the dialogue until December 2018”.
December 2018 is when the next presidential election is due to be held if no early polls are called.
The next round of talks between the opposition and the government is scheduled for December 6.
However, a number of opposition leaders have already called for protests, which had been halted as a sign of goodwill ahead of the talks, to resume.
Donald Trump has made his first picks for his incoming team.
The president-elect has named Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), as his chief of staff.
In this role, Reince Priebus, 44, will set the tone for the new White House and act as a conduit to Congress and the government.
Stephen Bannon, from the Breitbart News Network, will serve as Donald Trump’s chief strategist.
The 62-year-old stepped aside as executive chairman of Breitbart – a combative conservative site with an anti-establishment agenda that critics accuse of xenophobia and misogyny – to act as Donald Trump’s campaign chief.
In a statement released by his campaign, Donald Trump described Reince Priebus and Stephen Bannon as “highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory”.
Image source Flickr
Reince Priebus acted as a bridge between Donald Trump and the Republican party establishment during the campaign.
He is close to House Speaker Paul Ryan, a fellow Wisconsinite, who could be instrumental in steering the new administration’s legislative agenda.
During the election race, Stephen Bannon saw it as his aim to “bolster the business-like approach of Mr. Trump’s campaign”.
A former naval officer, investment banker and Hollywood producer, Stephen Bannon took over at Breitbart in 2012, when he promised to make it the “Huffington Post of the right”.
Breitbart is linked to the alternative right movement – or alt-right – which tends to reject both left-wing ideology and mainstream conservatism.
The movement often emphasizes free speech and the right to offend. Opponents call it racist, anti-Semitic and sexist.
Stephen Bannon said on November 13: “I want to thank President-elect Trump for the opportunity to work with Reince in driving the agenda of the Trump administration.
“We had a very successful partnership on the campaign, one that led to victory. We will have that same partnership in working to help President-elect Trump achieve his agenda.”
Democrat Congressman Adam Schiff called Stephen Bannon’s appointment “unsurprising but alarming”.
Adam Schiff tweeted: “His alt-right, anti-Semitic & misogynistic views don’t belong in WH.”
Elected chairman of the RNC in 2011, Reince Priebus has acted as the party’s spokesman and chief fundraiser. He said it was “truly an honor” to join Donald Trump in the White House as chief of staff.
“I am very grateful to the president-elect for this opportunity to serve him and this nation as we work to create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace ObamaCare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism,” he added.
Correspondents say one of the big challenges of the new administration will be reconciling Donald Trump with the mainstream GOP, where sharp divisions emerged during the primaries.
Both houses of Congress are under Republican control.
Donald Trump will take over at the White House on January 20, when President Barack Obama steps down after two terms in office. He defeated Hillary Clinton in last week’s presidential vote.
On November 13, Donald Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two agreed to meet at “an early date”, Chinese state media said.
Pro-Moscow candidate Igor Dodon has won the second round of Moldova’s presidential election.
With almost all the ballots counted, Igor Dodon, who wants to restore close ties with Russia, had 52.37% of the vote, while pro-European candidate Maia Sandu, polled 47.63%.
The national vote marks the first direct presidential election in Moldova since 1996.
Since 1996, Moldova’s president has been chosen by parliament.
Image source Publika.md
The election was seen as a battle between those supporting closer ties with Russia and those wanting integration with the EU.
Speaking shortly after the closure of polling stations on November 13, Igor Dodon called on Maia Sandu to preserve public order and abstain from protests.
Igor Dodon, 41, was a deputy prime minister in the Party of Communists government before 2009. He blames widespread corruption in Moldova on the pro-EU parties that have ruled the country since then.
Both candidates criticized the vote as badly organized, highlighting the shortage of ballot papers for overseas voters.
The final voter turnout was 53.3%.
Moldova, a former Soviet republic with has close historical ties with Moscow, declared independence after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The country also has a breakaway region supported by Russia, Trans-Dniester.
Moldova has moved to forge closer ties with the EU in recent years, a course championed by Maia Sandu.
In his first extensive post-election interview on 60 Minutes that will be aired on November 13 at 7 p.m. ET/PT, President-elect Donald Trump has said he will deport or jail up to three million illegal immigrants initially.
Those targeted would be immigrants with criminal records, such as gang members and drug dealers, Donald Trump said.
The president-elect also confirmed that another election promise, to build a wall with Mexico, still stood but could include fencing.
Photo AP
Donald Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in November 8 presidential vote.
His victory shocked many who had expected Hillary Clinton to win following favorable opinion polls.
Donald Trump is due to take over at the White House on January 20, when President Barack Obama steps down after two terms in office.
Both houses of Congress are also under Republican control.
Asked about his plans for the Mexican border, Donald Trump said “a wall is more appropriate” in some parts but “there could be some fencing”,
Other undocumented immigrants would be assessed once the border was secured, Donald Trump added.
However, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan said earlier that border security was a greater priority than mass deportation.
“We are not planning on erecting a deportation force,” he told CNN’s State of the Union program.
“I think we should put people’s minds at ease.”
Forcing Mexico to pay for a border wall became a rallying cry among Donald Trump supporters during the campaign.
Donald Trump caused outrage by suggesting Mexicans were exporting “their rapists” to the US, along with drugs and other crime.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye will be questioned over allegations of political corruption in a scandal that has engulfed her presidency.
According to officials, this will be the first time a sitting president has been questioned by prosecutors.
Park Geun-hye is accused of allowing her friend Choi Soon-sil to manipulate power from behind the scenes.
Hundreds of thousands rallied on November 12 to demand her resignation.
Image source Wikimedia
South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted officials as saying Park Geun-hye’s questioning should take place no later than November 16.
Prosecutors have also questioned top executives at Samsung, Hyundai and Korean Air.
Lee Jae-Yong, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics, was questioned over whether Park Geun-hye pressured the company into donating millions to foundations controlled by her friend Choi Soon-sil.
Choi Soon-sil is accused of trying to extort huge sums of money from South Korean companies and is under arrest on charges of fraud and abuse of power.
She is suspected of using her friendship with President Park Geun-hye to solicit business donations for a non-profit fund she controlled.
Park Geun-hye, whose approval ratings have plummeted to 5% because of the scandal, has said she is “heartbroken”.
On November 12, organizers said some one million people encircled the presidential compound in the South Korean capital of Seoul, in the largest anti-government rally the country has seen.
It was the latest in weeks of demonstrations against President Park Geun-hye.
On November 13, the presidential office said Park Geun-hye was “earnestly considering ways to normalize state affairs” and that she had “heard the voices of the people at the rally”.
South Korea’s constitution does not allow a sitting president to be prosecuted, but investigations are permissible.
Park Geun-hye has 15 months left in her term. If she steps down elections must be held within 60 days.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has blamed her surprise election loss on interventions by the FBI director, James Comey.
James Comey had revived the inquiry into her use of email while secretary of state shortly before Election Day had stopped her campaign’s momentum, Hillary Clinton said.
She was speaking to top party donors in a phone call, which was leaked to the media.
Protests are continuing against Donald Trump’s win.
In New York, about 2,000 marchers headed for the skyscraper where the president-elect lives, shouting “not my president”.
Anti-Trump activists have held daily protests in US cities since his election victory was confirmed on Wednesday.
Donald Trump seems to be rowing back on some of his campaign pledges. Having promised to scrap President Barack Obama’s Affordable Act – ObamaCare – he now says he is open to leaving intact key parts of the act.
The Republican is due to be sworn in on January 20, taking over from President Obama, who will have completed two terms in office.
Hillary Clinton, who served as Barack Obama’s secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, has been keeping a low profile since conceding victory.
On October 28, James Comey informed Congress that the FBI was examining newly discovered emails sent or received by Hillary Clinton, thus reviving an investigation which had been completed in July.
Then, on November 6, two days before the election, James Comey announced in a second letter that he was standing by his original assessment – that Hillary Clinton should not face criminal charges.
“There are lots of reasons why an election like this is not successful,” Hillary Clinton told the donors on a farewell conference call on November 12.
“But our analysis is that Comey’s letter raising doubts that were groundless, baseless, proven to be, stopped our momentum. We dropped, and we had to keep really pushing ahead to regain our advantage.”
Hillary Clinton added that James Comey’s later recommendation that she should face no charges had energized Donald Trump’s supporters.
Her campaign team said that despite Hillary Clinton being cleared of criminal behavior, the move only revived Donald Trump’s claim that the Democratic candidate was being protected by a rigged system.
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