Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has signed a law reducing the age limit of election candidates, increasing the chances of younger people participating in the country’s polls. “I signed into law the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that was conceived, championed and accomplished by young Nigerians. The bill has now become an act of parliament. It is a historic day for Nigeria,” Buhari said while surrounded by young campaigners on Thursday. At 2.30pm today May 31, 2018, I signed into law the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill, a landmark piece of legislation that was conceived, championed and accomplished by young Nigerians. The Bill has now become an Act of Parliament. It is a historic day for Nigeria. pic.twitter.com/yDbiQUX6l5 There had been some speculation that the 75-year-old president, who announced plans to seek re-election in 2019, may delay signing the law to improve his chances of regaining power. The bill had been passed last year by the Nigerian Senate and was awaiting the president’s approval to become law. Presidential election candidates can now stand for office at 35 years instead of 40, state government aspirants at 30 rather than 35, while 25-year-olds can now enter the House of Representatives, a five year age reduction. Related article Why do young Africans care so much about the US elections? Campaigners from the NotTooYoungToRun movement, which had backed the bill, told CNN that young people should be able to vote for their peers. Hamza Lawal, a founding member of the group, said young Nigerians represent more than half of the country’s registered voters. Nigeria also has the highest number of young people on the continent, with 60% of them under 30, according to official figures. “Young Nigerians with integrity and competence that want to serve Nigeria can now run for public office and can now have their name on the ballot. We will have inter-generational equity when it comes to politics,” Lawal told CNN. The bill has generated much needed goodwill for President Buhari who has suffered low approval ratings in recent months, particularly after he was widely criticized for his recent comments on the entrepreneurial drive of young Nigerians. Young Nigerians took to social media to commend the decision. History is made! #NotTooYoungToRun Bill signed into law by @MBuhari. It will require hard work to take advantage of the new space. May it  usher in patriotic youths that will join the task of nation building- So proud of these young Nigerians that pushed from start to finish!👊🙏 pic.twitter.com/eDGBugqKeu Some speculated that the law may lower Buhari’s chances of winning in the 2019 elections, while others argued the move could sway more young people to his side. READ MORE: Why are Africa’s leaders so old? Congratulations to Nigerian youths as @NGRPresident @MBuhari signs #NotTooYoungToRun bill into law. The U.S. supports a free, fair, and inclusive political process in Nigeria that includes the voices of young people, women, and the disabled. The US State Department commended the passage of the law saying it will continue to support policies that encourage fair electoral processes in Nigeria. “Congratulations to Nigerian youths as Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari signs #NotTooYoungToRun bill into law. The U.S. supports a free, fair, and inclusive political process in Nigeria that includes the voices of young people, women, and the disabled,” the US Embassy tweeted.


Anderson Cooper delivered an emotional tribute and defense of Haiti after President Donald Trump’s remarks referring to Haiti and some nations in Africa as “shithole countries.” “Let me be clear, the people of Haiti have been through more, withstood more, fought back against more injustice than our President ever has,” Cooper said. Cooper ended his prime time program by reflecting on his longstanding relationship with Haiti. Related article Anderson Cooper: 'The sentiment the President expressed today is a racist sentiment' “I was taught math in high school by a Haitian immigrant named Yves Volel, who worked hard, dedicated himself to teaching kids,” he said. “He ultimately returned to Haiti and was assassinated while running for president.” Cooper added that he has frequently traveled to Haiti, both professionally and personally. “I first went there in the early 1990s as a young reporter,” he said. “In 2010 my team from CNN was the first international team of journalists on the ground after the earthquake struck. Like all countries, Haiti is a collection of people – rich and poor, well educated and not, good and bad.” Cooper went on to talk about the strength and resilience of the Haitian people. "Let me be clear.... the people of Haiti have been through more, withstood more, fought back against more injustice... than our President ever has" Anderson Cooper choked back tears as he reflected on his relationship with Haiti, and its people https://t.co/3arEalkKOM “I have never met a Haitian who isn’t strong,” Cooper said. “You have to be to survive in a place where the government has often abandoned its people. Where opportunities are few and where Mother Nature has punished the people far more than anyone should ever be punished.” Friday will mark eight years since the poverty-stricken nation was hit by a magnitude-7.0 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. Cooper cited the significance of the anniversary and recounted his coverage of the 2010 earthquake. “For days and weeks without help from their government or police, the people of Haiti dug through rubble with their bare and bloodied hands to save complete strangers – guided only by the cries of the wounded and the dying,” Cooper said. “I was there when a young girl named Bee who’d been trapped in rubble for nearly a day was rescued by people who had no heavy equipment … they just had their God-given strength and their determination … and their courage.” Cooper became emotional as he tried to continue to share rescue stories from the devastating earthquake. “I was there when a 5-year-old boy named Monley was rescued after being buried for more than seven days. Do you know what strength it takes to survive on rainwater buried under concrete – a 5-year-old boy?” Cooper concluded his tribute by saying that the White House can learn from the dignity expressed by Haitian people. “Haitians slap your hand hard when they shake it,” Cooper said. “They look you in the eye, they do not blink. They stand tall. They have dignity. A dignity many in this White House could learn from. A dignity the President with all his money and power could learn from as well. On the eve of the anniversary of the earthquake, on this day when this President has said what he has about Haitians, we hope the people in Haiti listening tonight in Port au Prince and Jacmel, and Miami and elsewhere – we hope they know our thoughts are with them, and our love is with them.”


After 17 years playing Wolverine, Hugh Jackman and the X-Men character that launched his career are finally on a first-name basis. “Logan,” his latest solo adventure, is an especially grim affair – a marginally successful movie that carves out a niche closer to Quentin Tarantino than “The Avengers.” There are, admittedly, certain liberating advantages in that, and “Logan” serves notice almost immediately those famous Adamantium claws that pop out of the Marvel character’s knuckles aren’t merely for show, with limbs and heads among the unfettered body parts in this R-rated exercise. The dour nature of the proceedings thus blunts the fun, with the tradeoff being that it offers Jackman an especially full-bodied role in the bargain. The net result, ultimately, is a movie that should connect strongly with hardcore comic fanboys – including those who flocked to “Deadpool” – at the risk of leaving those less keenly invested feeling a tad cold, missing that movie’s lighter touch. There’s also the occasionally uncomfortable matter of a little girl freely engaged in the bloodletting, and the sheer build-up of collateral damage as the movie’s body count mounts. “Logan” is set in the future – it’s 2029 – but it’s only dystopian, really, for the genetically superior offshoot known as mutants. Most of them have been eradicated, forcing Logan to make ends meet driving a limo, while laboring to hide Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart), a self-described nonagenarian whose telepathic mind, ironically, is failing him. Their banter is one of the highlights, with the added hook of hearing Stewart drop F-bombs because, with all that violence, what’s a little language among friends? Logan gets reluctantly drafted to protect the aforementioned girl, Laura (newcomer Dafne Keen), who possesses all of his powers in a pint-sized package. The goal is to squire her from the Mexican border to North Dakota, where she can (hopefully) find safety with others of their kind, making this a sort-of road movie, albeit with a “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome”-type obstacle course built into it. The trip comes with an extremely high degree of difficulty: Logan and his companions are pursued by a ruthless killer (“Narcos” star Boyd Holbrook) and heavily armed thugs, working for a conglomerate experimenting on mutant kids that, in essence, wants its property back. Director James Mangold (who also helmed “The Wolverine” and worked on the script) provides some clever nostalgic touches and well-played moments, thanks largely to Jackman and Stewart. Jackman is talented enough to bring a fair amount of heart to the proceedings, even in these ultra-violent surroundings. The challenges thrown at him, however, have a repetitive quality, building toward a climax that seeks to (and mostly does) make up in emotion what it lacks in common sense. For anyone who has followed the various permutations of the “X-Men” franchise – whose last few outings have been decidedly subpar – “Logan” offers an element of completion, and an intriguingly different take on the material. It is also, along with the FX series “Legion,” a sign of the maturation of comics on screen, for better or worse. Jackman has grown into a full-fledged star since the first “X-Men,” which basically paved the way for the welcome breed of serious comic book adaptations that have followed. Alas, the franchise has headed mostly downhill creatively since its excellent first sequel, “X-Men 2.” Those movies helped establish that superheroes didn’t have to be just for kids, and this one qualifies as a culmination of that journey. Yet if the genre has reached the point where embracing the darkness produces a movie that’s admirable on certain levels, “Logan” is also undercut, in part, by its own nasty streak. “Logan” premieres in the U.S. on March 3. It’s rated R.


Chinese authorities are livid over the theft of a thumb from a 2,000-year-old terracotta warrior on loan to a US museum, calling for the perpetrator to be “severely” punished. The ancient statue is valued at $4.5 million and considered a “priceless part of China’s cultural heritage.” It was on display at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute when the vandalism took place. “We call on the United States to severely punish those who have done [this],” Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relic Exchange Center’s director told the Beijing Youth Daily, a state-run Chinese newspaper. The warrior statues date back to 209 B.C., when the Qin Dynasty ruled China. The life-size statues were constructed to guard the tomb of China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang. Now a UN world heritage site, they were discovered by a Chinese farmer in 1974 in Shaanxi province, according to the Franklin Institute’s exhibit page. Delaware-resident Michael Rohana was arrested last week, US officials said, accused of stealing the thumb in December during an ugly sweater party hosted by the museum. During the event, Rohana and a few of his friends entered the closed off terracotta warrior exhibit, and after his friends left, Rohana took a selfie with one of the statues, according to surveillance footage and court documents. He then put his hand on the left hand of one of the warriors and snapped something off, the documents said. Rohana pocketed the warrior’s thumb and took it home with him to Delaware that evening. A museum worker discovered the missing thumb on January 8, and the FBI Art Crime Unit began to investigate. Surveillance video helped lead the FBI to both the thumb and their suspect, Rohana. One of the people who went to the museum with Rohana told law enforcement officials that on the ride back to Delaware, Rohana was bragging about sneaking into the exhibit and having a thumb from one of the warriors. FBI says a US man stole the thumb of a 2,200-year-old Chinese terracotta warrior statue being displayed at the Franklin Institute pic.twitter.com/ZwzRrSq8V2 When FBI agent Jacob Archer went to interview Rohana and asked if he had anything “that he wanted to turn over to the FBI,” Rohana handed over the thumb, which was in the desk in his bedroom. Rohana has been charged with theft of an object of cultural heritage from a museum, concealment of an object of cultural heritage stolen from a museum, and interstate transportation of stolen goods. He was released on bail on February 13. Rohana did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment. Some Chinese social media users were scathing in their criticism of the museum and the United States for failing to take care of their country’s cultural artifacts. “The warriors in Xi’an are kept far away from the public. How come the sculptures in Philadelphia are not displayed inside glass cases?” one user on Weibo said. Others said the vandalism was ironic given the reputation Chinese tourists have gained for bad behavior on vacation. “It seems the Americans are guilty of that too. See how the tables have been turned,” said another Weibo user. The Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relic Exchange Center plans to send two experts to the United States to repair the thumb, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua. Over the past 40 years, the center has organized about 260 exhibits around the world featuring the warriors, and there has never been a situation like this, an official told Xinhua. Intern Yu Qiaoqiao contributed to this report


It might lack the sheer, bizarre, novelty value of debating whether President Donald Trump is a “stable genius” or whether Oprah Winfrey can boot him out of the White House, or watching Steve Bannon’s stunning self-immolation. Related article 'It's a mess': DACA negotiations hit a snag ahead of White House meeting But a building clash in Congress that may reach a critical point over the next 10 days has the potential to disrupt millions of lives, set the contours of crucial midterm elections and profoundly influence Trump’s bid to remake America. When Republicans grabbed a year-saving tax reform victory in December, they left a heap of perilous business to fester into the New Year, so keen were they to finally deliver on a key promise to GOP voters. But now the bill is due. Unless lawmakers reach budget deal by January 19, the government could shut down, in a high-risk scenario for both parties and the President that could have expansive political reverberations come November’s elections. Republicans, as the party in power, are again under pressure to prove they can govern while securing sufficient wins to enliven their core voters for elections that traditionally deliver a sharp punch for first-term presidents. But Democrats are also under intense pressure – from grassroots supporters who want them to leverage the potential blame Republican Washington could face for a shutdown – to get concessions in a fiery immigration showdown over the Deferred Action on Child Arrivals program. Unless lawmakers intervene, nearly a million undocumented migrants brought to the US as children could see their legal status begin to expire in March as they become victims of Trump’s immigration enforcement drive. Related article John Kelly leading White House's immigration effort in congressional negotiations The President is driving a hard bargain but also taking a risk that he could force Democrats, whose votes he needs to fund the government, onto a political limb as he demands $18 billion in funding for his border wall in return for shielding DACA recipients. “The wall is going to happen, or we’re not going to have DACA,” Trump warned at Camp David on Saturday. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, said, “The wall is a necessary part of this deal because the President campaigned on it.” But Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “The Situation Room” on Monday that Trump’s demand could derail hopes of a deal with Democrats. “We’re not going to support a wall across America,” he said, before adding: “Remember, the American people already support DACA relief by a margin of 83%.” Trump and lawmakers are schedule to meet Tuesday at the White House on immigration. Congress has also still yet to reach a deal to extend a children’s health insurance policy for families with no health insurance coverage, that has usually had bipartisan support. And a massive Senate disaster package for hurricane-hit Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico and fire-scorched California has been sucked into the government funding fight. As one congressional aide involved in the funding and immigration negotiations told CNN’s Phil Mattingly on Monday: “It’s a mess.” Another GOP aide said that things “aren’t in a good place right now.” In a wider sense, the next few weeks will mark a moment in the spotlight for a political duel taking place in Washington for huge stakes that is often overshadowed by the perpetual seven-alarm fire that is the Trump presidency. Related article Republicans can't avoid Trump's wall promises in DACA talks The immigration dispute for instance is so intractable because it is of fundamental importance to both parties. Trump’s repeated call for a wall across the border with Mexico was the foundational promise of his campaign. Democrats face a backlash from activist groups for their failure to hold an interim government funding deal agreed before the Christmas and New Year holiday hostage to a resolution of the DACA issue. Hispanic voters disproportionately affected by DACA are critical to building a diverse coalition that could help counter Republican gains in the midwest and build a road to 270 election votes in the 2020 presidential race. Related article Exclusive: Pair of lawmakers unveil bipartisan DACA plan The politics of immigration suddenly got even more difficult on Monday, when the Trump administration decreed that 200,000 El Salvadorans, allowed to work in the US since fleeing earthquakes in their country in 2001 must now leave. The move was one of the most sweeping changes yet by Trump on immigration enforcement – the issue that electrified his presidential election campaign. Trump’s Chief of Staff, retired General John Kelly will lead the administration’s attempt to broker a compromise on Tuesday with a White House meeting that will include the key voices in each party on the DACA issue. Most Republican lawmakers don’t want a government shutdown, and though Democrats believe that the GOP would bear the brunt of the blame, forcing a situation that could delay wages for troops overseas and health payments for veterans for example also represents a significant political risk. The next few weeks will therefore represent a test of nerve for Senate Majority  leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan – and will also show how much the tax reform victory has built bridges between the GOP on Capitol Hill and the White House. The immigration question reveal whether Trump has won any breathing room with his tax reform win for concessions with Democrats from base-conscious Republican House members who balk at relief for DACA recipients. Trump’s rather erratic deal-making skills, that can often knock his own side of balance as much as the Democrats will also be back in the limelight. Related article Trump asks for $33B for border, including $18B for wall Democrats will learn the potential and the limits of their position in the minority, and must at the very least send some signals of commitment to core voters who will be crucial to their success in November. Given the upside for everyone, some lawmakers are convinced there is a deal to be had, perhaps in finessing the definition of Trump’s wall in a broader package of border security enhancements that Democrats could stomach. “The president wants $18 billion for border security, Nancy Pelosi wants DACA, it seems we could take those two together and marry them together,” Illinois Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger said on “The Situation Room.” “In Washington, D.C., we make things so complicated every day.”

Trump administration's immigration and budget policies


You’ve probably heard of Mahatma Gandhi, the loincloth-clad man who fronted India’s fight for independence from the British. But right beside him and other male leaders, was an army of women whose trials and tribulations were every bit as compelling. Their fight began as early as the late 19th century, when some took to the battlefields and one queen even led an armed rebellion against the British. They also fought a domestic battle against oppressive traditions, such as sati (the burning of a wife on her husband’s funeral pyre) and child marriage. Sadly, the latter still exists today. When the history of India’s independence comes to be known, the sacrifices made by the women of India will occupy the foremost place. Mahatma Gandhi, leader of India's independence movement These women did not have it easy – they were some of the worst victims of the traumatic events that took place in south Asia in the mid-20th century. It’s reported that 75,000 women were abducted and raped during partition, the division that separated Pakistan from India, which took place at the same time as independence in August 1947. From setting up a secret radio station to running for president when it was perceived to be a man’s role, these are some of the empowering stories that are often left untold. “I learned the lesson of non-violence from my wife,” Mohandas Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi, once said. Kasturba Gandhi’s passive disobedience of her husband is said to have influenced the father of the nation’s renowned peaceful movement. Married when they were both just 13 years old and schooled by her husband, she became a social activist in her thirties in South Africa, and was imprisoned there for three months for protesting against the treatment of Indian immigrants in the country. Although she was plagued with health problems, she continued her activism work when she returned to India, where she was also arrested and jailed a few more times. In 1942, she was imprisoned along with her freedom-fighting husband and other pro-independence leaders for taking part in Gandhi’s Quit India movement – an effort to encourage the British to allow India to rule itself. Her health deteriorated and she died in prison in 1944. It is the women whose task it becomes to encourage the men, in our fight for freedom. Women have better understood the spirit of the fight than men. Kasturba Gandhi, activist and wife of Mahatma Gandhi Standing firmly alongside Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was his sister. Fatima Jinnah is fondly remembered as Madar-i Millat, the mother of the nation. Taking an early interest in politics and playing an active part in women’s rights, she represented an advance in the status of women even before Pakistan was born, wrote author M. Reza Pirbhai. “She was English educated, a professional dentist and an unveiled social worker even before the word Pakistan was coined in the 1930s.” In 1964-5, when she was in her seventies, she even ran for president – a role widely viewed as unacceptable for women. Although she lost, her bold move was praised by Pakistanis, wrote Pirbhai. No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the Muslim League After India and Pakistan’s independence, Jinnah also took part in refugee relief work and formed the Women’s Relief Committee during the transfer of power, which evolved into the All Pakistan Women’s Association. Remember it is women who can mould the character of the youth of the nation. Fatima Jinnah, politician, activist and sister to Muhammad Jinnah Speaking to a gathering of women in Allahabad, a city in the north of India, the wife of the country’s first prime minister said: “Ours is a peaceful fight. It does not need the use of swords or lathis (sticks).” She was encouraging them to join Gandhi’s Civil Disobedience Movement – passively disobeying British rules and law. Nehru married Jawaharlal Nehru on February 8, 1916 at the age of 17, when he was 26. She supported him in his fight for independence and played a prominent part in political processions, setting up a dispensary in her house for wounded freedom fighters and advocating women’s education. She was imprisoned on January 1, 1931 for her role in the Civil Disobedience Movement. As she was arrested, she told a reporter: “…I hope the people will keep the flag flying.” Nehru was mother to Indira Gandhi, who became the country’s first female prime minister in 1966. She passed away from tuberculosis in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1936. When my father (Jawaharlal Nehru) came into the political field, there was a certain amount of opposition from the family… I think that was the time when my mother’s (Kamala Nehru) influence counted and she supported him fully. Indira Gandhi, India's first female prime minister Born into an upper caste Hindu family, Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan converted to Islam when she got married to Muslim lawyer Liaquat Ali Khan, who later became the first prime minister of Pakistan. Khan and her husband met Muhammad Ali Jinnah, chief of the Muslim League, while on honeymoon in London. They convinced him to return to India and resume leadership of the movement and banded together in their fight to liberate India and form Pakistan. Khan helped the refugees who fled India during partition and also organized the All Pakistan Women’s Association in 1949, two years after the creation of her country. Noticing that there were not many nurses in Karachi, a coastal city in the south, Khan requested the army to train women to give injections and first aid. This resulted in the para-military forces for women. Nursing also became a career path for many girls. She continued her mission, even after her husband was assassinated in 1951, and became the first Muslim woman delegate to the United Nations in 1952. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi as a child, Usha Mehta ran a secret radio station with her friends during Gandhi’s Quit India movement in August 1942, despite disapproval from her father, who worked as a judge under British rule. “When the press is gagged and all news banned, a transmitter certainly helps a good deal in furnishing the public with the facts of the happenings and in spreading the message of rebellion in the remotest corners of the country,” she said in an interview in 1969. But in November of the same year, Mehta and her friends were arrested – an event she described as her “finest moment.” It is a pity the new generation of political activists and leaders are paying scant respect to the Gandhian ideas, the chief among which was non-violence. If we don’t mend our ways, we may find ourselves back at square one. Usha Mehta, Indian activist Her staunch refusal to respond to months of police interrogation in 1942 led to her being locked up for four years in Yerwada jail in the west of India, where Gandhi was jailed twice, alongside 250 other female political prisoners. After being released, she said: “I came back from jail a happy and, to an extent, a proud person, because I had the satisfaction of carrying out Bapu’s (Gandhi) message ‘do or die’ and of having contributed my humble might to the cause of freedom.”


Reporting on Myanmar has become more and more difficult since the anti-Rohingya crackdown began Multiple journalists have been detained and threatened with arrest Myanmar has banned a United Nations official investigating the ongoing crackdown in Rakhine State from the country, after claiming a previous report by her was biased and unfair, the UN said Wednesday. Yanghee Lee, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, was informed Wednesday all access to the country has been denied and cooperation withdrawn for the duration of her tenure, the UN said in a statement. “I am puzzled and disappointed by this decision by the Myanmar government,” Lee said. “This declaration of non-cooperation with my mandate can only be viewed as a strong indication that there must be something terribly awful happening in Rakhine, as well as in the rest of the country.” Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay told CNN Lee “is not impartial and objective when conducting her work, there is no trust in her.” The ban came a day after Myanmar state media reported that a mass grave with 10 bodies inside had been found at Inn Din, north of Rakhine state capital Sittwe. Photos published by the military showed the grave being exhumed and multiple skeletal remains. The army said “an investigation would be carried out,” according to the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. More than 650,000 Rohingya Muslims have crossed the Bangladeshi border from Rakhine State since renewed violence broke out in late August. Both the UN and the United States say the violence amounts to ethnic cleansing. The Myanmar government says the bloodshed resulted from a military crackdown on militants who carried out co-ordinated attacks on border posts. A recent Médecins Sans Frontières report said at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in attacks during the first month of the crackdown in Rakhine. In November, Myanmar’s military said that 376 “ARSA Bengali terrorists” were killed in fighting between August 25 and September 5, referring to the Rohingya insurgent group. “They don’t want anybody to come in, either because they really are trying to hide something or I’m not sure, because they say one thing, that there’s nothing to hide, but then they deny access,” Lee told CNN. The recent arrest of two Reuters journalists in Myanmar has added weight to suggestions from human rights agencies that the government has something to hide. Reuters reporters Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested last week after meeting with police in Yangon, Myanmar’s former capital. According to the news agency, the two had been investigating the ongoing crackdown in western Rakhine state. The reporters were charged under the Official Secrets Act, a colonial-era law which carries a maximum 14-year jail sentence. Police officers who they were meeting were also arrested. Since their arrest, the two journalists have been held in an undisclosed location and both their employer and families have been denied access to them, Reuters said. In a statement, Human Rights Watch accused the Myanmar authorities of attempting to “disappear” the two journalists. Asia director Brad Adams said their detentions “appear aimed at stopping independent reporting of the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya.” “Their secret, incommunicado detention lays bare government efforts to silence media reporting on critical issues,” he said. Government spokesman Zaw Htay said the pair were “in Yangon, if you want to know where they are you can ask the police.” Attempts to reach the Yangon police were unsuccessful. Cases under the the country’s Official Secrets Act require presidential approval to go ahead. Zaw Htay refused to answer questions about the ongoing case, but said the pair were being prosecuted “in accordance with the law.” Myint Kyaw, a member of the Myanmar Press Council, said he believed the reporters “were arrested due to their reporting in Inn Din village,” in Maungdaw township, the region where the mass grave was found. “That is where they were traveling before they returned to Yangon and were arrested,” he added, speaking in a personal capacity. At least five other Myanmar journalists have been detained and threatened with charges under the Telecommunications Act, a highly restrictive media law, the Unlawful Associations Act, and the News Media Law, according to HRW. International media has been largely denied access to Rakhine, except on tightly controlled military tours of the area. The Rohingya who have arrived in Bangladesh have told harrowing stories of massacres, rape and widespread torching of villages. Related article Rohingya crisis: How we got here At least 354 villages have been partially or completely destroyed since August, according to HRW, citing satellite imagery. Destruction continued even as the Myanmar and Bangladesh governments agreed to begin returning refugees to the area, the group said. “The (Myanmar) army’s destruction of Rohingya villages within days of signing a refugee repatriation agreement with Bangladesh shows that commitments to safe returns were just a public relations stunt,” Adams said. Of the 354 affected villages, around 120 were partially or completely destroyed after September 5, when the Myanmar government announced the end to clearance operations. Since October, 40 new villages have been burned, HRW said. Responding to questions about the HRW report, Zaw Htay said since August there have been “almost 300” villages burned. “Nine villages were burned in October and four were burned in November, so our details are very different to the details published by Human Rights Watch,” he said. “We are sending a delegation to the area to establish how the villages were burned, but the situation is very complicated, there are a lot of actors involved, including ARSA,” Zaw Htay said, referring to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, a Rohingya militant group the government has blamed for sparking violence in the region.


He was sentenced to death for genocide, rape and the mass murder of intellectuals Crowds gathered in Dhaka to celebrate his execution Bangladesh has executed a top leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, Motiur Rahman Nizami, for war crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. “Motiur Rahman has been hanged to death at 12:10 a.m. (Wednesday),” Jahangir Kabir, Superintendent of the Dhaka Central Jail said. The 73-year-old was hanged after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal on May 5. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters on Tuesday evening that Nizami did not opt to seek presidential clemency. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 2014 by a special tribunal for orchestrating genocide, rape and the massacre of top intellectuals during the conflict. It’s estimated between 1 million and 3 million people were killed in the nine-month war. Nizami is the fifth person to be sentenced to death by the war crimes tribunal since 2013, and the fourth executed Jamaat leader following Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, Abdul Quader Molla, Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, who were all executed on similar charges. Jamaat-e-Islami strongly opposed the breaking away from Pakistan and the party was banned shortly after Bangladesh gained independence. The group then re-entered politics. Sufi spiritual leader hacked to death in Bangladesh Jubilant crowds gathered outside the jail on the news of his death – processions of people handed out sweets and several used shoes to hit posters bearing Nizami’s face. A large contingent of police were deployed around the jail to beef up security measures. Despite the celebrations, concerns have been raised over the fairness of his trial. Jamaat’s acting chief Maqbul Ahmad said Nizami was a victim of “political vengeance” while announcing three days of strikes. “I am severely condemning such vindictive politics of the government,” Ahmad said. According to Human Rights Watch, the court limited the number of witnesses Nizami could call to defend himself and ultimately was only allowed four witnesses to testify on his behalf. He was not allowed to challenge prosecution witnesses who allegedly had offered inconsistent testimony, they said. In addition, HRW said the presiding judge, the prosecution, and an external consultant, unlawfully discussed his trial publicly. “Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all circumstances as an irreversible, degrading, and cruel punishment,” said Brad Adams, HRW Asia director. “It is particularly problematic when there are questions about whether proceedings meet fair trial standards.” Tailor hacked to death in Bangladesh, ISIS claims responsibility “While many in Bangladesh believe Nizami to be guilty and want him punished, justice is only served through fair trials,” said Adams. “Instead of expedited hangings, authorities in Bangladesh should do everything possible to ensure that victims receive accurate answers about responsibility for crimes of such gravity and magnitude.” CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the Jamaat-e-Islami party is banned in Bangladesh. The party is active in the country. Farid Ahmed reported from Dhaka, Bangladesh; Tiffany Ap wrote from Hong Kong; Chieu Luu contributed reporting.


Bodde was most recently the US ambassador to Libya between November 2015 and his retirement at the end of last year Officials acknowledged Bodde's panel will have a difficult mission painting a picture of events in Havana Retired Ambassador Peter Bodde has been tapped to lead the State Department’s Accountability Review Board examining the attacks on US diplomats in Cuba, two senior State Department officials tell CNN. The Accountability Review Board is an internal State Department mechanism to review security incidents involving diplomatic personnel. The most well-known recent review board came after the deadly attack on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. Bodde was most recently the US ambassador to Libya between November 2015 and his retirement at the end of last year. He has also served as ambassador to Nepal and Malawi. He joined the Foreign Service in 1981. Officials acknowledged Bodde’s panel will have a difficult mission painting a picture of events in Havana with little evidence beyond the health problems of the 24 diplomats and their family members affected. Related article 'Perplexing' Cuba noise 'attacks' continue to baffle State Department “We don’t know what happened, how it happened or who did it,” one of the officials said. “All we know are the consequences. It’s going to be tricky.” This official said that a debate exists within the US government as to whether technology even exists that can cause the symptoms suffered by the diplomats, but added the fact that only diplomats in certain houses and hotel rooms were affected has left little doubt that the diplomats were targeted. “Unless aliens beamed in from Venus, they were attacked,” the official said. Officials say the Cuban government has cooperated and with the FBI investigation, with another official describing Havana’s cooperation as “forthcoming.” Related article Texas Rex stands his ground in the face of Trump administration chaos “They did exactly what we would have done in this situation,” the second senior State Department official said. Although the US doesn’t believe the Cuban government directed the attacks, the officials said there is a strong suspicion some rogue elements of the Cuban security apparatus must have been involved. “This took place while people were sleeping,” this official said. “Whoever was doing it knows where these people’s bedrooms were or what hotel room they were in. But because we can’t identify the technique or technology used, it allows the Cubans to say they are not involved and that the Americans don’t have any idea what happened.” Indeed, after Tuesday’s hearing on Capitol Hill, in which the State Department and federal investigators said have been unable to attribute the source or cause of the ailments, the Cuban foreign ministry issued a statement saying, “months of thorough probes have proven that there has been no attack.” The Department of State has no evidence whatsoever that allows it to affirm that there has been attacks against its diplomats in Havana, or that Cuba could be responsible for or be aware of actions carried out by third-parties wrote Josefina Vidal Ferreiro, Cuba’s Director General for US Affairs. “I categorically reiterate that the Cuban government has no responsibility whatsoever in the health conditions reported by US diplomats.” Related article Secretary of State Rex Tillerson: 'I intend to be here for the whole year' Officials say they suspect if and when the Cubans do find out what happened, they will put a stop to the attacks, but will not tell the US or make the revelations public because they don’t want to admit they have rogue elements in the ranks. “We just have to see a long period of no attacks,” the first official said. Although the last known incident occurred last August, the official noted: “These symptoms sometimes have a period to emerge so we can’t say yet that it’s over. Until then it would be irresponsible to send our diplomats back.”


Gene therapy costing more than half a million dollars will be offered with a money-back guarantee Strimvelis is a one-time treatment said to cure "bubble boy disease" Warranties may be the next trend in pharmaceutical medicine: In Europe, a new gene therapy from GlaxoSmithKline will be offered with a money-back guarantee.  If Strimvelis fails to cure the rare disorder commonly referred to as bubble boy disease, a patient will be refunded in full, the company says. Here’s the catch: Strimvelis, which received approval in May from the European equivalent of the US Food and Drug Administration, costs upwards of 594,000 euro, or more than $650,000. “In pricing Strimvelis, GSK reviewed how best to make the one-time treatment cost for the medicine affordable to health care systems,” said Sarah Spencer, a spokeswoman for the British drugmaker. Though the steep price may seem anything but reasonable, the disease is estimated to occur in just one in every 200,000 to 1 million newborns worldwide. It affects about 15 patients per year in Europe. “Given the extremely low patient numbers for Strimvelis and therefore low budget impact, many payers have indicated that Strimvelis is likely to be funded on a case-by-case basis and does not warrant a potentially complicated pricing arrangement,” Spencer said. “In my opinion, the main benefit is the control of appropriateness,” said Dr. Luca Pani, director general of the Italian Medicines Agency, which negotiated the price with GSK. Pani explained that with the warranty in place, it’s likely that only those patients most likely to benefit will be prescribed this highly individualized treatment, which is not a manufactured drug but a personalized “dose” specially fabricated by GSK. Additionally, if the performance of the drug slips over time, the drug’s cost-effectiveness will be renegotiated, said Pani. Related article Ice Bucket Challenge's 2nd anniversary celebrates its gene discovery “It is expensive, but the other options are a [bone marrow] transplant, which is equally if not more expensive, or long-term enzyme replacement,” said Dr. Helen Heslop, director of  the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at the Baylor College of Medicine, who is not affiliated with the therapy or GSK. Since Strimvelis is a one-time treatment and does not require second or repeated remedies, the potential for savings is clear. Strimvelis also seems to be effective. In a clinical trial of 18 children, all are  still alive, and 15 are considered cured of their disease. “I think many of us are always hesitant to use the word ‘cure,’ but there are patients who had the therapy over 10 or 15 years ago and are still alive and doing well,” said Jonathan Hoggatt, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. He has not worked on this particular therapy but has received funding from GSK for an unrelated project. As he sees it, the innovative therapy should continue to be effective. Strimvelis is only the second gene therapy to be offered in Europe, though it is the first approved for kids. Previously, drug-maker uniQure received the first regulatory approval in Europe for a gene therapy known as Glybera, a treatment for lipoprotein lipase deficiency, another genetic illness. Related article Stem cell study for ALS patients shows promise, yet causes pain In the United States, gene therapies, including Strimvelis, have not received approval from the FDA. GSK wants to seek approval for Strimvelis, Spencer said, but the timing is “dependent on a number of factors, including the highly complex clinical, manufacturing and regulatory requirements for this type of treatment.” “The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use decided that Strimvelis’s benefits are greater than its risks and recommended that it be approved for use in the EU,” the European Medicines Agency wrote in its European Public Assessment Report. The individualized, corrective gene therapy for children was developed in collaboration with the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, a joint project between Ospedale San Raffaele and Fondazione Telethon, with additional help from biotechnology company MolMed S.p.A. Treatment will be offered at Ospedale San Raffaele in Milan, Italy. Officially, “bubble boy disease” is called adenosine deaminase deficiency/severe combined immunodeficiency, or ADA-SCID. It occurs when a child inherits from both parents a faulty gene preventing the development of a normal immune system. The term “bubble boy disease” arose during the 1970s, when an ADA-SCID patient named David Vetter, who lived for 12 years in a germ-free plastic bubble, began making headlines. Strimvelis corrects the root cause of the illness: genes. Related article Chinese scientists to conduct first ever human gene-editing trial This therapy is based on an idea that has been used for more than 40 years: bone marrow transplants. For such treatments, a patient’s marrow is replaced with bone marrow stem cells from a matched donor. One major drawback of this procedure is that a patient’s body may reject the donor’s marrow, a response known as graft versus host disease. By contrast, there is no risk of this type of rejection with Strimvelis since a donor is not necessary. Instead, the gene therapy uses a patient’s own marrow. The patient’s bone marrow cells are removed, and a normal copy of the  adenosine deaminase gene is introduced into these cells by way of a retrovirus. Then, the patient receives an intravenous infusion of his or her own gene-corrected cells after treatment with low-dose chemotherapy. See the latest news and share your comments with CNN Health on Facebook and Twitter. Chemotherapy is required to clear space in the bone marrow. “A simple way to think of the bone marrow is like a full housing market in crowded city,” Hoggatt said. “If you want new tenants [the stem cells] to be able to move in, you need open apartments.” Chemotherapy eliminates (or evicts) the existing stem cells, he explained, making room for new cells. Once treated with Strimvelis, a patient can expect to make cells with the corrected gene on their own, and in this way, they will repair their immune system. “The data from Milan is very encouraging with follow-up of about five to eight years,” Heslop said.


ISIS says bombing was in response to U.S-led coalition bombing in Manbij Blast in Qamishli targets buildings belonging to Kurdish security agency A suicide bombing killed 48 people, among them women and children, Wednesday in northern Syria, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. A truck bomb exploded near buildings belonging to a Kurdish security agency and other governmental departments in the city of Qamishli near the border with Turkey, CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh reported. The observatory said 140 people were hurt. ISIS claimed responsibility and said one of its members drove a truck rigged with explosives to reach the Kurdish administrative complex where defense, interior and military recruiting departments operated. Kurdish officials are trying to learn how ISIS was able to get so much explosives into their stronghold. ISIS said the suicide operation was a “response to the crimes committed by the coalition warplanes against the vulnerable people of men, women and children in Manbij City.” Human rights groups said last week that U.S.-led airstrikes in and around the ISIS-controlled city of Manbij have killed more than 100 and wounded dozens more since June. The Manbij area is the last large tract of land along Syria’s northern border with Turkey under ISIS control, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Video from Qamishli showed residents digging through rubble searching for survivors and women wailing from apartments where the blast had blown off front walls. The city is under joint control of the Syrian-based Kurdish rebels – the People’s Protection Units, or YPG – and the Syrian regime. The terror group has claimed responsibility for a spate of terror attacks recently, including one that killed at least 21 people this week in Baghdad. Earlier this month, the deadliest terror attack in Baghdad in years killed nearly 300 people when a suicide truck bomb plowed into a busy shopping district. On Tuesday, the ISIS-linked news agency said the terror group’s “soldiers” were behind a church attack in northern France that killed a Catholic priest. One of the two suspects in the attack was known to anti-terror authorities after attempting a trip to Syria, a French anti-terrorism prosecutor said Tuesday.


Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb appears to have been rejuvenated Its affiliates are based in areas with limited state security Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, often seen as a fractured and undisciplined group, apparently has carried out its second major terror attack in two months – claiming more than 20 lives in the assault on a luxury hotel and two other targets in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The gun attack on the Splendid Hotel bears many similarities to that on the Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako, Mali, on November 20 in which 22 people were killed. Both targets were popular with Westerners and international (especially U.N). officials; they were “soft,” rather than military installations or police stations. The attackers (two in Bamako, possibly four in Ouagadougou) were armed with automatic weapons, their aim to kill and then take as many hostages as possible. And both operations apparently were carried out by an AQIM group called Al Mourabitoun. The group’s statement after the latest attack claimed the Splendid Hotel was “frequented by staff of the nations of global disbelief;” the attack was “to punish the cross-worshippers for their crimes against our people in Central Africa, Mali, and other lands of the Muslims.” A very similar statement followed the Bamako attack, which was revenge for the “assaults of the Crusaders on our people, our sanctities, and our mujahideen brothers in Mali.” Related gallery Burkina Faso hotel attack But while Mali has seen dozens of terror attacks by AQIM over the years, this is the first time the group apparently has extended its operations to neighboring Burkina Faso. In a region already reeling from terrorist violence and racked by instability, it’s an ominous portent of AQIM’s rejuvenated ambition. As intelligence analysts Flashpoint Partners write: “This is the first claim of credit by a major al Qaeda branch for an attack in Burkina Faso, which indicates an alarming growth in the group’s transnational reach.” Another sign of AQIM’s renewed vigor was its audio statement this week urging Muslims to expel Spain from its two enclaves in North Africa – Ceuta and Melilla – and to attack foreign occupiers in Libya. “The Italians and Romans have occupied the land once again, and most important after faith is pushing them away, deterring them, and expelling them from our lands,” says the head of AQIM’s “Council of Dignitaries,” Abu Obeida Yusuf al-‘Annabi, according to a translation by the SITE Intelligence Group. AQIM is recovering from a sequence of divisions and defeats in recent years. After various AQIM affiliates swept across northern Mali in 2012, seizing nearly half the country, intervention by the French and several African militaries pushed them out of cities such as Timbuktu and Gao and back into remote desert regions. But the vast Sahel desert and its mountain ranges were (and are) a refuge for AQIM commanders like Mokhtar Belmoktar, the most infamous and dangerous of AQIM leaders. Belmoktar is leader of Al Mourabitoun, which carried out another deadly hotel attack in the Malian town of Sevare last August in addition to the Bamako and Ouagadougou attacks. The one-eyed Belmoktar has been declared dead many times, most recently by Libyan officials after a U.S. airstrike in eastern Libya last summer, but has defied the odds. It’s been 12 years since he was designated as a global terrorist by the United States, with a $5 million reward on offer for information about him. Belmoktar has survived because of the vast distances and empty landscapes of the Sahel: the rugged Algerian-Malian border is as long as the distance from New York to Chicago. With the French military intervention in Mali, he is thought to have moved farther east – to the triangle where Algeria, Niger and Libya meet. Originally from southern Algeria, Belmoktar knows the Sahel like a smuggler, which is what he was. He became known as Mr. Marlboro for his prowess in smuggling everything from cigarettes to drugs and migrants through the empty and unforgiving landscapes. He is also thought to have raised tens of millions of dollars through ransoms for Westerners kidnapped in Mali and Niger, some of which has been spent in the weapons bazaars of Libya. His activities were too much for Abdelmalik Droukdel, the overall leader of AQIM, who is said to have demoted Belmokhtar in 2012 from his position as “‘Emir of the Sahel.” Citing regional security officials, Agence France Presse reported at the time that Belmokhtar had been dismissed for “continued divisive activities, despite several warnings.” Undaunted, Belmoktar announced the formation of an elite unit called “Those Who Sign With Blood,” which would be the shield against the “invading enemy” – meaning France. “This is a promise from us that we will fight you in the midst of your countries and we will attack your interests,” he said in a message released late in 2012. And in January 2013, his fighters launched an attack on a gas plant at In Amenas in southern Algeria. A three-day siege left nearly 40 foreign workers dead. Belmoktar’s fighters have since attacked a military academy and French uranium mine in Niger. Some intelligence sources also connected Belmoktar to the attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound and annex in Benghazi in September 2012, in which Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed. The Bamako attack in November marked Belmoktar’s homecoming to AQIM after three years of estrangement. Droukdel announced it had been a joint operation and declared the integration of the two groups. Only last week, Jemal Oukacha – leader of the Sahara branch of AQIM – said he had formed a Shura Council with Al Mourabitoun to develop a “unified strategy” focusing on targeting “Crusaders” inside and outside Mali, and the French in particular. AQIM operates in a region where state authority is frequently weak, intelligence resources limited and security forces often ineffective. Burkina Faso recently experienced an attempted military coup. It is not difficult for groups such as Al Mourabitoun with its resources to infiltrate a squad into a city like Ouagadougou or cross long thinly-populated borders such as the one dividing Mali and Burkina Faso. AQIM – and Belmoktar – matter to al Qaeda as a bulwark of support in an area where the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has ambitions, and new affiliates. ISIS has three wilayat or provinces in Libya, budding support bases in Algeria and Tunisia and the nominal allegiance of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria. One faction within AQIM also opted for ISIS, but not Belmoktar. “We confirm our commitment and loyalty to the pledge of allegiance to [al Qaeda leader] Sheikh Ayman al-Zawahiri,” his group announced in May last year. Oukacha – the leader of AQIM in the Sahara – also emphatically rejected the “Caliphate” last week. After a dramatic downturn in the group’s activities in 2014, a rejuvenated AQIM is demonstrating its expanded reach. Bad news for the West and for weak African states – but not great news for ISIS, either.


Former President Kim Young-sam dies after being hospitalized with a fever Kim's presidency from 1993 to 1998 ended three decades of military rule He was 'an iconic figure of South Korea's pro-democracy movement,' outlet reports Former South Korean President Kim Young-sam, the first civilian leader of the country’s modern democratic era, has died. Kim passed away at age 88 Sunday after being hospitalized since Thursday with a fever, according to Seoul National University Hospital. Kim, whose presidency from 1993 to 1998 ended more than three decades of military rule, was regarded as moderate opposition leader and democracy advocate, and he rose in politics through the National Assembly from the 1950s to the 1970s, until he was expelled and a military regime put him under house arrest. When first elected in his mid-20s, Kim was then the youngest member of the legislative house in 1954. “As an iconic figure of South Korea’s pro-democracy movement, he fought against military dictators for decades and laid the foundation of a peaceful power transfer in a country that had been marked by military coups,” the semi-official Yonhap news agency reported Sunday. Related gallery CNN exclusive: Inside U.S.-South Korea annual war games But in 1979, his anti-government activities and opposition to then-President Park Chung-hee resulted in Kim’s expulsion from the legislative chamber. Riots and protests ensued, and all 66 opposition members of the assembly resigned. Later, in the early 1980s, President Chun Doo-hwan put Kim under house arrest twice that lasted two years. Kim staged a 23-day hunger strike that helped his return to politics. Kim lost his first run for the presidency in 1987, but he won in the 1992 elections. “We have created a truly civilian government. I will try to reunify the divided nation and open a new era for our people,” Kim said in a victory statement that was reported in the Washington Post. Kim sought to reform the government and target political corruption. He had Chun and another military ex-president indicted on mutiny, treason and corruption charges stemming from a coup, and they were convicted and sent to prison. But two years later, Kim later pardoned Chun and Roh Tae-woo. Chun and Roh, then army generals, had seized power in a 1979 coup. For most of his administration, Kim enjoyed a rapidly growing economy. He also faced what the semiofficial news agency called South Korea “first nuclear crisis in 1994 when the Clinton administration was considering striking Yongbyon – home to North Korea’s nuclear complex – north of North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang. Related gallery Photos North Korea didn't want you to see “Kim was vehemently against the idea, citing a possible war,” the agency said. The crisis was eventually defused. Limited by the Constitution to a five-year term, Kim’s administration experienced its own round of corruption in his last year. Even one of his sons, also a close aide, was arrested on charges of bribery and tax evasion, Yonhap reported. Other Kim aides were implicated in a scandal over dubious loans to a failed steel company, putting several close associates in jail. Kim apologized to the nation for the bribery scandal and banished son Hyun-chul, then 37, from public life. But that wasn’t enough. In October 1997, a South Korean court found son Kim Hyun-chul guilty of accepting bribes and evading taxes and sentenced him to three years in prison. The son was ordered to pay a more than $1.5 million fine, and the court confiscated more than $500,000 in illegally amassed assets. Related gallery Do you recognize these people? At the same time, the economy sank in Southeast Asia financial crisis. “Kim was credited with disbanding a key military faction and bringing transparency to the nation’s murky financial system. But he was accused of mismanaging the economy during the Asian financial crisis that toppled some of the country’s debt-ridden conglomerates and forced the government to accept a US$58 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund,” Yonhap reported. Kim was born into a well-to-do fishing family in the southeastern tip of the peninsula when the country was still under Japanese colonial rule. During the Korean War, he anchored a defense ministry’s propaganda radio program, Yonhap reported. Kim is survived by his wife, two sons and three daughters.


Editor’s Note: Frida Ghitis is a world affairs columnist for The Miami Herald and World Politics Review, and a former CNN producer and correspondent. The views expressed in this commentary are her own. Frida Ghitis: The first direct meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin surprised many with the amount of substance it contained For the rest of the world, it's wait-and-see what actually materializes after the talks, Ghitis writes After more than two hours of talks on Friday, Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin appeared to have made progress in bridging some of the issues dividing their countries. But it’s far too soon to declare success in ending the hostility that has marked recent US-Russia relations. President Trump exceeded expectations at the meeting, principally by bringing up the issue of Russia’s interference in the US elections. Just 24 hours earlier, Trump mused that “Nobody really knows for sure” who was responsible for hacking the elections. The Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, reportedly told Russian media that Putin denied interfering and Trump accepted his denial. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had a sharply different version of the conversation, saying the two countries could not come to an agreement on the issue. Related article Trump, Putin and Erdogan: the three men upending global diplomacy The leaders reached agreement on other major matters, including a partial ceasefire in southwest Syria, which is a positive sign, but similar efforts have fizzled out in the past, so we should hope for the best but reserve judgment. They discussed Ukraine, the subject of sharpest disagreement, along with other key issues. For Putin, the meeting was an even greater success. Above almost anything else, Putin wants to be seen as a major player on the global stage, and he achieved that in spades, beginning with the photo-op during which President Trump publicly declared it an “honor” to meet the Russian president (a man described by Defense Secretary James Mattis as a “threat to the global order,” and whose interference in the US elections has been described by some members of Congress as an “act of war.”) But even before today’s meeting, Putin had reason for satisfaction. While the United States has not lifted sanctions against Russia, one of the Russian President’s top priorities, Putin can take great pleasure in watching what has happened to the West since Donald Trump became President. The Western alliance is deeply divided – and therefore weakened. The United States and its European friends no longer see eye-to-eye on key issues. The Trump administration has vowed to mostly set aside issues such as human rights and democracy promotion in foreign policy. Related article Who's who in the 2017 class photo of G20 leaders And, despite President Trump’s belated support for NATO’s mutual defense commitment, America’s allies are less sure than ever before about the depth of Washington’s commitment to the European Union and its efforts to strengthen democracy. As with other campaign promises and foreign policy ideas, Donald Trump has discovered that improving relations with Russia is easier said than done – so long as you also remain committed to safe-guarding US interests. Perhaps some in his campaign rallies thought the notion of re-engaging with Russia was a novel concept. It isn’t. Every US president since the end of the Cold War has tried it. And even during Soviet times, US leaders saw the benefit of working together in areas of common interest. Franklin D. Roosevelt clenched his jaw and joined with Joseph Stalin to defeat Hitler. More recently, George W. Bush famously met with Vladimir Putin in 2001, “looked the man in the eye,” and said he could “get a sense of his soul.” Later, when Putin sent Russian troops into the sovereign nation of Georgia, Bush had to re-evaluate what he had seen in Putin’s soul. The Obama administration also tried various approaches, all aimed at developing better relations. There was the infamous “reset” and Obama’s just as-infamous hot-microphone whisper to then-Russian president Dmitry Medvedev that he would have “more flexibility” to work with Russia after the elections. Ties unraveled further after Russia’s heavy-handed interference in Ukraine, with the annexation of Crimea, and Russia’s military intervention and support for Ukrainian separatists. That was the straw that brought down the pretense of rapprochement and triggered sanctions. The deterioration continued when Putin sent his forces to fight in Syria, on the side of President Bashar al-Assad and Iran. Related video Things Trump has said about Putin For Trump, improving relations with Russia is particularly difficult because of the dark cloud of election hacking and his continuing equivocation on the issue. Despite consensus among US intelligence agencies – including Trump’s own appointees – that it was Russia that hacked the US election, Trump is still hedging. Questions remain about why, exactly, Trump so consistently praises Putin and criticizes America’s allies. Assuming that Trump’s interest is nothing other than America’s, there are very real reasons why Russia and the US so often disagree: The two countries have conflicting goals in many areas. That became evident, early in Trump’s term, when Russia’s Syrian allies used chemical weapons against civilians, prompting Trump to launch missiles. The US and Russia agree on the need to defeat ISIS and return stability to Syria, but they profoundly disagree about what should come next, for reasons that go beyond Syria, including the influence of Iran and the Sunni-Shiite divide afflicting the Middle East. US intelligence says Russia has only increased its spying activity in the United States and warns of a significant Russian threat to America’s next election.  For Putin, this is likely reason to grin.  Even more satisfying must be the turmoil that has followed the US election, which makes democracy seem less appealing, potentially sapping some energy from demands for more democracy in Russia, where he has hollowed out of any semblance of democratic fair play. Putin is an experienced, wily operator.  Just hours before the Trump-Putin meeting, Russia blocked a US resolution on North Korea at the UN Security Council. It might have been a case of Putin flexing his muscle to show how much power he has to help or hurt the US. Sign up for CNN Opinion’s new newsletter.Join us on Twitter and Facebook The first direct meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin surprised many with the amount of substance it contained. But while Trump is just getting to know the Russian President, the United States has many years of experience with Putin. Presidents looking after US interests have found that, while there is room for cooperation on specific issues, positive early meetings often lead to disappointment later. Friday was a great day for Putin, a good one for Trump. For the rest of the world, we’ll have to wait and see what actually materializes after the talks.


"I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem," Trump said Transcript was obtained by the Intercept, The Washington Post and The New York Times US President Donald Trump told his Philippines’ counterpart that he was doing a good job fighting an illegal drug epidemic in his country, an effort that has led to thousands of deaths and drawn international condemnation from human rights groups. “I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem,” Trump said in the April 29 phone call, according to a leaked transcript of the conversation with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte published by the Intercept and also obtained by The Washington Post and The New York Times.”Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that.” A senior US official briefed on the call independently verified the basics of the conversation to CNN, but said Trump was merely acknowledging the US is combating its own drug problem, not condoning violence and human rights violations. A statement from the White House released shortly after the call described the conversation as “very friendly.” The comments were reportedly part of a Philippine government transcript. A senior Trump administration official said Wednesday: “We do not confirm or deny the veracity of leaked purported documents, especially not those that allege to have come from a foreign source.” Though Duterte is extremely popular domestically, observers worry that the government has effectively sanctioned extrajudicial killings in the name of combating the drug problem. “Any assertion by any world leader, including, US President Donald Trump, that Duterte is doing ‘an unbelievable job’ by cheerleading a murderous campaign that has killed more than 7,000 Filipinos is not only a gross insult to those victims and their family members, but sends a signal to Duterte and his willing executioners that their lawless killing spree can continue with a vengeance without fear of international criticism and repercussions,” said Phelim Kline of Human Rights Watch. Philippines police said in December nearly 6,000 had been killed in the war on drug trafficking, but earlier this month authorities released a much lower death toll and accused the international media of exaggerating the figure. Current estimates are as high as 8,000, based on figures released by the police and independent counts by human rights groups and media. Duterte claims there are 3 to 4 million drug users in the country, but statistics from the Philippines Dangerous Drugs Board puts the figure at 1.8 million. About 100 million people live in the Philippines. The Philippines Foreign Affairs Ministry had no comment when asked about the transcript, but noted that there are criminal and civil liabilities for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential government documents. “While we value the need for transparency and the people’s right to information, (the) release of certain pieces of information, whether accurate or inaccurate, can affect national security and regional peace and stability,” the ministry said in a statement. Since his inauguration Trump and Duterte, who was elected last summer, have established what seems as a publicly friendly rapport. Duterte told reporters in December that Trump, then President-elect, told him over the phone he was handling the fight against drugs “the right way.” The White House announced shortly after the April phone call that Trump had invited Duterte to the White House to discuss the North Korea threat. Some questioned whether it was prudent for the President to host Duterte due to accusations about human rights violations in the drug war. A senior administration official said after the April 29 call that Trump “is interested in human rights issues, but he’s not going to allow that interest and concern keep him from defending the national security interests of the United States.” Duterte has responded to critics of the drug war with strong rhetoric. When former US President Barack Obama’s administration said Obama would raise the issue during a meeting between the two, Duterte called his former US counterpart a “son of a bitch.” He also referred to the US ambassador to the Philippines at the time using the same epithet. CNN’s Zahra Ullah, Nicole Gaouette and journalist Buena Bernal in Manila contributed to this report


Palin pointed out the President did not visit with the oil industry in the state Palin herself, like most Alaska politicians and locals, has long referred to the peak by its local name "Denali" Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took issue with President Barack Obama’s visit to her state, saying he missed some key points while in the region. While Obama trekked the Alaskan wilderness to highlight the impacts of climate change, Palin pointed out in The Independent Journal that the President did not visit with the oil industry in the state or seriously address the presence of Russian and Chinese military and oil exploration activity off Alaska’s coast. Palin also appeared to slam Obama for recently changing the official name of the United States’ tallest peak from Alaska’s Mount McKinley to Denali. “And, he renamed a mountain…our mountain…the tallest peak on the North America continent,” Palin said, writing under the pen name “Denali,” which was her Secret Service code name. Opinion: The irony of Obama’s Arctic voyage Palin herself, like most Alaska politicians and locals, has long referred to the peak by its local name “Denali” – as she did in her farewell address as she left the governor’s post in 2009. Related gallery Obama's historic Alaska visit Palin, a tea party firebrand who unsuccessfully campaigned for the vice presidency, also slammed Obama for not checking out the Hubbard Glacier in Alaska, which according to a NASA report is expanding. Obama instead visited one of the thousands of glaciers in Alaska which have been shrinking in recent decades as a result of global warming, for which there is overwhelming scientific evidence. Obama slams climate change deniers Palin has slammed such evidence as “junk science” in the past, and on Friday took the opportunity to slam Obama for the carbon footprint of his trip. “Unlike most tourists, the President heads home now with his enormous fleet of transport vehicles – ironically after plenty of finger pointing on this Global Warming tour. Astoundingly, with just this one trip, a bigger carbon footprint was created than what 33 cars combined would create in an entire year,” she said. Photos from Obama’s Alaska trip


Sen. Lindsey Graham says he’s never sent an email. The South Carolina Republican and potential 2016 presidential contender offered to share everything he’s ever sent with NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd – but said there’s not really much to turn over. READ: Bill Clinton declines to weigh in on Hillary emails “You can have every email I’ve ever sent – I’ve never sent one,” he said. “I don’t know what that makes me.” Still, Graham, who’s hammered both Clinton and President Barack Obama over foreign policy, said he wants Clinton’s emails vetted by an “independent group,” rather than the State Department or her staff, to determine what should be released. “This is big in this regard: Did she communicate on behalf of the Clinton Foundation as secretary of state? Did she call the terrorist attack in Benghazi a terrorist attack?” Graham said. “I want to know.”


Nominees have avoiding answering key questions Price is expected to decline to get into details of repealing Obamacare Willfully or skillfully, Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees are avoiding answering key questions on the details of how their agencies will run, sticking to big-picture ideas instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of policy. One case in point is likely to be Rep. Tom Price when he takes his turn for confirmation hearings on Wednesday. The Georgia Republican has previously introduced his own legislation to repealing and replacing Obamacare. But the Health and Human Services nominee has been assiduously kept out in the dark on Trump’s replacement plan in an effort to inoculate him from fielding questions about it during his hearing, according to a senior transition official. Price is expected to say he hasn’t been involved in the planning efforts if he is asked what the administration intends to do about the Affordable Care Act, the source said. Instead, Price will try to focus on his potential role as a policy implementer as opposed to get into the details of setting policy, an official said. Price will be just the latest example of a Cabinet pick avoiding future policy details during a confirmation hearing. The tactic prevents a nomination from getting stymied thanks to a potentially unpopular policy and prevents the nominee from saying something that the future administration would be held account for. Trump’s State Department nominee Rex Tillerson and Department of Homeland Security nominee John Kelly both pleaded ignorance when asked specifics about their plans at agencies and what conversations they’ve had with Trump himself on the topic. Trump has not discussed Russia with secretary of state pick Tillerson, the longtime Exxon CEO, drew amazement from New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez when he said he has only spoken to Trump about the world in general terms and has had no specific conversations about Russia, its President Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s attempts to influence the election, one of the Hill’s biggest concerns on both sides of the aisle. “That has not yet occurred,” Tillerson said. “That’s pretty amazing,” Menendez responded. In similar fashion, Kelly, a retired general, told senators he has not been involved in policy conversations about how to proceed on the campaign promise of deporting undocumented immigrants. Kelly said only that he expects undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, who were protected from deportation under an Obama administration policy, will not be first on the list for enforcement actions. “The entire development of immigration policy is ongoing right now in terms of the upcoming administration,” Kelly said. “I have not been involved in those discussions. If confirmed, I think – I know – I will be involved in those discussions.” One nominee did admit to in-depth discussions with Trump on policy matters, but still demurred on what the administration was planning. Retired Gen. James Mattis, nominated to be defense secretary, told Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain that he is a strong supporter of the US alliance with NATO, and has expressed that to the President-elect. Trump has been an outspoken critic of NATO throughout the campaign. “I have had discussions with him on this issue,” Mattis said. “He has shown himself open, even to the point of asking more questions and going deeper into the issue about why I feel so strongly.” The top 7 moments of confirmation hearings’ first week But Mattis said working through what the administration’s vision is will wait until the national security team is assembled. “He understands where I stand, and I’ll work with the other members of the team, the national security team, once the Senate confirms them, to carry these views forward,” Mattis said. Mattis and Trump’s attorney general nominee, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, also deployed another tried-and-true tactic in their hearings – declining comment due to ignorance. “I’m not current on this,” Mattis said to a question about specific Syria strategy. “If confirmed I will get current as fast as I can.” Sessions said he had “not studied” four different issues, and said he didn’t have enough “research” on three others. Some of the subjects Sessions demurred on included hot topics, like the guidelines put out by the Obama administration on Department of Justice pursuit of journalists and their sources, how the emoluments clause of the Constitution applies to the President on conflicts of interest, Voting Rights Act enforcement and overseeing the appeals court for immigration proceedings. A transition official who worked on nominee prep said it’s natural for nominees to wait on some details – especially given that they will not be operating in a vacuum if confirmed. “Sometimes the questions are asking for a level of detail that it just wouldn’t be prudent to answer,” the official said, “in terms of getting ahead of the policy experts that you should talk to and who have been working at that department or who you are going to bring into that department.” And, of course, the official added that a lot will be up to the President-elect. “You never want to get ahead of the boss.” CNN’s Jeremy Diamond contributed to this report.


Japan's innovative wearable devices includes Archelis, a "standing" chair designed for surgeons. Tokyo's first Wearable Expo debuted in 2015 and was largest in the world. Japan's wearable tech market is predicted to grow from 530,000 in 2013 to 13.1 million units in 2017. What do Discman, Tamagotchi, and Game Boy have in common? They’re all landmark Japanese inventions from the 80s and 90s, symbols of an era when the Asian nation was a world leader in tech innovation. But with the rise of Silicon Valley, and American tech giants such as Google and Apple, has seen Japan produce less era-defining tech over the past two decades. That, says Professor Masahiko Tsukamoto, of Kobe University’s Graduate School of Engineering, is about to change thanks to a new generation of young entrepreneurs, an uptick in international collaborations, and new partnerships with university scientists. Japan’s focus this time around is not on smart phones or gaming, but wearable chairs, smart glasses and dog communication devices. In short, wacky wearable tech. In 2013, Japan sold 530,000 units of wearable tech devices, according to Yano Research Institute. That figure is predicted to leapfrog to 13.1 million units in 2017. Related gallery Geek chic: Wearable technology is the passport to 2015 Perhaps the best indication of the boom in this industry was the introduction of Tokyo’s first Wearable Expo in 2015 – at launch, it was the largest wearable tech fair in the world with 103 exhibitors. It has featured electronic kimonos, cat communication devices, and electronic gloves to record a pianist’s finger work. At the next show, from January 18 to 20, 2017, the organizers expect more than 200 exhibitors and 19,000 visitors. “With better functionality, lighter components and smaller designs, wearing devices is now no longer a fantasy,” says show director Yuhi Maezono. “Wearables are gathering attention as the next big growth market.” Inupathy is a dog harness slated to launch at the end of this year that will allow pet owners to communicate with their dogs. As well as a heart monitor, the harness features noise-canceling technology which can isolate the animal’s heartbeat and track its reactions to stimulus, such as food, games, people and toys. With this data, the harness assesses a dog’s mood and changes color to inform the owners. Equipped with six LED lights, the collar glows blue to show calm, red for excitement, and displays a rainbow theme for happiness. Joji Yamaguchi, CEO of Inupathy, was inspired by his Corgi, Akane, who was a nervous puppy. To better understand the dog’s anxiety, the biologist developed Inupathy to monitor his heart rate. Related gallery How do dogs process language? Scientists scan their brains to find out “I always felt like I couldn’t understand Akane very well and I wanted to get be closer to him,” says Yamaguchi. “Buddhism and old Japanese religion says every animals, plants, and even rocks have spirit inside. It’s stressful when you can’t solve problems that are upsetting them.” Yamaguchi expects wearable wellness tracking will have applications for humans, too. “Personalization, of artificial intelligence will be a game-changer,” says Yamaguchi. “For instance, if you show a certain behavior before you start feeling depressed, predicting your depression from that behavior is extremely valuable for an individual. An AI that works personally for you will eventually make this possible.” Archelis – a wearable chair launched in Japan this year – is also creating a buzz internationally. A collaboration between Nitto mold factory, Chiba University, Japan Polymer Technology and Hiroaki Nishimura Design, in Japan, it was initially intended for surgeons, who need to rest their legs during long operations. The chair enables its wearer to effectively sit down and stand up at the same time. “The Archelis concept is very simple, like the simplicity of Columbus’ egg,” says Dr Hiroshi Kawahira, the surgeon behind the concept. “Long surgeries can result in back pain, neck pain, and knee pain – especially for surgeons who are older.” Made of 3D-printed panels, Archelis does not require any electrical components or batteries. The innovation is in the effective design: flexible carbon panels wrap around the buttocks, legs and feet to provide support and minimize pressure on joints. The system stabilizes the ankles and knees, so the pressure from being upright is spread evenly across the shins and thighs. Though the wearer appears to be standing, in fact, they are resting their back and legs while working on their feet. Other wearables are on the smaller side. Measuring about 3 inches long, BIRD is essentially a modern thimble that turns your fingertip into a magic wand. Using algorithms to decode a user’s intent, the device also features precise sensors that track direction, speed, and gestures. The technology enables users to turn any surface into a smart screen, as well as interact with other smart devices. Walking around at home, users can project a laptop screen onto a wall, switch on a coffee machine, read on any surface, and make online purchases with the point or swipe of a finger. The developers – Israel-based MUV Interactive and Japan-based Silicon Technology – expect BIRD to be embraced by the education and corporate sectors, thanks to its ability to create collaborative presentations.


Truck attack at Christmas market left 12 dead, 48 injured German authorities have not publicly named any of the victims An Italian woman working in Berlin. An Israeli visiting with her husband. A truck driver making a delivery. An attacker would leave them all dead. More details are emerging about the victims of Monday night’s attack at a Christmas market in Berlin when a hijacked truck barreled into a crowd. Twelve were killed and 48 injured. German authorities have not publicly named any of the victims. But other sources, such as families or authorities in other countries, have named some of those who died. Here’s a look at some of those killed, followed by accounts of some of the injured: LUKASZ URBAN The truck used in the attack had been driven earlier in the day by Urban, a Polish man who was hauling steel in Berlin for his cousin’s Poland-based company, the cousin said. Urban was found shot dead inside the vehicle after the attack – and was not driving during the attack, police said. It would appear the attacker hijacked the truck from Urban, who may have been involved in a struggle with the assailant inside the truck’s cabin before he was shot, CNN terrorism analyst Paul Cruickshank said. The cousin, Ariel Zurawski, speaking to CNN affiliate TVN24, said Urban indicated he felt uneasy during that conversation, describing the area where he was going to unload as “weird.” Urban also talked to his wife at 3 p.m. that day, Zurawski said. Less than an hour later, the truck’s GPS showed it being driven back and forth, with the engine being started and shut down again. It appeared to Zurawski, he told TVN24, that someone was learning how to drive the truck. The Christmas market attack happened hours later. DALIA ELYAKIM Elyakim, 60, of Israel, was with her husband when the attack happened. She died as a result of the attack, and her husband, Rami Elyakim, was seriously injured, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said. The Israeli Embassy in Berlin was working with the family to bring the woman’s body back to Israel for burial, the ministry said. FABRIZIA DI LORENZO Di Lorenzo, 31, was an Italian citizen who was killed in the attack, Italian Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano said Thursday. Di Lorenzo, from the central Italian town of Sulmona, had worked in Berlin for several years, Italian news agency ANSA reported. “The pain at her death is great. Once again one of our young compatriots has been the victim of the senseless, execrable violence of terrorism,” Italian President Sergio Mattarella said, according to ANSA. “I express the solidarity and closeness of the whole country to Fabrizia’s parents and brother.” Dozens have survived their injuries. Some suffered serious tissue damage and broken bones from being hit by the truck; others were injured by the collapse of wooden kiosks that the truck damaged, said Dr. Michael Schuetz, one of the physicians who treated the victims. An Italian survivor, Giuseppe La Grassa, told Sky TG24 he was at the market with his wife when the truck hit him. With his face marked by bruises and cuts, La Grassa recalled Wednesday that he heard “the sound of a truck speeding up.” “I turned around to look for my wife and I suddenly found myself on the ground. The truck hit me,” he told Sky TG24. La Grassa said he saw many people on the ground, motionless. “We managed to go to the exit. A paramedic took us to a hotel and rescued us. He treated me, and then a hotel car brought us to the military hospital,” he said. Related article Witnesses describe scene Two Americans were among the 48 injured, the US State Department said. One of them, according to his family, was Richard Ramirez. Ramirez, a 62-year-old Texas native, was at the market with his longtime partner when the truck hit the crowd. His partner – a German man whose name has not been released – was killed, and Ramirez underwent surgery and is recovering in an intensive care unit, Ramirez’s brother told CNN. Ramirez is struggling with his partner’s death, Armando Ramirez said. “He’s being heavily sedated because of the loss of his partner of 18 years. He’s very, very emotional. He’s having panic attacks,” the brother said in a phone interview from Texas. When Armando heard about the attack on the news, he immediately thought about the pair, he said. “I was at work, I had the TV going, and I said, ‘Oh, dear Lord, I hope and pray Richard and (his partner) were nowhere near that market attack,’” Armando said. “And the US Embassy called my sister at 2 in the morning on Wednesday … to let us know that my brother was in the ICU.” Richard Ramirez, originally of San Benito, Texas, moved to Germany years ago to be with his partner, CNN affiliate KGBT-TV reported. CNN’s Oren Liebermann, Hada Messia, Max Foster and Poppy Harlow contributed to this report.


Negotiations between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and members of the Syrian opposition are scheduled to start next week The major power brokers in the conflict are at odds over the future role Assad could play in a political transition Secretary of State John Kerry held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Wednesday in hopes of resolving differences over Syria peace talks that threaten to derail the process. Negotiations between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and members of the Syrian opposition are scheduled to start next week, the first step in a U.N.-backed 18-month timeline for political change in Syria. But divisions over who will represent the Syrian opposition may force the U.N. to postpone the talks. Russia and Iran, which support Assad, are at odds with the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Gulf nations and Europe over which groups are legitimate, and which are considered terrorists and should be excluded from the negotiations. The major power brokers in the conflict are also at odds over the future role Assad could play in a political transition. The U.S. and its European and Arab allies say he has no role in Syria’s future, but Russia and Iran argue that the Syrian people should decide Assad’s fate. Kerry and Lavrov met in Zurich to hash out the issue before flying by helicopter to the Swiss ski resort town of Davos to take part in the World Economic Forum. READ: John Kerry is in a diplomatic groove, but it might not last The State Department said Kerry and Lavrov discussed “the importance of maintaining progress toward a diplomatic solution to the crisis” in Syria and plans for the peace talks, which U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, has slated to convene in Geneva on Jan. 25. U.N. officials said this week de Mistura would not issue invitations for Monday’s talks until the key countries involved reached agreement on a list of who would comprise the Syrian opposition delegation for the talks. Both the U.S. and Russia have said they want the talks to start as scheduled on Monday, but it did not appear Kerry and Lavrov made any breakthroughs in their three-hour meeting. “We do not have any kind of thoughts about changing the beginning of the talks from January to February,” Lavrov told reporters. “This is the position of Russia and the USA.” “The political process will begin, we hope, in the nearest future, during January,” he said. “Various dates have been named, but the final decision will be taken by the secretary-general of the United Nations on the advice and recommendations of his special envoy, Staffan de Mistura.” Lavrov said the focus of the talks with Kerry was “coordination” about terrorist organizations that should be banned from negotiations as well as a ceasefire, which is called for in the U.N.-backed plan once the talks begin. Related gallery Syria's civil war in pictures State Department spokesman John Kirby said Kerry urged Russia to use its influence with Assad “to ensure immediate, unimpeded and sustained humanitarian access to all Syrians in need,” particularly in Madaya, where aid workers have reported deaths due to starvation. The U.N. has accused the government of blocking aid to Syrians in rebel-held areas. In Davos on Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said 400,000 Syrians are trapped in besieged communities. Kerry and Lavrov also discussed ways to push forward the peace process between the government and Russian-backed rebels in Ukraine and international efforts to respond to North Korea’s nuclear test earlier this month, Kirby said. Kerry arrives in Switzerland on the heels of the implementation of the Iran nuclear agreement and a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Iran that saw the release of five Americans, including Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian. In Davos he will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vocal critical of the nuclear deal, and Iraq’s prime minister. This weekend Kerry will visit Riyadh for consultations with Saudi leaders and attend a meeting of Gulf ministers. Kerry will seek to assure nervous Gulf allies that the U.S. will not abandon them despite Washington’s warming ties with Iran. From the Middle East, Kerry will travel to Asia for meetings in Laos, Cambodia and China, where concerns over North Korea will top the agenda.


Ted Cruz is blasting presidential Barack Obama for visiting Cuba The Republican presidential candidate says it ignores political prisoners on the island nation As President Barack Obama arrived in Havana on Sunday Ted Cruz slammed the president’s visit, calling it “so sad, and so injurious to our future as well as Cuba’s, that Obama has chosen to legitimize the corrupt and oppressive Castro regime with his presence on the island.” In a Politico op-ed the Republican presidential candidate said the administration’s actions have “[created] a channel for inside deals between large corporations and the Cuban military, which holds all the keys to the island’s economy.” U.S.-Cuba relations are personal for Cruz, whose father was born and raised in Cuba. The Texas senator frequently speaks about his father Rafael’s imprisonment during the pre-Castro Batista regime. Cruz wrote that Obama’s visit sends a message to political prisoners in Cuba that “the world has forgotten about you.” “There will be no mojitos at the U.S. Embassy for them,” the Texas senator wrote, jabbing Obama’s visit, which included a formal welcoming ceremony and a state dinner at the Revolutionary Palace. Cruz later said that as president he would not visit Cuba under the same political conditions. “I cannot wait as president to visit Cuba,” Cruz said during a campaign event in Arizona. “But when I visit Cuba it will be a free Cuba. It will be a Cuba without Raul Castro, without Fidel Castro and I can’t wait to celebrate with the people of Cuba 90 miles off America’s shore.” “You know today is a sad day in American history,” Cruz said. “For decades leftists and Hollywood liberals have made the pilgrimage to Cuba to pay homage to Fidel Castro and Raul Castro. It’s very chic, it’s very chichi for leftists to celebrate vicious communist dictators.”