Thursday, Feb 28th, 2019
Trump and Kim Jong Un abruptly cut short Hanoi summit with no agreement President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un abruptly ended their second summit early on Thursday and canceled a scheduled lunch and signing ceremony. Trump and Kim “had very good and constructive meetings,” the White House said in a statement. “No agreement was reached at this time, but their respective teams look forward to meeting in the future.” In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Trump said the North Koreans “wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety,” but wouldn’t agree to enough on denuclearization. He said there is no third summit with Kim in the works, but said this one ended on a friendly note. “Sometimes you have to walk,” he said. But “it was a very friendly walk.” Source: USA Today, Bloomberg
A summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un abruptly ends earlier than scheduled, with the White House saying no deal has been reached in regards to relations between the two countries and North Korea’s nuclear weapons policies. (NBC News)
Cohen tells Congress Trump is involved in several crimes Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, testified publicly on Wednesday that Trump has been deeply involved in various crimes and lies to the American public. House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings told reporters that based on Cohen’s testimony, “it appears that” Trump committed a crime while in office; Cohen produced a check he says shows Trump broke campaign finance laws while president by repaying a hush money sum for Stormy Daniels. Cohen also claimed he knows about more alleged illegal acts involving Trump but can’t talk about them because they’re under investigation. He called Trump “a conman” and “a cheat,” and said he heard Roger Stone tell Trump that WikiLeaks would dump damaging emails to disrupt the Democratic National Convention. Cohen will testify in a closed-door hearing with the House Intelligence committees on Thursday. Source: The New York Times, Politico
Economy slows to 2.6 percent growth rate in 2018’s 4th quarter The U.S. economy grew at a 2.6 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2018, down from 3.4 percent in the third quarter and 4.2 percent in the second quarter, the Commerce Department said on Thursday. The government pointed to slow consumer spending as the reason for this decline, which was still higher than forecasts suggested. The 35-day partial government shutdown, which began in December, may have also played a role. The annual growth rate for 2018 as a whole was 2.9 percent, the highest since 2015 and above 2017’s 2.3 percent. This fell slightly short of President Trump’s goal of a 3 percent growth rate, however. The Federal Reserve expects a growth rate of 2.3 percent in 2019. Source: The Associated Press, The Washington Post
Israeli PM Netanyahu to be indicted on corruption charges Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit intends to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on corruption charges. Netanyahu faces charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. This will be the first time in Israel’s history that a prime minister is hit with criminal charges while in office. The announcement comes ahead of the upcoming election on April 6, in which Netanyahu is running for another term. Netanyahu is accused of taking bribes and offering favors in exchange for positive media coverage. Police had previously recommended he be indicted, citing his “bribe-based relationship” with the telecommunications company Bezeq, as well as the findings in two additional corruption cases. Netanyahu has denied wrongdoing and called the lengthy investigations against him a “witch hunt.” Source: CNN, The Times of Israel
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan says that captured Indian Air Force pilot Abhinandan Varthaman will be released tomorrow. (Economic Times) (Reuters)
Wednesday, Feb 27th, 2019
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met face-to-face Wednesday for the first time since their historic summit last year. (CNBC)
U.S. President Donald Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, is prepared to testify that Trump was aware of longtime adviser Roger Stone’s efforts to make contact with WikiLeaks in advance of its release of damaging information about Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to a copy of his public testimony submitted to Congress and obtained by CNN. (CNN)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells Russian President Vladimir Putin that Israel will “continue to take action against Iran in Syria”. (The Times of Israel)
Ukraine withdraws from this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv, Israel, after Ukrainian entrant Maruv said she refused to be used as a “political tool” after being asked to sign a contract saying she wouldn’t hold any concerts in Russia in the lead up to the event. (BBC)
A landslide hits an illegal gold mine in North Sulawesi, Sulawesi, Indonesia. An estimated 60 people are trapped underground as shafts give way, while three others are found dead. (Sky News)
Shin Bet arrest lawyer Tarek Barghout, an attorney who has represented “terror” suspects, and a Palestinian man named Zakaria Zubeidi for what it calls “their involvement in serious and current terrorist activities.” (The Times of Israel)
Steven Avery, a high-profile miscarriage of justice victim subsequently convicted of murder after his release in 2003, is granted a fresh appeal in Wisconsin. Avery, who was suing Manitowoc County officials over his original wrongful conviction when he was arrested for murder, gained international attention as the subject of the documentary Making a Murderer. (Sky News)
Juan Guaidó announces that he will exercise his “duties as president” when he returns to Venezuela from Colombia. Guaidó also stated that he did not see any signs of “broad support” from Russia towards Nicolás Maduro. (CNN), (Forbes)
Colombia asks for intervention from the United Nations to help end the crisis. (Reuters)
Tensions escalate in Kashmir as Pakistan shoots down Indian fighter jets Pakistan shot down two Indian fighter jets over Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and arrested one of the pilots, after Pakistani jets launched airstrikes into the Indian-administered part of the contested mountain region, Pakistan’s military said Wednesday. India denied the report and said it shot down a Pakistani F-16. The air battles, the first between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since 1971, follow a day of cross-border shelling and arms fire along the Line of Control, and Indian pre-dawn airstrikes on Tuesday. The U.S., China, and the European Union have urged India and Pakistan to de-escalate the situation and exercise restraint. India says the ground skirmishes on Tuesday and Wednesday have left five Indian soldiers wounded; Pakistan says Indian shelling has killed six civilians. Source: BBC News, Reuters
The Pakistani Air Force announces it has carried out airstrikes against Indian-held Kashmir, shooting down 2 Indian aircraft and capturing one pilot following a dogfight. Indian officials confirm one of their plane has crashed killing both pilots on board. Indian media claims India has shot down a Pakistani F-16 that violated its airspace. (Bloomberg) (ANI)
Pakistan reports Indian military aircraft violated their airspace near Muzaffarabad and “released a payload” which landed near Balakot. After this, Pakistan scrambled their own jets, but state no casualties or damage has been inflicted. India claims the incident was an airstrike on a Jaish-e-Mohammed camp in Balakot in retaliation to the Pulwama attack days earlier. (Reuters), (CNN-News18)
The attack is the first time since Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 that the Indian Air Force has crossed and attacked Pakistan beyond the line of control. As well as the first time since both countries have acquired nuclear weapons. (India Today)
An Indian Air Force Mi-17 transport helicopter crashes in the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, killing all six IAF personnel onboard. (Hindustan Times)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tells Putin that Israel will “continue to take action against Iran in Syria”. (The Times of Israel)
2 black women advance to Chicago mayoral runoff Chicago will elect its first black female mayor April 2, after Lori Lightfoot and Toni Preckwinkle advanced to a runoff election on Tuesday. Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor, and Preckwinkle, the Cook County Board president, led a field of 14 candidates running to replace Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is retiring after two terms. The most famous name on the ballot was William Daley, the brother and son of former Chicago mayors Richard M. Daley and Richard J. Daley and, like Emanuel, a former chief of staff to President Barack Obama. Lightfoot, a political outsider, is also the first openly gay woman to run for Chicago mayor. Turnout was low, at about 27 percent of registered voters. Source: The Associated Press
The End
Mykobar 