Rex Tillerson: Trump foreign affairs pick narrowly backed
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has narrowly approved Rex Tillerson as US secretary of state, despite concerns about his business ties to Russia.
It split along party lines, with all 11 Republicans voting in favour and all 10 Democrats against. A full vote will now be held in the Republican-run Senate.
The move capped a busy day for the new Donald Trump administration.
Most notable was the US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, fulfilling a campaign pledge.
President Trump signed an executive order to pull out from the 12-nation trade deal that had been a linchpin of former President Barack Obama's Asia policy.
Thousands of refugee children sleeping rough in sub-zero Serbia, says UN
Refugee facilities in Belgrade, where it is -15C, have been described as ‘worse than the jungle in Calais’ by aid workers
Hundreds of new refugees and migrants, many of them children, are arriving in Serbia every day despite the prospect of sleeping rough in sub-zero temperatures and reports of violent treatment, Save the Children has said, as it calls on the EU to do more to help.
The EU-Turkey deal, which was supposed to stem the flow of refugees arriving in Europe by boat, has meant many refugees are being forced to take a deadlier land route to cross the Balkans, with children as young as eight experiencing harsh weather conditions, dog bites and violent treatment by police and smugglers.
Although Serbia is not part of the European Union, it borders Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania, and has become a transit point for those hoping to reach western Europe. About 6,000 people are stuck in Serbia not able to cross the border into Hungary, which is the direction of travel most would like to take.
This is what Trump’s ‘America First’ foreign policy will look like – and it’s very confusing
The attempt to spread liberal democracy, Trump has stated, will end under him. But, at the same time, he has declared that he will expand the defence budget. So, the only reason for ramping up this already massive force would be to project American power, through wars if necessary, for America’s self-interest
“From this day forward, it’s going to be only America first”, Donald Trump declared, setting down what is supposed to be the guiding principle of his administration in an inaugural speech bereft of statesmanship but full of threats and invectives.
But what does “America first” mean when it comes to foreign and defence policy? The words are not new: they were much used by the isolationist movement which tried to keep the US out of the Second World War, with a pro-German and anti-Semitic stance taken by some like its poster boy, the aviator Charles Lindbergh.
Modern-day slavery: Indonesia cracks down on brutal conditions on foreign fishing boats
It's hard to comprehend it happened in this century: human slaves trapped on fishing boats being whipped with poisonous stingray tails, having ice blocks thrown at them and being shot.
"If Americans and Europeans are eating this fish, they should remember us," says Hlaing Min, 30, a runaway slave from Benjina, a remote fisheries weight station in eastern Indonesia's Aru Islands.
"There must be a mountain of bones under the sea. ... The bones of the people could be an island, it's that many."
In 2015 more than 1300 foreign fisherman from Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos were rescued from Benjina and Ambon, after an Associated Press investigation revealed the brutal conditions aboard many foreign vessels reflagged to operate in Indonesian waters.
Will Japan allow its Emperor to abdicate? Interim report suggests Akihito could get his hinted wish
A government panel looking into the prospect of Emperor Akihito's abdication suggests that one-time legislation could permit the current emperor to step down from his duties, avoiding any permanent change to the system.
The abdication of Japan’s emperor – an event not seen in 200 years – took a step closer to becoming reality Monday, as a government panel released an interim report suggesting legislation to permit a one-time move, allowing the 83-year-old Emperor Akihito to retire from some of his imperial duties.
The matter has been a subject of debate and speculation ever since August, when Akihito expressed concerns about his ability to fully execute his duties, in light of his advancing age.
"I have continued to think to this day about how the Japanese imperial family can put its traditions to good use in the present age and be an active and inherent part of society, responding to the expectations of the people," the Emperor said in August, during his second-ever televised address.
Post-truth is an old story
To many observers around the world, the “post-truth” phenomenon seemed to emerge from nowhere in 2016. It didn't. India, the world’s largest democracy, has been living in such a reality for years
JANUARY 24, 2017 7:52 AM
Major social change does not happen within the space of a year. Yet, to a large number of observers around the world, the “post-truth” phenomenon seemed to emerge from nowhere in 2016.
Two key events of 2016 shaped our understanding of the post-truth world: One was in June, when Britain voted in favour of leaving the European Union.
The other was in November, when political maverick Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States of America. Trump’s administration spent the third day of his presidency speaking of “alternative facts”, and making false claims about the size of the crowds that had attended his inauguration.
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