Trump State of the Union address promised unity but emphasized discord
The president’s ‘new American moment’ speech stirred Republican applause while Democrats showed thinly disguised contempt
Donald Trump has promised a “new American moment” in a State of the Union address that sought harmony but succeeded only in underlining the deep discord at the heart of the country’s politics.
The US president preened over a growing economy and pledged a return to national greatness with a nostalgic appeal to family, faith, law and order, the military and the national anthem. “Tonight, I call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need to deliver for the people we were elected to serve,” Trump said.
Yet from his vantage point at the dais in the House of Representatives, the split screen nation that is America in 2018 was writ large.
Afghanistan earthquake: One dead as strong 6.1 magnitude quake strikes near Pakistan border
Young girl killed in housing collapse as seismic shock felt in Kabul, New Dehli and Lahore
Afghanistan has been struck by a 6.1 magnitude earthquake close to its border with Pakistan, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), killing one and leaving at least five injured.
Tremors from the quake were reported in Kabul and felt in a number of other densely-populated locations in the region including Islamabad, Delhi, Lahore, Bahawalpur, Kashmir and Abotabbad.
A young girl was killed and five others wounded in the village of Lasbela in Pakistan's Baluchistan province when the roofs of mud-brick homes caved in, according to local government official Izat Nazir Baluch.
Are Turkey and Russia at odds in northern Syria?
Turkey's incursion into Afrin has raised questions about the prospects for peace in Syria. Kristian Brakel of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Istanbul talks to DW about the conflict, and the role Russia plays.
DW: Turkey has launched a military offensive against the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin in northern Syria. Meanwhile, there are reports on Tuesday of clashes involving Turkish forces advancing on the province to the south, Idlib. What interests does Turkey have there?
Kristian Brakel: The Syrian army is currently conducting an offensive in Idlib. Turkey has a stated interest in keeping the Syrian army from taking control of this enclave. Idlib is one of the few enclaves held by rebel groups. Some of those groups are Turkish allies. Turkey hopes to keep this area on the table to leverage future peace negotiations in Sochi.
How a Sudanese man in France saved his kidnapped brothers in Libya
Abou Bakr Ibrahim
Libyan police freed eight Sudanese migrants in a raid on January 23. The men had been kidnapped by an armed group 10 days prior and subjected to horrible torture in captivity. Several prisoners were relatives of Abou Bakr Ibrahim, a Sudanese man who lives in France. Two were his brothers, and one was his cousin. Ibrahim told France 24 about his conversations with his relatives’ kidnappers and explained how an outcry on social media resulted in their release.
It all started when two videos showing Sudanese migrants being tortured appeared on social media.
It all started when two videos showing Sudanese migrants being tortured appeared on social media.
Because of the extremely violent nature of these videos, France 24 has decided to publish only screengrabs.
In the first video the torturer melts small pieces of plastic onto the end of a stick and then pours the burning liquid onto his victim’s back, making the man twist in agony.
North Korea to parade dozens of long-range missiles before Winter Olympics
Updated 0715 GMT (1515 HKT) January 31, 2018
Cypriot children's 1974 journey into the unknown
by Teo KermeliotisNine-year-old Mihalis Mihail had never seen a ship before, let alone been on board one. Yet there he stood, anxious and confused on the deck of The Patra, about to embark on a journey that would change his life forever.
The port of Limassol in southern Cyprus stirred with unusual commotion that hot September day in 1974.
It was a disorderly scramble as scores of children, some as young as six, buzzed around their solemn, gloomy-eyed parents in the shadow of the large passenger ferry tied to the dock.
Dangerously Low on Water, Cape Town Now Faces ‘Day Zero’
It sounds like a Hollywood blockbuster. “Day Zero” is coming to Cape Town this April. Everyone, be warned.
The government cautions that the Day Zero threat will surpass anything a major city has faced since World War II or the Sept. 11 attacks. Talks are underway with South Africa’s police because “normal policing will be entirely inadequate.” Residents, their nerves increasingly frayed, speak in whispers of impending chaos.
The reason for the alarm is simple: The city’s water supply is dangerously close to running dry.
If water levels keep falling, Cape Town will declare Day Zero in less than three months. Taps in homes and businesses will be turned off until the rains come. The city’s four million residents will have to line up for water rations at 200 collection points. The city is bracing for the impact on public health and social order.
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