3 Americans Held By North Korea Return To The United States
“We thank God, and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return.”
By Nick Visser
Three Americans held as prisoners in North Korea arrived back in the United States early Thursday morning, less than a day after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo secured their release.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump met Kim Hak-song, Kim Dong-chul and Tony Kim, shortly after 3 a.m. at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Vice President Mike Pence, second lady Karen Pence, Pompeo and more than 200 members of the press were also on hand to witness their return. However, no family members or friends were present because the men have to be debriefed first, an unnamed official told CNN.
“This is something that people did not think was going to happen for many many years and a lot of bad things could’ve happened in between,” Trump said. “This is a special night for these really great people.”
Israel retaliates after Iran 'fires 20 rockets' at army in occupied Golan Heights
- Israeli military says projectiles were launched from Syria
- IDF says military was ‘moving’ against Iranian targets in Syria
Arch-enemies Iran and Israel edged closer to all-out war on Thursday after Israel’s military said its positions in the Golan Heights were fired at with a barrage of Iranian rockets, prompting it to respond with extensive strikes targeting Tehran’s forces across Syria.
The attack, if confirmed, would mark the first time Iran has fired rockets in a direct strike on Israeli forces, dramatically ratcheting up what has for years been a conflict fought through proxies.
Several but not all of the Iranian rockets were intercepted by Israeli defences, an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman, Lt Col Jonathan Conricus, told reporters.
How powerful is China's military?
With the second-largest defense spending in the world, measuring over $150 billion in 2017, China is rapidly modernizing the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and could soon pose serious challenges to US military dominance.
For the first time since 2015, China held a live-fire military exercise in the Taiwan Strait on April 18, aiming to intimidate self-governing Taiwan while showcasing its much-improved military strength. Under the rule of President Xi Jinping, China has outlined a major plan to upgrade its weaponry while conducting a personnel reshuffle to modernize the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
In his report to the Communist Party's 19th national congress last October, Xi mandated Beijing to complete the modernization of the PLA by 2035 and transition into a major military power by 2050.
He said that embracing information technology and modern military strategies will help improve the PLA's combat strength and military capability.
Malaysia's Mahathir Mohamad set to become world's oldest leader
Updated 0734 GMT (1534 HKT) May 10, 2018
The world's oldest leader is set to take office after a shock victory in Malaysia's election, as the country's former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad upended six decades of control by the ruling coalition.
In his triumphant return to front line Malaysian politics, Prime Minister-elect Mahathir pledged to quickly form a new government and reinstate the rule of law, following a momentous night which saw scandal-plagued Najib Razak soundly beaten at the polls by his former mentor.
Mahathir, who will become the world's oldest leader at 92-years-old, set a challenge to Malaysia's constitutional ruler, King Muhammad V, who needs to rubber-stamp his appointment, to install him as the new leader by 5 p.m. (5 a.m. ET).
The Brazen Bootlegging of a Multibillion-Dollar Sports Network
By Tariq Panja
What do you do when your multibillion dollar sports network has been stolen?
Executives at Qatar’s beIN Sports pondered that question last week as they stared at a bank of screens inside their sprawling headquarters here. On the night of May 2, the network’s main channel, which functions as the ESPN of the Middle East, televised the deciding game of the Champions League semifinal between A.S. Roma and Liverpool.
They watched the beIN Sports feed as Liverpool scored to take an early lead. Then they watched the same play 10 seconds later on live coverage from beoutQ, a bootlegging operation seemingly based in Saudi Arabia and whose roots lie in the bitter political dispute between Qatar and a coalition of countries led by its largest neighbors, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Americans who believe in conspiracy theories about 9/11 and Princess Diana's death more likely to doubt climate change
Scientists inspired by Donald Trump tweet investigate roots of scepticism and connection with political views
Belief in outlandish conspiracy theories goes hand in hand with rejection of climate change among Americans, according to a new study.
Around 97 per cent of scientists are thought to support the idea that climate change is real and primarily caused by humans.
Nevertheless, opposition to climate change has entered the mainstream in some nations, with the US perhaps the most prominent example.
Under Donald Trump, the US has been withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement, and the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, is known to be a climate sceptic.
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