Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Tuesday marks one year since U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his South Asia strategy with a focus on Afghanistan. Since then, Afghanistan has seen some of the worst violence since the U.S.-led invasion almost 17 years ago. In 2017, while announcing the strategy, Trump put forth a case for staying the course in Afghanistan and not allowing the country to become a haven for terrorists who would once again pose a threat to U.S. national security. “I share the American people’s...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Social media giants Facebook and Twitter said they have removed hundreds of pages and accounts linked to Russia and Iran ahead of the midterm elections in the U.S. Facebook said it had removed 254 Facebook pages and 116 Instagram accounts that originated in Iran and were part of a disinformation campaign that targeted countries around the world, including the U.S. and Britain. The social media companies acted on a tip from cybersecurity firm FireEye, which said on Tuesday that...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has a vision for renewed and "sustainable" human exploration of the moon, and he cites the existence of water on the lunar surface as a key to chances for success. "We know that there's hundreds of billions of tons of water ice on the surface of the moon," Bridenstine said in a Reuters TV interview in Washington on Tuesday, a day after NASA unveiled its analysis of data collected from lunar orbit by a spacecraft from India. The...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Following Seoul's announcement that South Korean companies have illegally imported North Korean coal, U.S. experts are worried about North Korean trade that contravenes international sanctions. The Korea Customs Service (KCS) announced earlier this month that three South Korean companies illegally imported North Korean coal that was transshipped at Russian ports, in violation of United Nations resolutions. The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution on August 5, 2017, banning...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
For the millions of sun seekers who head to Thailand's resort island of Phuket each year in search of stunning beaches and clear waters, cutting down on waste may not be a top priority. But the island's hotel association is hoping to change that with a series of initiatives aimed at reducing the use of plastic, tackling the garbage that washes up on its shores, and educating staff, local communities and tourists alike. "Hotels unchecked are huge consumers and users of...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
The top commander of U.S. troops in South Korea said on Wednesday he supports moves to withdraw some outposts along the fortified border with North Korea, despite the risks. South Korea's defense ministry has said it plans to reduce guard posts and equipment along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) on its border with North Korea as part of efforts to reduce tension and build trust with its northern neighbor. "I have some concerns about what that means militarily for the ability to...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Riyazul Islam says he had to produce family documents going back to 1951 to prove he was an Indian and not an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant. But a draft list of citizens released in July excluded him and his mother, among a total of about 4 million people left off. A wiry 33-year-old living in the northeastern state of Assam, Islam says he and his mother have no further documents left to prove they are Indians, although his father and many others in his family have been included in the...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
The Ecuadorian government is asking 13 other South American nations to attend a regional summit to discuss the Venezuelan migrant crisis. The foreign ministry said it was inviting Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, Panama, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela to a Sept. 17-18 meeting in Quito. According to the United Nations, more than 2 million Venezuelans have fled the worsening economic crisis in the oil-rich nation since...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
U.S. and Mexican officials postponed ministerial talks aiming for a breakthrough in the revamp of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) until Wednesday, although one member of the incoming Mexican government met U.S. officials on Tuesday. Since restarting last month, the talks have focused on ironing out differences between Mexico and the United States which cut to the heart of U.S. President Donald Trump's complaint that NAFTA has hollowed out U.S. manufacturing to...
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Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Food waste could rise by almost a third by 2030 when more than 2 billion tons will be binned, researchers said on Tuesday, warning of a "staggering" crisis propelled by a booming world population and changing habits in developing nations. The United Nations has set a target of halving food loss and waste by 2030. But the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study found that if current trends continued, it would rise to 2.1 billion tons annually — an amount worth $1.5...
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