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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | Intel officials say Russia boosting Trump candidacy
Intelligence officials have warned lawmakers that Russia is interfering in the 2020 election campaign to help President Donald Trump get reelected, three officials familiar with the closed-door briefing said Thursday.
The warning raises questions about the integrity of the presidential campaign and whether Trump’s administration is taking the proper steps to combat the kind of interference that the U.S. saw in 2016. The officials asked for anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence. They said the briefing last week focused on Russia’s efforts to influence the 2020 election and sow discord in the American electorate.
The warning was first reported by The New York Times and The Washington Post. A senior administration official said the news infuriated Trump, who complained that Democrats would use the information against him. Over the course of his presidency, Trump has dismissed the intelligence community’s assessment of Russia’s 2016 election interference as a conspiracy to undermine his victory.
Top 2 | Trump offered Assange pardon if he said Russia not involved in leaked emails, court hears
Donald Trump offered Julian Assange a pardon if he said Russia was not involved in a leak of Democratic Party emails, a court has heard.
The WikiLeaks founder's barrister brought the subject up at Westminster Magistrates' Court ahead of an extradition hearing next week. It refers to a series of messages that were embarrassing for the Democrats and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016. The emails were hacked before being published by WikiLeaks.
Edward Fitzgerald QC said there was evidence alleging that former US Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher went to see Assange while he was still at the Ecuadorian embassy in central London in August 2017.
Top 3 | Putin discloses details of Russian cabinet reshuffle
Russian President Vladimir Putin has unveiled details of the January government reshuffle, the TASS news agency reported Thursday.
Putin had discussed the resignation of the government with then Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in advance, he was quoted as saying in a multiple-episode report entitled "20 Questions with Vladimir Putin." Putin spoke of his open and sound relations with Medvedev for many years, ruling out the speculation that the cabinet resignation was a "special operation."
As to whether the reshuffle has created an impression of hastiness, Putin said that each step had been discussed and thought through in advance and a gap in power would plunge the country into a mess. He added that the new position of Medvedev as deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council is not equal to vice president of the nation, although Putin himself serves as chairman of the Security Council.
Top 4 | Trump proposed budget includes new U.S. consulate in Greenland
After failing to buy Greenland from Denmark in 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump is making a second grab for the Danish territory in his proposed 2021 budget.
According to the documents, $587,000 would be used to establish a "permanent diplomatic presence in Greenland, which was previously notified to Congress." In May 2019, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced plans for diplomatic presence in Greenland.
Though there currently isn't diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Greenland, the two nations cooperate on mineral resources, the environment, science, and technology. The U.S. also maintains an air force base in the northwest town of Thule. In August 2019, internal talks within the Trump administration about buying Greenland were leaked by the Wall Street Journal and would later be confirmed by the president.
Top 5 | India builds wall along slum ahead of Trump visit
A half-kilometer (1,640-foot) brick wall has been hastily erected in India's Gujarat state ahead of a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump, with critics saying it was built to block the view of a slum area inhabited by more than 2,000 people.
Trump is visiting the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat during a two-day trip to India next week to attend an event called “Namaste Trump,” which translates to “Greetings, Trump,” at a cricket stadium along the lines of a “Howdy Modi” rally he hosted for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Houston last September. Trump is to drive along a road next to the slum and will be accompanied by Modi, who is from Gujarat.
Senior government official Bijal Patel said the wall was built “for security reasons” and not to conceal the slum. Several political leaders were quick to criticize the wall's construction, questioning Modi’s development work in his own state. Modi was chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years before becoming the country’s prime minister in May 2014.
Top 6 | German President Refutes Trump’s ‘America First’ Policy at Munich Conference
The leader made his remarks in the presence of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defence Mark Esper, Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Adam Schiff during his opening speech at the annual conference.
During his opening speech at the 56th Munich Security Conference on Friday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier slammed US President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy approach, arguing that the US now puts its own interests first at the expense of its “closest allies”.
Steinmeier said that the Trump administration's foreign policy platform “hurts us all”. The German president spoke in front of the largest and most high-profile US delegation to attend the annual event, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defence Mark Esper, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senator Lindsey Graham and Representative Adam Schiff, along with many other top-level representatives.
Top 7 | Trump formally names Richard Grenell as acting intelligence chief
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday formally designated Richard Grenell, U.S. ambassador to Germany, as acting director of national intelligence, according to a White House statement.
"[Grenell] is committed to a non-political, non-partisan approach as head of the Intelligence Community, on which our safety and security depend," White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in the statement. Grenell has served as U.S. ambassador to Germany since April 2018. He will retain that role, given he is only leading the intelligence community on an acting basis, according to a news report of The Hill.
Trump announced Wednesday via Twitter that he would give the intelligence job to Grenell.
Top 8 | S.Korea's appellate court sentences ex-president Lee to 17 years in jail over corruption
A South Korean appellate court on Wednesday sentenced former President Lee Myung-bak to 17 years in jail over a set of corruptions, including bribery and embezzlement.
The Seoul High Court handed down the ruling on Lee, who served as the country's head of state for five years from early 2008, fining him 13 billion won (10.9 million U.S. dollars). It was heavier than the verdict by the lower court, which sentenced Lee to 15 years in prison. Prosecutors demanded 20-year imprisonment with a fine of 15 billion won (12.6 million U.S. dollars).
Lee was taken to prison again after being released on bail in March last year. The former president was convicted of embezzling tens of millions of U.S. dollars from DAS, a lucrative auto parts maker that is believed to be owned by Lee under the borrowed names.
Top 9 | WHO chief mourns death of Chinese doctor in fight against COVID-19 outbreak
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday mourned the death of a Chinese hospital chief who died of novel coronavirus earlier in the day in Wuhan, the epicenter of the current COVID-19 outbreak.
"My deepest condolences to the family of Dr. Liu Zhiming, his colleagues and patients for this enormous loss," the WHO chief wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. Liu "touched and saved numerous lives in the COVID-19 outbreak," Tedros said, adding that "my thoughts are with them and all the front-line health workers fighting the virus."
A eulogy issued by the local health commission said Liu, 51, head of the Wuchang Hospital in Wuhan, had made important contributions to the city's epidemic prevention and control while leading all medical personnel of Wuchang Hospital on the front line to fight against the epidemic.
Top 10 | Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly laid off staff and closed their Buckingham Palace office
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle laid off their staff and closed their Buckingham Palace office, the Daily Mail reported.
Most of the 15 staff members in their Buckingham Palace office are negotiating severance packages, while a few are being reabsorbed back into the royal household, according to the report. "Given their decision to step back, an office at Buckingham Palace is no longer needed," a source told the Mail. "While the details are still being finalized and efforts are being made to redeploy people within the royal household, unfortunately, there will be some redundancies."
The closing of their UK office is the latest effort in the couple's departure from the royal palace to re-establish themselves in Canada. In January, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made their bombshell announcement to step back as senior royals to pursue business endeavors outside of the royal family.
Related news:
APD | Trump reaches out to Modi ahead of India visit
Trump says working on a very big trade deal with India, but will take time
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
