Category: Asia

President Donald Trump's proposed victory arch in the capital includes an observation deck at the top — but it's unclear how anyone will access the monument, which is planned for the middle of a busy roundabout in Washington, D.C.
The 250-foot structure, a source of controversy for months, is scheduled to be reviewed Thursday by a federal panel, a step that could clear the way for construction to begin.
The arch, which bears a strong resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, would be built in Memorial Circle, a roundabout at the end of Arlington Memorial Bridge, which spans the Potomac River and connectsVirginia to the capital.
Architectural drawings released by federal officials in April reveal a towering white arch outfitted with internal stairs and elevators to carry visitors to an open-air terrace overlooking the city.
“This vantage point, which affords visitors 360-degree views of Washington, D.C., and Virginia, raises the human above the traffic,” Nicolas Leo Charbon..

Donald Trump derailed a White House event about “clean coal” to go on a rant about his ongoing beautification efforts in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, marking yet another moment where those efforts have distracted the president from more serious policy discussions.
A Thursday afternoon event billed as an announcement about a new investment in U.S. coal plants began with Trump immediately launching into a spiel for the assembled White House press about his efforts to overhaul the Lincoln Memorial, complete with a video showing water flowing into the newly-repainted Reflection Pool. The president then shifted to his future plans: An idea for a “promenade” to extend down the other side of the building to the Potomac River.
“We’re doing something that just came up, we have a little breaking news here,” Trump teased. “We’re going to be doing that, it’s a promenade. They want to call it the Trump promenade.”
His explanation for the planned renovations followed: “At the Lincoln Memorial, the ..

A significant coastal development project in Albania, associated with Jared Kushner, son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, is encountering increasing opposition.
Albania's government champions the Adriatic coast development as a transformative venture for the nation, aiming to boost its high-end tourism sector and support its bid for European Union membership.
However, the project, which encompasses an abandoned island and a stretch of seafront on Albania’s southern coast, has sparked criticism from environmental groups and detractors of the long-serving Socialist Prime Minister, Edi Rama.
Kushner and Ivanka Trump found the site on a barefoot hikeThe luxury project has two components: a coastal development in the Narta Lagoon area, which is a wildlife reserve, and a smaller resort on the nearby uninhabited island of Sazan, a communist-era military base.
The planned development of hotels, apartments, villas and a marina is linked to Kushner and Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump.
o..

President Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed questions on whether the shaky ceasefire with Iran is holding by suggesting that the definition of a ceasefire is different in the Middle East region.
Asked whether the ceasefire is still in place after Iran fired missiles against targets in Kuwait, Trump replied that there was “a reason” for the exchange of fire.
“We've been hitting them pretty hard, a little bit, so there is a reason for certain things, and there's usually a reason that sometimes makes sense. Some, but they did something for not a big deal. We got it, we nipped it in the bud very quickly, as we do with the greatest military in the world, but some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they were reciprocating,” he said.
“It's a different part of the world, you know. I'd say in that part a ceasefire is when you're shooting in a more moderate manner.”
The president added later that “any..

Trump says U.S. left Iran's military 'alone'Key officials from Donald Trump’s administration will face a series of congressional hearings Tuesday as they plead for funding while facing a firestorm of criticism over the president’s agenda.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche are all testifying in budget hearings amid heightened scrutiny over the war in Iran and the administration’s mass deportation campaign.
Blanche is also expected to face questions about the president’s much-maligned $1.8 billion compensation fund for his political allies and how the Department of Justice is handling investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.
Last week, former Attorney General Pam Bondi told lawmakers during a close-door deposition that she delegated oversight of the so-called Epstein files to her now-former deputy, who is also the president’s former criminal defense attorney.
A nearly $72 billion budget bill — ..

President Donald Trump may have shelved plans for his $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund — part of a broader settlement resolving his unprecedented $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service — but one controversial element remains intact, according to a new report.
Last week, a federal judge in the capital temporarily blocked the Trump administration from “taking any further action pursuant to the creation or operation of the Anti-Weaponization Fund,” designed to pay out victims of alleged government wrongdoing.
On Monday, the Department of Justice said it would comply with the court order and halt the creation of the $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded cache, which critics have derided as a no-strings-attached “slush fund” for Trump’s allies.
However, a separate provision in the settlement is poised to proceed: one granting Trump and his family broad tax amnesty, The Daily Beast reported.
A representative for the president’s legal team told the outlet that an agreement barr..

In a remarkable sign of the turmoil at CBS’s top-rated “60 Minutes,” correspondent Scott Pelley said CBS News head Bari Weiss of “murdering the show” and accused its new producer of having “slender qualifications” for the job, according to reports.
Pelley made his accusations in an introductory meeting Monday between the newsmagazine’s staff and Nick Bilton, the new executive producer named by Weiss last week, according to a detailed report on the Status website, which said it had heard a recording of the meeting. Weiss herself was not present, according to the report. Status specializes in media news and analysis.
Status reported that Pelley, the longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent, began grilling Bilton at the 10 a.m. meeting about the firings last week of Bilton's predecessor, Tanya Simon, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Status also reported that Pelley told Bilton, a former technology journalist and filmmaker with no traditional broadcast news experience, t..

A 25-year-old man has been charged with murder after allegedly stabbing a woman to death on an Atlanta commuter train in an apparently random attack.
John Elijah Matthews was arrested around noon Saturday, moments after he stepped off the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority train at the Oakland City Station.
First responders tried to resuscitate Margaret Swan, 66, but she died at the scene, MARTA Police Chief Scott Kreher said.
Matthews waived a bond hearing set for Monday morning, and a defense attorney named in his court documents did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Matthews has not yet had the opportunity to enter a plea.
Kreher said video from the train depicted an unprovoked and chilling attack on an apparent stranger, and that Swan was stabbed up to 20 times.
“There's no evidence at this time to suggest they knew each other — this was merely a random act of violence,” Kreher said.
“He walked over, stood next to her, and within 30 seconds he h..

A MAGA supporter told how his wife was reduced to tears after he bought her a Trump-branded watch that arrived with a major typo.
Tim Petit, from Middletown, Rhode Island, treated his wife Melanie to a $640 pink limited-edition Trump-themed timepiece from GetTrumpWatches.com, NBC10 reports.
When it arrived, the couple was disappointed to discover that instead of the words “TRUMP” on the face, the watch read “RUMP.”
“I’m very disappointed. I wanted to do a special thing for her,” Petit told the news outlet. “And we expected that it would have the integrity of the President of the United States and good follow-through.”
“An apology would be nice for making my wife cry,” Petit added.
open image in galleryA MAGA supporter told how his wife was reduced to tears after he bought her a Trump-branded watch that arrived with a major typo (AFP/Getty)After being contacted by NBC10, the company apologized and said they would immediately replace the watch, in addition to offering the couple an $800..

A Pennsylvania man is facing a slew of charges after he allegedly tried to demolish his own house with an excavator while his family was still inside.
Erik Pierwsza, 48, has been charged with three counts of recklessly endangering another person, one count of disorderly conduct, and one count of causing a catastrophe, according to USA TODAY.
Pierwsza allegedly used an excavator to smash portions of his home in Buffalo Township while his wife and two daughters were inside, according to the Buffalo Township Police Department.
Investigators were concerned about the structural integrity of the home due to the extent of the damage caused by the excavator, CBS News reports.
A police report said that Pierwsza and his wife were arguing about the potential end of their marriage before the incident.
A man in Pennsylvania allegedly used an excavator to destroy part of his home while his wife and daughters were still inside (CBS Pittsburgh)The wife told police that her husband threatened to r..