MAY 14, 2018 / 5:41 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
China says will work with U.S. for positive outcome in trade talks
Reuters Staff
BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it is willing to work with the United States for a positive outcome in trade negotiations this week.
Chinese Vice Premier Liu He attends the news conference following the closing session of the National People's Congress (NPC), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jason Lee
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang made the comment at a regular briefing.
Vice Premier Liu He will attend the talks in Washington from May 15 to 19. High-level discussions in Beijing earlier this month appeared to make little progress but there have been signs recently of some easing in tensions.
Reporting by Sue-lin Wong; Writing by Christian Shepherd; Editing by Kim Coghill
Monday, May 14, 2018
North Korea says it will hold "ceremony" for dismantling of nuclear test site - CBS News
May 12, 2018, 9:37 AM
North Korea says it will hold "ceremony" for dismantling of nuclear test site
Last Updated May 12, 2018 11:59 AM EDT
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea says it will hold a "ceremony" for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23-25, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. Analysts say the closure of the site is mostly symbolic and doesn't represent a material step toward denuclearization.
In a statement carried by state media, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that all of the tunnels at the site will be destroyed by explosion, and that observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed. Last week, U.S. intelligence said the North Koreans had started pulling cables from the tunnels at their nuclear test site -- a first step toward closing them down, CBS News' national security correspondent David Martin reported.
"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25," depending on weather conditions, the Foreign Ministry's statement said on Saturday.
The North plans to invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain to witness the dismantling process, it said. The journalists will be provided with a charter flight from Beijing to the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan, and from there they'll travel by train to the test site, according to the Foreign Ministry's statement.
The ministry said the North will continue to "promote close contacts and dialogue with the neighboring countries and the international society so as to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and over the globe."
Kim had revealed plans to shut down the nuclear test site during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month. Following the Moon-Kim summit, Moon's office said Kim was willing to disclose the process to international experts, but the North's statement Saturday didn't include any mention about allowing experts on the site.
South Korea had no immediate response to the statement.
On Thursday, President Trump tweeted that his "highly-anticipated" meeting with Kim will take place in Singapore on June 12. "We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" he tweeted. The president's news came hours after he welcomed home three detained Americans following their release by North Korea. The three men, Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim, were released during a visit on Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Pompeo said Friday the United States aspires to have North Korea as a "close partner" and not an enemy, noting that the U.S. has often in history become good friends with former adversaries. Pompeo said he told Kim of that hope during his brief visit to Pyongyang, where he also he finalized details of the upcoming summit.
Pompeo also said his talks with Kim on Wednesday were "warm," ''constructive," and "good" -- and that he made clear that if North Korea gets rid of its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way, the U.S. is willing to help the impoverished nation boost its economy and living stands to levels like those in prosperous South Korea.
"We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we have had between us," Pompeo told reporters at a news conference with South Korea's visiting foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha Friday. "We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with and our hope that we could achieve the same with respect to North Korea."
He did not mention other adversaries by name, but Pompeo and others have often noted that the U.S. played a major role in rebuilding Japan and the European axis powers in the wake of the Second World War. With U.S. help, those countries recovered from the devastation of conflict.
"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends," he said.
Seoul, which has shuttled between Washington and Pyongyang to set up the Trump-Kim meeting, has said Kim has genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons in return for economic benefits. There are, however, lingering doubts about whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish the weapons he likely views as his only guarantee of survival.
During their summit at a border truce village, Moon and Kim vaguely promised to work toward the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, but made no references to verification or timetables.
North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of "denuclearization" that bears no resemblance to the American definition. The North has been vowing to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its 28,500 troops from South Korea and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan.
Some experts believe Kim may try to drag out the process to wait out the Trump administration or seek a deal in which he gives away his intercontinental ballistic missiles but retains some of his shorter-range arsenal in return for a reduced U.S. military presence in the South. This could satisfy Mr. Trump but undermine the alliance between Washington and Seoul.
Kim declared his nuclear force as complete in December, following North Korea's most powerful nuclear test to date in September and three flight tests of ICBMs designed to reach the U.S. mainland. At a ruling party meeting last month, North Korea announced it has suspended all tests of nuclear devices and ICBMs and the plan to close the nuclear testing ground. Kim said during the meeting that the nuclear test site's mission had come "to an end" because the North had completed the process of developing nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, ICBMs and other strike means.
The North also said for the first time at the meeting that it had been conducting "subcritical" nuclear tests. These refer to experiments involving a subcritical mass of nuclear materials that allow scientists to examine the performance and safety of weapons without triggering a nuclear chain reaction and explosion.
North Korea's reference to such activity is designed to communicate that even without underground testing, the country intends to maintain its nuclear arsenal and be a "responsible" steward of those weapons at the same time, said Andrea Berger, a senior analyst at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Still, the closure of the underground testing site could be a useful precedent for Washington and Seoul as they proceed with the nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang, analysts say.
"Now that North Korea has accepted in principle that agreements should be verified, U.S. negotiators should hold them to this standard for any subsequent agreement," said Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. "It will make it more difficult for Kim Jong Un to deny inspections now that he has placed them on the table."
North Korea has invited the outside world to witness the dismantling of its nuclear facilities before. In June 2008, international broadcasters were allowed to air the demolishing of a cooling tower at the Nyongbyon reactor site, a year after the North reached an agreement with the U.S. and four other nations to disable its nuclear facilities in return for an aid package worth about $400 million.
But in September 2008, the North declared that it would resume reprocessing plutonium, complaining that Washington wasn't fulfilling its promise to remove the country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The administration of George W. Bush removed North Korea from the list in October 2008 after the country agreed to continue disabling its nuclear plant. However, a final attempt by Bush to complete an agreement to fully dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program collapsed that December when the North refused to accept U.S.-proposed verification methods.
The North went on to conduct its second nuclear test in May 2009.
North Korea says it will hold "ceremony" for dismantling of nuclear test site
Last Updated May 12, 2018 11:59 AM EDT
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea says it will hold a "ceremony" for the dismantling of its nuclear test site on May 23-25, in a dramatic event that would set up leader Kim Jong Un's summit with President Donald Trump next month. Analysts say the closure of the site is mostly symbolic and doesn't represent a material step toward denuclearization.
In a statement carried by state media, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that all of the tunnels at the site will be destroyed by explosion, and that observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed. Last week, U.S. intelligence said the North Koreans had started pulling cables from the tunnels at their nuclear test site -- a first step toward closing them down, CBS News' national security correspondent David Martin reported.
"A ceremony for dismantling the nuclear test ground is now scheduled between May 23 and 25," depending on weather conditions, the Foreign Ministry's statement said on Saturday.
The North plans to invite journalists from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia and Britain to witness the dismantling process, it said. The journalists will be provided with a charter flight from Beijing to the North Korean coastal city of Wonsan, and from there they'll travel by train to the test site, according to the Foreign Ministry's statement.
The ministry said the North will continue to "promote close contacts and dialogue with the neighboring countries and the international society so as to safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and over the globe."
Kim had revealed plans to shut down the nuclear test site during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in last month. Following the Moon-Kim summit, Moon's office said Kim was willing to disclose the process to international experts, but the North's statement Saturday didn't include any mention about allowing experts on the site.
South Korea had no immediate response to the statement.
On Thursday, President Trump tweeted that his "highly-anticipated" meeting with Kim will take place in Singapore on June 12. "We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!" he tweeted. The president's news came hours after he welcomed home three detained Americans following their release by North Korea. The three men, Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim, were released during a visit on Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Pompeo said Friday the United States aspires to have North Korea as a "close partner" and not an enemy, noting that the U.S. has often in history become good friends with former adversaries. Pompeo said he told Kim of that hope during his brief visit to Pyongyang, where he also he finalized details of the upcoming summit.
Pompeo also said his talks with Kim on Wednesday were "warm," ''constructive," and "good" -- and that he made clear that if North Korea gets rid of its nuclear weapons in a permanent and verifiable way, the U.S. is willing to help the impoverished nation boost its economy and living stands to levels like those in prosperous South Korea.
"We had good conversations about the histories of our two nations, the challenges that we have had between us," Pompeo told reporters at a news conference with South Korea's visiting foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha Friday. "We talked about the fact that America has often in history had adversaries who we are now close partners with and our hope that we could achieve the same with respect to North Korea."
He did not mention other adversaries by name, but Pompeo and others have often noted that the U.S. played a major role in rebuilding Japan and the European axis powers in the wake of the Second World War. With U.S. help, those countries recovered from the devastation of conflict.
"If North Korea takes bold action to quickly denuclearize, the United States is prepared to work with North Korea to achieve prosperity on the par with our South Korean friends," he said.
Seoul, which has shuttled between Washington and Pyongyang to set up the Trump-Kim meeting, has said Kim has genuine interest in dealing away his nuclear weapons in return for economic benefits. There are, however, lingering doubts about whether Kim would ever agree to fully relinquish the weapons he likely views as his only guarantee of survival.
During their summit at a border truce village, Moon and Kim vaguely promised to work toward the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula, but made no references to verification or timetables.
North Korea for decades has been pushing a concept of "denuclearization" that bears no resemblance to the American definition. The North has been vowing to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its 28,500 troops from South Korea and the nuclear umbrella defending South Korea and Japan.
Some experts believe Kim may try to drag out the process to wait out the Trump administration or seek a deal in which he gives away his intercontinental ballistic missiles but retains some of his shorter-range arsenal in return for a reduced U.S. military presence in the South. This could satisfy Mr. Trump but undermine the alliance between Washington and Seoul.
Kim declared his nuclear force as complete in December, following North Korea's most powerful nuclear test to date in September and three flight tests of ICBMs designed to reach the U.S. mainland. At a ruling party meeting last month, North Korea announced it has suspended all tests of nuclear devices and ICBMs and the plan to close the nuclear testing ground. Kim said during the meeting that the nuclear test site's mission had come "to an end" because the North had completed the process of developing nuclear-capable intermediate-range missiles, ICBMs and other strike means.
The North also said for the first time at the meeting that it had been conducting "subcritical" nuclear tests. These refer to experiments involving a subcritical mass of nuclear materials that allow scientists to examine the performance and safety of weapons without triggering a nuclear chain reaction and explosion.
North Korea's reference to such activity is designed to communicate that even without underground testing, the country intends to maintain its nuclear arsenal and be a "responsible" steward of those weapons at the same time, said Andrea Berger, a senior analyst at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Still, the closure of the underground testing site could be a useful precedent for Washington and Seoul as they proceed with the nuclear negotiations with Pyongyang, analysts say.
"Now that North Korea has accepted in principle that agreements should be verified, U.S. negotiators should hold them to this standard for any subsequent agreement," said Adam Mount, a senior defense analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. "It will make it more difficult for Kim Jong Un to deny inspections now that he has placed them on the table."
North Korea has invited the outside world to witness the dismantling of its nuclear facilities before. In June 2008, international broadcasters were allowed to air the demolishing of a cooling tower at the Nyongbyon reactor site, a year after the North reached an agreement with the U.S. and four other nations to disable its nuclear facilities in return for an aid package worth about $400 million.
But in September 2008, the North declared that it would resume reprocessing plutonium, complaining that Washington wasn't fulfilling its promise to remove the country from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The administration of George W. Bush removed North Korea from the list in October 2008 after the country agreed to continue disabling its nuclear plant. However, a final attempt by Bush to complete an agreement to fully dismantle North Korea's nuclear weapons program collapsed that December when the North refused to accept U.S.-proposed verification methods.
The North went on to conduct its second nuclear test in May 2009.
Trump calls for 'changes to our thought process on terror' after Paris attack- Fox News
Trump calls for 'changes to our thought process on terror' after Paris attack
By Frank Miles | Fox News
Paris stabbing suspect was on police radar for radicalism
French authorities confirm the man behind deadly knife attack had no criminal record, but was known to the police for suspected radicalism.
President Trump tweeted Sunday night, “Changes to our thought process on terror must be made,” following the latest attack linked to the Islamic State in France after less than two months of calm.
“At some point countries will have to open their eyes & see what is really going on. This kind of sickness & hatred is not compatible with a loving, peaceful, & successful country!” Trump wrote.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
So sad to see the Terror Attack in Paris. At some point countries will have to open their eyes & see what is really going on. This kind of sickness & hatred is not compatible with a loving, peaceful, & successful country! Changes to our thought process on terror must be made.
10:03 AM - May 14, 2018
A 20-year-old Frenchman born in Chechnya rampaged through a festive Paris neighborhood Saturday evening slashing passers-by with a knife, investigators said. The man, identified as Khamzat Azimov, killed one person and wounded four others in a festive area near Paris’ old opera house. Police shot him to death as he charged them, witnesses said.
ISIS quickly claimed responsibility for the Saturday night attack via its Amaq news agency, saying Azimov was a “soldier” of the terror group.
In a video before the attacks, as Fox News reported, Azimov apparently called on ISIS supporters living in the West to immigrate to the group’s so-called “caliphate,” or else carry out attacks locally.
Chechnya's president identifies suspect in deadly Paris stabbing as Khasan Azimov; Bryan Llenas reports.Video
ISIS claims to release video of Paris stabbing suspect
“They have closed the doors of immigration in our faces, so let’s strike them in the center of their homes,” the man said in French, adding, “We are on the truth ... despite the alliance of all these unbelievers against us, they will not fulfill their goal.”
Trump often has made the case that Europe ought to respond more to terrorism like the U.S. does.
In early May to the National Rifle Association, Trump claimed that gun-toting Parisians could have thwarted Islamic State attackers at Paris’ Bataclan concert hall.
Trump sparked controversy as some in France took offense at his "trigger-firing" hand gesture imitating the Bataclan attackers. Multiple extremists with explosive belts and assault weapons killed 130 people in the 2015 attacks on the Bataclan, Paris cafes and the national stadium.
Laying out his case for dropping the Iran nuclear deal, Trump contended, "If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons."
Along those lines, Trump is set to host NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House Thursday to discuss NATO’s role in the international fight against terrorism.
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron professed a sunny, best-friends relationship, telling Trump that together the U.S. and France would defeat terrorism, curtail weapons of mass destruction in North Korea and Iran, and act together on behalf of the planet.
French authorities confirm the man behind deadly knife attack had no criminal record, but was known to the police for suspected radicalism.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would lend a hand in the Paris investigation.
“The French authorities with all the intelligence help the United States can provide will do our best to unpack this in the coming hours,” Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday.”
In a statement released Sunday evening, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders added: “Acts like this only strengthen the resolve of the global coalition to defeat ISIS and drive it out of existence.”
Fox News' Chris Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By Frank Miles | Fox News
Paris stabbing suspect was on police radar for radicalism
French authorities confirm the man behind deadly knife attack had no criminal record, but was known to the police for suspected radicalism.
President Trump tweeted Sunday night, “Changes to our thought process on terror must be made,” following the latest attack linked to the Islamic State in France after less than two months of calm.
“At some point countries will have to open their eyes & see what is really going on. This kind of sickness & hatred is not compatible with a loving, peaceful, & successful country!” Trump wrote.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
So sad to see the Terror Attack in Paris. At some point countries will have to open their eyes & see what is really going on. This kind of sickness & hatred is not compatible with a loving, peaceful, & successful country! Changes to our thought process on terror must be made.
10:03 AM - May 14, 2018
A 20-year-old Frenchman born in Chechnya rampaged through a festive Paris neighborhood Saturday evening slashing passers-by with a knife, investigators said. The man, identified as Khamzat Azimov, killed one person and wounded four others in a festive area near Paris’ old opera house. Police shot him to death as he charged them, witnesses said.
ISIS quickly claimed responsibility for the Saturday night attack via its Amaq news agency, saying Azimov was a “soldier” of the terror group.
In a video before the attacks, as Fox News reported, Azimov apparently called on ISIS supporters living in the West to immigrate to the group’s so-called “caliphate,” or else carry out attacks locally.
Chechnya's president identifies suspect in deadly Paris stabbing as Khasan Azimov; Bryan Llenas reports.Video
ISIS claims to release video of Paris stabbing suspect
“They have closed the doors of immigration in our faces, so let’s strike them in the center of their homes,” the man said in French, adding, “We are on the truth ... despite the alliance of all these unbelievers against us, they will not fulfill their goal.”
Trump often has made the case that Europe ought to respond more to terrorism like the U.S. does.
In early May to the National Rifle Association, Trump claimed that gun-toting Parisians could have thwarted Islamic State attackers at Paris’ Bataclan concert hall.
Trump sparked controversy as some in France took offense at his "trigger-firing" hand gesture imitating the Bataclan attackers. Multiple extremists with explosive belts and assault weapons killed 130 people in the 2015 attacks on the Bataclan, Paris cafes and the national stadium.
Laying out his case for dropping the Iran nuclear deal, Trump contended, "If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen. In just a short period of time, the world’s leading state sponsor of terror will be on the cusp of acquiring the world’s most dangerous weapons."
Along those lines, Trump is set to host NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House Thursday to discuss NATO’s role in the international fight against terrorism.
Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron professed a sunny, best-friends relationship, telling Trump that together the U.S. and France would defeat terrorism, curtail weapons of mass destruction in North Korea and Iran, and act together on behalf of the planet.
French authorities confirm the man behind deadly knife attack had no criminal record, but was known to the police for suspected radicalism.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would lend a hand in the Paris investigation.
“The French authorities with all the intelligence help the United States can provide will do our best to unpack this in the coming hours,” Pompeo said on “Fox News Sunday.”
In a statement released Sunday evening, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders added: “Acts like this only strengthen the resolve of the global coalition to defeat ISIS and drive it out of existence.”
Fox News' Chris Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Apple made more profit in three months than Amazon has generated during its lifetime - CNBC News
Apple made more profit in three months than Amazon has generated during its lifetime
Apple is vastly more profitable than Amazon.
The smartphone maker generated a $48.35 billion profit during its fiscal 2017 and made $13.8 billion in net income during the March 2018 quarter, while Amazon's total net income since inception is about $9.6 billion.
Tae Kim | @firstadopter
Published 2:59 PM ET Fri, 11 May 2018 Updated 4:30 PM ET Fri, 11 May 2018
CNBC.com
Apple CEO Tim Cook
One word may explain Warren Buffett's investment decisions on Apple and Amazon: profit.
Last week Buffett both lamented on not investing in Amazon shares and revealed how he added massively to Berkshire Hathaway's stake in Apple.
The Oracle of Omaha's moves may be explained by his philosophy of emphasizing a company's historical financial track record versus putting credence in aggressive future forecasts from analysts.
"I think it's fair to say, we've never looked at a [analyst] projection in connection with either a security we've bought or a business we've bought," Buffett said during a Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in 1995, according to remarks found using CNBC's Warren Buffett Archive.
Apple "is an unbelievable company," Buffett told CNBC on May 3. "If you look at Apple, I think it earns almost twice as much as the second most profitable company in the United States."
The smartphone maker generated a $48.35 billion in profit during its fiscal 2017 and made $13.8 billion in net income during the March 2018 quarter.
In comparison, Amazon's total net income since inception is about $9.6 billion. The number was calculated by adding up all of Amazon's annual net income figures since its inception to the company's $1.6 billion profit in the March 2018 quarter.
One Wall Street analyst believes Amazon is still in the "early stages" in many of its key markets.
"We are in the sweet spot between Amazon investment cycles where new fulfillment/data centers are driving accelerating revenue growth while incremental capacity utilization is driving margin expansion," Goldman Sachs analyst Heath Terry wrote in a note to clients last month. "We still remain in the early stages of the shift of compute to the cloud and the transition of traditional retail online and, in our opinion, the market is underestimating the long-term financial benefit of both to Amazon."
As Buffett puts less credence on aggressive future forecasts, that is why he is probably attracted to Apple's current high level of profits versus Amazon's potential.
Apple is vastly more profitable than Amazon.
The smartphone maker generated a $48.35 billion profit during its fiscal 2017 and made $13.8 billion in net income during the March 2018 quarter, while Amazon's total net income since inception is about $9.6 billion.
Tae Kim | @firstadopter
Published 2:59 PM ET Fri, 11 May 2018 Updated 4:30 PM ET Fri, 11 May 2018
CNBC.com
Apple CEO Tim Cook
One word may explain Warren Buffett's investment decisions on Apple and Amazon: profit.
Last week Buffett both lamented on not investing in Amazon shares and revealed how he added massively to Berkshire Hathaway's stake in Apple.
The Oracle of Omaha's moves may be explained by his philosophy of emphasizing a company's historical financial track record versus putting credence in aggressive future forecasts from analysts.
"I think it's fair to say, we've never looked at a [analyst] projection in connection with either a security we've bought or a business we've bought," Buffett said during a Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholder meeting in 1995, according to remarks found using CNBC's Warren Buffett Archive.
Apple "is an unbelievable company," Buffett told CNBC on May 3. "If you look at Apple, I think it earns almost twice as much as the second most profitable company in the United States."
The smartphone maker generated a $48.35 billion in profit during its fiscal 2017 and made $13.8 billion in net income during the March 2018 quarter.
In comparison, Amazon's total net income since inception is about $9.6 billion. The number was calculated by adding up all of Amazon's annual net income figures since its inception to the company's $1.6 billion profit in the March 2018 quarter.
One Wall Street analyst believes Amazon is still in the "early stages" in many of its key markets.
"We are in the sweet spot between Amazon investment cycles where new fulfillment/data centers are driving accelerating revenue growth while incremental capacity utilization is driving margin expansion," Goldman Sachs analyst Heath Terry wrote in a note to clients last month. "We still remain in the early stages of the shift of compute to the cloud and the transition of traditional retail online and, in our opinion, the market is underestimating the long-term financial benefit of both to Amazon."
As Buffett puts less credence on aggressive future forecasts, that is why he is probably attracted to Apple's current high level of profits versus Amazon's potential.
Robert Gates says 2-state solution between Israelis, Palestinians "on life support" - CBS News
May 13, 2018, 1:46 PM
Robert Gates says 2-state solution between Israelis, Palestinians "on life support"
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that the consequences of the move of the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem are "modest" due to the dwindling likelihood of a two-state solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Speaking to CBS News' "Face the Nation," Gates said it remains to be seen if the move could further embolden international tensions, but noted past reluctance in making such a politically fraught change.
Full Transcript: Robert Gates on "Face the Nation"
"I think that the reluctance always before -- because as has been pointed out, several previous presidents committed to move the embassy to Jerusalem -- I think the hesitation has been, that it would end any prospect of an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Gates told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan.
He added, "I think the prospects of an agreement between those two parties, at this point, is so low that the other consequences of moving the embassy are probably more modest than they -- more manageable than they would have been at any time in the past, mainly because the diplomatic connection to the Israeli-Palestinian issue is less important."
Gates said the prospect of a two-state solution to end the long-simmering conflict is "on life support, barely."
The site of the new U.S. embassy is set to formally open on Monday. Signs across Jerusalem thank President Trump for moving the embassy, a formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A ceremony on Monday will take place on the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding.
A delegation from the White House will be on hand: Mr. Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump; her husband and White House adviser Jared Kushner, who previously worked on behalf of the administration to improve Israeli-Palestinian ties; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and White House aide Jason Greenblatt.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, will be leading the congressional delegation to the embassy's opening. Asked by Brennan on "Face the Nation" if the two-state solution was dead, Graham replied: "No, because it can't be."
"If you had one state that was Jewish in nature, eventually you'd have to have some kind of apartheid where Arabs and Palestinians couldn't vote. Two states means a Jewish state with an Arab component, a Palestinian state living in dignity side-by-side with Israel," Graham said. "The problem is, the Palestinians are divided. You have Hamas controlling Gaza, Palestinian Authority controlling the West Bank, Gaza is a rocket-launching factory against Israel. Until the Palestinians reconcile under one flag, there will never be peace."
Graham will be joined by Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Dean Heller at Monday's embassy opening in Jerusalem.
Robert Gates says 2-state solution between Israelis, Palestinians "on life support"
Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that the consequences of the move of the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem are "modest" due to the dwindling likelihood of a two-state solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Speaking to CBS News' "Face the Nation," Gates said it remains to be seen if the move could further embolden international tensions, but noted past reluctance in making such a politically fraught change.
Full Transcript: Robert Gates on "Face the Nation"
"I think that the reluctance always before -- because as has been pointed out, several previous presidents committed to move the embassy to Jerusalem -- I think the hesitation has been, that it would end any prospect of an agreement between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Gates told "Face the Nation" moderator Margaret Brennan.
He added, "I think the prospects of an agreement between those two parties, at this point, is so low that the other consequences of moving the embassy are probably more modest than they -- more manageable than they would have been at any time in the past, mainly because the diplomatic connection to the Israeli-Palestinian issue is less important."
Gates said the prospect of a two-state solution to end the long-simmering conflict is "on life support, barely."
The site of the new U.S. embassy is set to formally open on Monday. Signs across Jerusalem thank President Trump for moving the embassy, a formal recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. A ceremony on Monday will take place on the 70th anniversary of Israel's founding.
A delegation from the White House will be on hand: Mr. Trump's daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump; her husband and White House adviser Jared Kushner, who previously worked on behalf of the administration to improve Israeli-Palestinian ties; Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin; U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and White House aide Jason Greenblatt.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, will be leading the congressional delegation to the embassy's opening. Asked by Brennan on "Face the Nation" if the two-state solution was dead, Graham replied: "No, because it can't be."
"If you had one state that was Jewish in nature, eventually you'd have to have some kind of apartheid where Arabs and Palestinians couldn't vote. Two states means a Jewish state with an Arab component, a Palestinian state living in dignity side-by-side with Israel," Graham said. "The problem is, the Palestinians are divided. You have Hamas controlling Gaza, Palestinian Authority controlling the West Bank, Gaza is a rocket-launching factory against Israel. Until the Palestinians reconcile under one flag, there will never be peace."
Graham will be joined by Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Dean Heller at Monday's embassy opening in Jerusalem.
Russia's Lavrov says to discuss how to save Iran nuclear deal with Zarif: Ifax - Reuters
WORLD NEWSMAY 14, 2018 / 5:14 PM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Russia's Lavrov says to discuss how to save Iran nuclear deal with Zarif: Ifax
Reuters Staff
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he would discuss how to try to save the Iran nuclear deal with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow later on Monday, the Interfax news agency reported.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Moscow, Russia April 28, 2018. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor
Lavrov was cited as saying that U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that Washington would withdraw from the deal had created a “crisis situation,” the news agency reported.
Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh; Editing by Andrew Osborn
What The Release Of 3 Detainees Means For The North Korea Summit - Forbes
MAY 9, 2018 @ 09:24 AM 1,211 2 Free Issues of Forbes
What The Release Of 3 Detainees Means For The North Korea Summit
Olivia Enos , CONTRIBUTOR
I write on international human rights and national security.
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA - UNDATED: In this handout provided by The White House, CIA director Mike Pompeo (L) shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in this undated image in Pyongyang, North Korea. Pompeo, now confirmed as Secretary of State, spoke with Kim for more than an hour during a secret visit over the Easter weekend. (Photo by The White House via Getty Images)
North Korea today released Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim (also known as Kim Sang-duk), and Kim Hak-song—three Americans it had been holding for over a year. It was a goodwill gesture ahead of the highly anticipated U.S.-North Korea summit. U.S. officials hope the release signals North Korean willingness to commit to conciliatory actions during the upcoming talks to get Pyongyang to denuclearize.
North Korea watchers have long called for the release of the three Americans. Those calls took on a new urgency last year, after Pyongyang freed University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier in a comatose state, only to die mere days after his return to the U.S. Warmbier had been sentenced to 15 years hard labor in a political prison camp after allegedly defacing a propaganda poster .
Like Warmbier, the three Americans released today had been charged with crimes against the state. Korean-American pastor Kim Dong-chul was sentenced to 10 years hard labor in April 2016 on charges of spying. Tony Kim and Kim Hak-song, both previously professors at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology, were taken into custody in early 2017. Tony Kim was charged for espionage, and Kim Hak-song was charged with hostile acts.
Trumped up charges against detained Americans are characteristic of North Korea’s disregard for the rule of law. Above the 38th parallel, there is no equal access to justice and no equal protection under the law. North Korea has publicly executed its own citizens merely for possessing a Bible or viewing or selling South Korean dramas. One alleged crime against the state can land an entire North Korean family—three generations’ worth—in prison camp. And incarceration in a political prison camp is often tantamount to a death sentence.
North Korea’s decision to release the three Americans is notable because it demonstrates that the regime responds to criticism of its human rights. This should embolden U.S. negotiators to raise equally pressing concerns regarding North Korea’s treatment of its own people. They suffer from a litany of human rights abuses, from brutal practices in the prison camps, to public executions, forced starvation, sexual violence and rape.
At the recent inter-Korean summit, South Korean representatives purposefully left human rights off the agenda, claiming that they needed more time to prepare to address such politically sensitive subjects. It was a missed opportunity.
Thus far, President Trump has taken a different approach. He used his State of the Union speech—and the presence of North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho—to highlight Pyongyang’s shameful human rights record. Later, he met with North Korean refugees in the Oval Office.
In February, Vice President Pence hosted Fred Warmbier, Otto Warmbier’s father, at the Opening Ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in South Korea.
Clearly, the Trump administration has made a rhetorical commitment to address human rights. Now, it should turn that rhetoric into action.
It serves American interests to address human rights as well as denuclearization at the upcoming summit.
In fact, raising human rights is one way that the U.S. can put pressure on North Korea. For example, the U.S. can amplify existing sanctions pressure by devising additional, targeted financial measures issued on human rights grounds. Negotiators can also increase pressure by requesting humanitarian access to prison camps or calling for closure of these camps.
As the meeting between the U.S. and North Korean leaders approaches, U.S. negotiators are thinking deeply about the give-and-take involved in negotiating with North Korea. There are areas for compromise, but some principles should not be sacrificed. The U.S. should demonstrate a holistic policy toward North Korea—one that prioritizes denuclearization without neglecting human rights.
The release of the three Americans is a good first step, but it’s just that, a first step toward addressing the broader corpus of human rights issues facing North Korea.
So Yeon Lee, a visiting Asan Fellow at The Heritage Foundation, contributed research for this report.
This is what happens if Donald Trump is impeached (just in case) - Independent
This is what happens if Donald Trump is impeached (just in case)
Posted May 13, 2018 by Greg Evans in news
UPVOTE
Just in case Trump were to leave office any time soon, here’s a list of his successors, as outlined in The Succession Act 1947.
Obviously, Trump's presidency is going really, really smoothly with absolutely no troubles.
That Iran nuclear deal looks to have been a top bit of business from the POTUS, ish, but that FBI investigation isn't exactly going away.
Whether Trump will get impeached remains to be seen - but no one was ever hurt by thinking hypothetically.
Should Trump get the boot we would be faced with Vice President Mike Pence (and his rabbit) in the Oval Office.
Arrangements handling any further than that have changed over time – and throughout US history, the line of succession has never gone further than the vice president.
That being said only two Presidents have ever been successfully impeached: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, both of which were acquitted of the charges held against them by a Senate trial.
While Richard Nixon was also impeached, hechose to resign rather than face the charges.
Anyway, should we reach this scenario with Trump, here is the current list, in order, of the people that will succeed him.
1. Vice President Pence
2. House Speaker, Paul Ryan
3. President pro tempore of the Senate, Orrin Hatch
4. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo
5. Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin
6. Defense Secretary, James Mattis
7. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions
8. Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke
9. Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue
10. Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross
11. Labor Secretary, Alex Acosta
12. Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex M. Azar II
13. Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Ben Carson
14. Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao
15. Energy Secretary, Rick Perry
16. Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos
17. Veteran Affairs Secretary, Robert Wilkie
18. Homeland Security Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen
Posted May 13, 2018 by Greg Evans in news
UPVOTE
Just in case Trump were to leave office any time soon, here’s a list of his successors, as outlined in The Succession Act 1947.
Obviously, Trump's presidency is going really, really smoothly with absolutely no troubles.
That Iran nuclear deal looks to have been a top bit of business from the POTUS, ish, but that FBI investigation isn't exactly going away.
Whether Trump will get impeached remains to be seen - but no one was ever hurt by thinking hypothetically.
Should Trump get the boot we would be faced with Vice President Mike Pence (and his rabbit) in the Oval Office.
Arrangements handling any further than that have changed over time – and throughout US history, the line of succession has never gone further than the vice president.
That being said only two Presidents have ever been successfully impeached: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, both of which were acquitted of the charges held against them by a Senate trial.
While Richard Nixon was also impeached, hechose to resign rather than face the charges.
Anyway, should we reach this scenario with Trump, here is the current list, in order, of the people that will succeed him.
1. Vice President Pence
2. House Speaker, Paul Ryan
3. President pro tempore of the Senate, Orrin Hatch
4. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo
5. Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin
6. Defense Secretary, James Mattis
7. Attorney General, Jeff Sessions
8. Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke
9. Agriculture Secretary, Sonny Perdue
10. Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross
11. Labor Secretary, Alex Acosta
12. Health and Human Services Secretary, Alex M. Azar II
13. Housing and Urban Development Secretary, Ben Carson
14. Transportation Secretary, Elaine Chao
15. Energy Secretary, Rick Perry
16. Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos
17. Veteran Affairs Secretary, Robert Wilkie
18. Homeland Security Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen
IS still threatens Europe, warns MI5 chief - BBC News
May 14, 2018
IS still threatens Europe, warns MI5 chief
Andrew Parker, left, will warn so-called Islamic State still aspires to commit more atrocities in Europe, such as the lorry attack in Berlin in 2016
The head of MI5 is warning that the Islamic State group aspires to commit "devastating" and "more complex" attacks in Europe after losing territory in the Middle East.
Director general Andrew Parker will make the warning at a meeting of European security chiefs in Berlin.
He will also condemn Russia for the "targeted" Salisbury poisoning.
And he will reveal that 12 terror attacks have been stopped in the UK since the Westminster attack in 2017.
Mr Parker's speech comes after one person was killed and four others were injured by a knifeman in Paris on Saturday. The attack was claimed by IS.
In December last year, Mr Parker reported that nine terrorist attacks had been prevented by the security services and police in 2017.
Monday's updated total brings the number of disrupted attacks in the UK to 25 since 2013.
In his speech, the chief of the security service will say he is "confident about our ability to tackle these threats, because of the strength and resilience of our democratic systems, the resilience of our societies and the values we share with our European partners".
Mr Parker will also accuse the Kremlin of "flagrant breaches of international rules" over the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter in Salisbury in March.
Former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were exposed to a nerve agent belonging to the Novichok group.
The Russian government has denied any involvement in the 4 March attack, but has been the subject of condemnation and diplomatic sanctions from the West.
Could MI5 have stopped 2017's attacks?
What does Brexit mean for Britain's spies?
Mr Parker will describe the attempted assassination of the Skripals as a "deliberate and targeted malign activity" which risks Russia becoming a "more isolated pariah".
He will condemn Moscow by calling for the need to "shine a light through the fog of lies... out of their propaganda machine".
Yulia and Sergei Skripal were found collapsed on a bench in the centre of Salisbury
Mr Parker will add that European intelligence agencies must rely on "shared co-operation more than ever".
And he will thank European security services for their support in the investigation into the Manchester bombing last year.
"European intelligence cooperation today is simply unrecognisable to what it looked like five years ago," he will say.
IS still threatens Europe, warns MI5 chief
Andrew Parker, left, will warn so-called Islamic State still aspires to commit more atrocities in Europe, such as the lorry attack in Berlin in 2016
The head of MI5 is warning that the Islamic State group aspires to commit "devastating" and "more complex" attacks in Europe after losing territory in the Middle East.
Director general Andrew Parker will make the warning at a meeting of European security chiefs in Berlin.
He will also condemn Russia for the "targeted" Salisbury poisoning.
And he will reveal that 12 terror attacks have been stopped in the UK since the Westminster attack in 2017.
Mr Parker's speech comes after one person was killed and four others were injured by a knifeman in Paris on Saturday. The attack was claimed by IS.
In December last year, Mr Parker reported that nine terrorist attacks had been prevented by the security services and police in 2017.
Monday's updated total brings the number of disrupted attacks in the UK to 25 since 2013.
In his speech, the chief of the security service will say he is "confident about our ability to tackle these threats, because of the strength and resilience of our democratic systems, the resilience of our societies and the values we share with our European partners".
Mr Parker will also accuse the Kremlin of "flagrant breaches of international rules" over the poisoning of a Russian ex-spy and his daughter in Salisbury in March.
Former double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were exposed to a nerve agent belonging to the Novichok group.
The Russian government has denied any involvement in the 4 March attack, but has been the subject of condemnation and diplomatic sanctions from the West.
Could MI5 have stopped 2017's attacks?
What does Brexit mean for Britain's spies?
Mr Parker will describe the attempted assassination of the Skripals as a "deliberate and targeted malign activity" which risks Russia becoming a "more isolated pariah".
He will condemn Moscow by calling for the need to "shine a light through the fog of lies... out of their propaganda machine".
Yulia and Sergei Skripal were found collapsed on a bench in the centre of Salisbury
Mr Parker will add that European intelligence agencies must rely on "shared co-operation more than ever".
And he will thank European security services for their support in the investigation into the Manchester bombing last year.
"European intelligence cooperation today is simply unrecognisable to what it looked like five years ago," he will say.
Trump seeks to save Chinese jobs at ZTE ahead of trade talks - BBC News
Trump seeks to save Chinese jobs at ZTE ahead of trade talks
13 May 2018
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to help save ZTE, one of China's biggest telecoms companies.
The firm has suspended operations after the Commerce Department last month banned US companies from selling it components for seven years.
ZTE pleaded guilty to making illegal shipments to Iran and North Korea.
Mr Trump tweeted that he was working with President Xi to ensure ZTE would get back into business fast, saying too many jobs in China were at risk.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!
1:01 AM - May 14, 2018
US commentators say the tone of the tweet is a dramatic shift for Mr Trump, who has consistently accused China of stealing US jobs.
The concession to Beijing comes ahead of high-level trade talks later this week in Washington aimed at resolving an escalating trade dispute between the world's two largest economies.
Beijing has made resolving the situation with ZTE, which employs about 80,000 people, one of its demands for striking a broader trade agreement with with US.
China's ZTE 'poses risk to UK security'
Should the West suspect Chinese tech?
In March 2017, ZTE admitted to violating US sanctions by illegally shipping American technology to Iran and Korea and was fined $1.1bn (£800m).
The current export ban was imposed last month after the company allegedly failed to comply with its agreement, and was accused of lying about the punishment of employees involved in skirting the sanctions.
US companies provide at least a quarter of the components used in ZTE's equipment, which includes smartphones and telecommunications network equipment.
ZTE spent more than $2.3bn on imports from about 200 US companies last year.
Douglas Jacobson, a lawyer in Washington DC who represents some of ZTE's suppliers, said: "This is a fascinating development in a highly unusual case that has gone from a sanctions and export control case to a geopolitical one.
"There's no legal mechanism for this. How this will play out remains to be seen. They are not simply going to be able to resume business as usual."
13 May 2018
US President Donald Trump has said he wants to help save ZTE, one of China's biggest telecoms companies.
The firm has suspended operations after the Commerce Department last month banned US companies from selling it components for seven years.
ZTE pleaded guilty to making illegal shipments to Iran and North Korea.
Mr Trump tweeted that he was working with President Xi to ensure ZTE would get back into business fast, saying too many jobs in China were at risk.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
President Xi of China, and I, are working together to give massive Chinese phone company, ZTE, a way to get back into business, fast. Too many jobs in China lost. Commerce Department has been instructed to get it done!
1:01 AM - May 14, 2018
US commentators say the tone of the tweet is a dramatic shift for Mr Trump, who has consistently accused China of stealing US jobs.
The concession to Beijing comes ahead of high-level trade talks later this week in Washington aimed at resolving an escalating trade dispute between the world's two largest economies.
Beijing has made resolving the situation with ZTE, which employs about 80,000 people, one of its demands for striking a broader trade agreement with with US.
China's ZTE 'poses risk to UK security'
Should the West suspect Chinese tech?
In March 2017, ZTE admitted to violating US sanctions by illegally shipping American technology to Iran and Korea and was fined $1.1bn (£800m).
The current export ban was imposed last month after the company allegedly failed to comply with its agreement, and was accused of lying about the punishment of employees involved in skirting the sanctions.
US companies provide at least a quarter of the components used in ZTE's equipment, which includes smartphones and telecommunications network equipment.
ZTE spent more than $2.3bn on imports from about 200 US companies last year.
Douglas Jacobson, a lawyer in Washington DC who represents some of ZTE's suppliers, said: "This is a fascinating development in a highly unusual case that has gone from a sanctions and export control case to a geopolitical one.
"There's no legal mechanism for this. How this will play out remains to be seen. They are not simply going to be able to resume business as usual."
Indonesia attacks: How Islamic State is galvanising support - BBC News
Indonesia attacks: How Islamic State is galvanising support
13 May 2018
The latest attack on three churches in Surabaya is the deadliest in Indonesia since 2005
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, is among several nations in South East Asia that have suffered attacks in recent years by groups said to be linked to so-called Islamic State (IS).
The country, along with Malaysia and Singapore, warned back in 2015 that it was a question of when, rather than if, attacks linked to the group would occur in the region.
Then, in January 2016, a series of explosions and shootings in the heart of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, killed four civilians and four attackers. It was the first attack in the country to be linked to IS.
The Jakarta attackers were later said to be part of the Indonesian-based Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) militant group, which had previously pledged allegiance to IS.
Since then, IS has continued to prove a draw for would-be jihadists across South East Asia.
Video: What next for Islamic State?
War against IS told in maps and charts
How does IS influence the region?
IS stepped up its propaganda efforts in South East Asia following the Jakarta attack. The group used Indonesians in its videos to threaten governments and police and to urge supporters to carry out further attacks.
In 2017, Indonesia's military chief General Gatot Nurmantyo said that IS had spread to almost every province of the country.
The current generation of radicals are either newcomers who got their indoctrination from the internet and jihadist sites, or followers of the old radical movements but with few ties with the older generation.
Experts suggest that having viewed their predecessors as too timid, they later decided to split into new small groups, effectively going under the radar of the police.
Up to 30 Indonesian groups are known to have pledged allegiance to IS with some previously voicing ambitions to establish an official IS province in South East Asia.
Indonesia's new breed of militants
IS galvanises militancy in Indonesia
Hundreds of Indonesians are also believed to have left the country to fight with the group in Syria and Iraq.
While many top militant leaders have been either killed or captured, IS-inspired cells exist and are a continuing threat, influenced by leaders both at home and abroad.
Aman Abdurrahman, leader of the JAD, is believed to command significant influence among jihadis in Indonesia, despite being detained in the country for the past 12 years.
He is currently on trial for inciting followers to commit acts of terrorism while behind bars at a detention centre which has been described by analysts as a breeding ground for pro-IS militants.
How has Indonesia responded?
Following Indonesia's worst-ever attack in 2002 - when 202 people were killed by al-Qaeda-linked militants in two bombings outside a bar and nightclub on Bali - authorities launched a crack-down on extremist groups.
A bomb blast that targeted a nightclub on the island of Bali in 2002 killed more than 200 people
This involved a combination of arrests and targeted killings alongside a deradicalisation programme that focused on altering the mindsets of Indonesians and providing alternative incomes for some released militants.
The Indonesian authorities imprisoned some 800 militants and killed more than 100 since the Bali bombings. But it has not had a great amount of success reforming them.
As militants - some with significant battlefield experience - continue to be released from prison, they may bolster the current ranks of jihadists.
Meanwhile police are said to have prevented a number of attacks through their surveillance of known radical personnel.
Key events in Indonesia's history
What attacks have taken place in Indonesia?
The latest attack, in which at least 11 people were killed in explosions at three churches in Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya, is the deadliest since 2005, when suicide bombings on Bali killed more than 20 people.
But Indonesia has suffered a number of deadly incidents linked to Islamist militancy over the years:
2002 (October): A bomb attack on the Kuta Beach nightclub district on Bali kills 202 people, most of them tourists
2003 (August): Fourteen people are killed when a car bomb explodes outside the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta
2004 (September): Another car bomb attack outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta kills nine and injures more than 180
2005 (October): Three suicide bombings on Bali kill 23 people, including the bombers
2009 (July): Twin suicide bomb attacks on the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta kill nine people and injure many more
2016 (January): A bomb and gun attack in the centre of Jakarta kills two civilians and five attackers. IS claimed to be behind the attack
2017 (May): A suicide bomb attack in Jakarta kills at least three police officers and injures 10 people
2018 (February): Several people are injured in a sword attack at a church in Sleman, Yogyakarta
2018 (May): Five police officers are killed at a high security prison in clashes with Islamist militant prisoners
13 May 2018
The latest attack on three churches in Surabaya is the deadliest in Indonesia since 2005
Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, is among several nations in South East Asia that have suffered attacks in recent years by groups said to be linked to so-called Islamic State (IS).
The country, along with Malaysia and Singapore, warned back in 2015 that it was a question of when, rather than if, attacks linked to the group would occur in the region.
Then, in January 2016, a series of explosions and shootings in the heart of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, killed four civilians and four attackers. It was the first attack in the country to be linked to IS.
The Jakarta attackers were later said to be part of the Indonesian-based Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) militant group, which had previously pledged allegiance to IS.
Since then, IS has continued to prove a draw for would-be jihadists across South East Asia.
Video: What next for Islamic State?
War against IS told in maps and charts
How does IS influence the region?
IS stepped up its propaganda efforts in South East Asia following the Jakarta attack. The group used Indonesians in its videos to threaten governments and police and to urge supporters to carry out further attacks.
In 2017, Indonesia's military chief General Gatot Nurmantyo said that IS had spread to almost every province of the country.
The current generation of radicals are either newcomers who got their indoctrination from the internet and jihadist sites, or followers of the old radical movements but with few ties with the older generation.
Experts suggest that having viewed their predecessors as too timid, they later decided to split into new small groups, effectively going under the radar of the police.
Up to 30 Indonesian groups are known to have pledged allegiance to IS with some previously voicing ambitions to establish an official IS province in South East Asia.
Indonesia's new breed of militants
IS galvanises militancy in Indonesia
Hundreds of Indonesians are also believed to have left the country to fight with the group in Syria and Iraq.
While many top militant leaders have been either killed or captured, IS-inspired cells exist and are a continuing threat, influenced by leaders both at home and abroad.
Aman Abdurrahman, leader of the JAD, is believed to command significant influence among jihadis in Indonesia, despite being detained in the country for the past 12 years.
He is currently on trial for inciting followers to commit acts of terrorism while behind bars at a detention centre which has been described by analysts as a breeding ground for pro-IS militants.
How has Indonesia responded?
Following Indonesia's worst-ever attack in 2002 - when 202 people were killed by al-Qaeda-linked militants in two bombings outside a bar and nightclub on Bali - authorities launched a crack-down on extremist groups.
A bomb blast that targeted a nightclub on the island of Bali in 2002 killed more than 200 people
This involved a combination of arrests and targeted killings alongside a deradicalisation programme that focused on altering the mindsets of Indonesians and providing alternative incomes for some released militants.
The Indonesian authorities imprisoned some 800 militants and killed more than 100 since the Bali bombings. But it has not had a great amount of success reforming them.
As militants - some with significant battlefield experience - continue to be released from prison, they may bolster the current ranks of jihadists.
Meanwhile police are said to have prevented a number of attacks through their surveillance of known radical personnel.
Key events in Indonesia's history
What attacks have taken place in Indonesia?
The latest attack, in which at least 11 people were killed in explosions at three churches in Indonesia's second-largest city Surabaya, is the deadliest since 2005, when suicide bombings on Bali killed more than 20 people.
But Indonesia has suffered a number of deadly incidents linked to Islamist militancy over the years:
2002 (October): A bomb attack on the Kuta Beach nightclub district on Bali kills 202 people, most of them tourists
2003 (August): Fourteen people are killed when a car bomb explodes outside the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta
2004 (September): Another car bomb attack outside the Australian embassy in Jakarta kills nine and injures more than 180
2005 (October): Three suicide bombings on Bali kill 23 people, including the bombers
2009 (July): Twin suicide bomb attacks on the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in Jakarta kill nine people and injure many more
2016 (January): A bomb and gun attack in the centre of Jakarta kills two civilians and five attackers. IS claimed to be behind the attack
2017 (May): A suicide bomb attack in Jakarta kills at least three police officers and injures 10 people
2018 (February): Several people are injured in a sword attack at a church in Sleman, Yogyakarta
2018 (May): Five police officers are killed at a high security prison in clashes with Islamist militant prisoners
Surabaya attacks: Family of five bomb Indonesia police headquarters - BBC News
May 14, 2018
Surabaya attacks: Family of five bomb Indonesia police headquarters
Police outside the station following the blast
A suicide bombing at a police headquarters in the Indonesian city of Surabaya on Monday was carried out by a family of five riding on two motorbikes, police say.
It came after another family carried out bomb attacks on three churches on Sunday, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
An eight-year-old girl from the family survived the latest attack, police say.
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
The archipelago, home to 260 million people, has seen a resurgence of Islamist militancy in recent months, and the attacks in Surabaya have raised concerns about the potency of jihadist networks.
Video footage of the latest attack on the police headquarters shows two motorbikes approaching a checkpoint just before the blast. Six civilians and four police officers were injured, authorities said.
Why is Indonesia a target for IS militants?
Sent out to die: The young women used in militant attacks
More on Indonesia
What preceded the latest attack?
Indonesia was on high alert after bombings on Sunday by a single family targeted three churches in Surabaya.
A mother and two daughters, aged nine and 12, blew themselves up at Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church, while the father and two sons targeted two others.
In the first attack, the sons - aged 16 and 18 - rode motorcycles into Santa Maria Catholic Church at around 07:30 local time (00:30 GMT) and detonated explosives they were carrying.
After reportedly dropping his wife and daughters off to carry out their attack, the father, Dita Oepriarto, drove his own bomb-laden car into the grounds of Surabaya Centre Pentecostal Church, police said.
Media captionSunday's deadly bombings shocked Indonesia
Authorities originally said the family of six were among hundreds of Indonesians who had returned from conflict-hit Syria but have since said that the family did not actually travel there.
The coordinated attacks killed 13 people and injured more than 40. They were the deadliest bombings in Indonesia in more than a decade.
Inside the home of Indonesia's most notorious IS militant
Police say Oepriarto was the head of local branch of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), an Indonesian IS-inspired network.
Separately on Sunday:
A bomb exploded at an apartment complex in Surabaya, killing three members of a family who police said may have been planning an attack
Police said they killed four suspected members of JAD in Cianjur, in West Java province, and arrested two others
How has the government reacted?
President Joko Widodo has described the attacks as "cowardly, undignified and inhumane".
"There will be no compromise in taking action on the ground to stop terrorism," he said.
Authorities on Monday said police, backed by military forces, would increase security across the country.
A burnt-out car in front of one of the bombed churches in Surabaya
What is the history of militancy in Indonesia?
The South East Asian country has long struggled with Islamist militancy. Its worst ever terror attack was in Bali in 2002, when 202 people - mostly foreigners - were killed in an attack on a tourist nightlife district.
That attack was carried out by the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant network.
But recent years have seen a number of attacks claimed by IS:
Four civilians and four attackers were killed in a series of explosions and shootings in central Jakarta in January 2016; the first attack claimed by the group
In February this year, a number of people were injured in a sword attack at a church in Sleman, Yogyakarta. Police said that the attacker had previously tried to join IS in Syria
Surabaya attacks: Family of five bomb Indonesia police headquarters
Police outside the station following the blast
A suicide bombing at a police headquarters in the Indonesian city of Surabaya on Monday was carried out by a family of five riding on two motorbikes, police say.
It came after another family carried out bomb attacks on three churches on Sunday, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
An eight-year-old girl from the family survived the latest attack, police say.
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
The archipelago, home to 260 million people, has seen a resurgence of Islamist militancy in recent months, and the attacks in Surabaya have raised concerns about the potency of jihadist networks.
Video footage of the latest attack on the police headquarters shows two motorbikes approaching a checkpoint just before the blast. Six civilians and four police officers were injured, authorities said.
Why is Indonesia a target for IS militants?
Sent out to die: The young women used in militant attacks
More on Indonesia
What preceded the latest attack?
Indonesia was on high alert after bombings on Sunday by a single family targeted three churches in Surabaya.
A mother and two daughters, aged nine and 12, blew themselves up at Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church, while the father and two sons targeted two others.
In the first attack, the sons - aged 16 and 18 - rode motorcycles into Santa Maria Catholic Church at around 07:30 local time (00:30 GMT) and detonated explosives they were carrying.
After reportedly dropping his wife and daughters off to carry out their attack, the father, Dita Oepriarto, drove his own bomb-laden car into the grounds of Surabaya Centre Pentecostal Church, police said.
Media captionSunday's deadly bombings shocked Indonesia
Authorities originally said the family of six were among hundreds of Indonesians who had returned from conflict-hit Syria but have since said that the family did not actually travel there.
The coordinated attacks killed 13 people and injured more than 40. They were the deadliest bombings in Indonesia in more than a decade.
Inside the home of Indonesia's most notorious IS militant
Police say Oepriarto was the head of local branch of Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD), an Indonesian IS-inspired network.
Separately on Sunday:
A bomb exploded at an apartment complex in Surabaya, killing three members of a family who police said may have been planning an attack
Police said they killed four suspected members of JAD in Cianjur, in West Java province, and arrested two others
How has the government reacted?
President Joko Widodo has described the attacks as "cowardly, undignified and inhumane".
"There will be no compromise in taking action on the ground to stop terrorism," he said.
Authorities on Monday said police, backed by military forces, would increase security across the country.
A burnt-out car in front of one of the bombed churches in Surabaya
What is the history of militancy in Indonesia?
The South East Asian country has long struggled with Islamist militancy. Its worst ever terror attack was in Bali in 2002, when 202 people - mostly foreigners - were killed in an attack on a tourist nightlife district.
That attack was carried out by the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) militant network.
But recent years have seen a number of attacks claimed by IS:
Four civilians and four attackers were killed in a series of explosions and shootings in central Jakarta in January 2016; the first attack claimed by the group
In February this year, a number of people were injured in a sword attack at a church in Sleman, Yogyakarta. Police said that the attacker had previously tried to join IS in Syria
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
