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South Korea, the US and Japan conduct a trilateral exercise featuring the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the waters and air south of Jeju island between January 15 and 17, 2024. Seoul, South Korea CNN — North Korea on Friday claimed it had successfully tested an underwater nuclear weapons system earlier this week in response to naval drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan. According to North Korean state media, its military conducted a new test of its underwater nuclear-capable drone, the Haeil, in waters off the southern end of the peninsula, in response to what it described as “frantic” and “provocative” US allied military exercises. Following tests of the Haeil system last year, North Korean state media said it could carry a nuclear warhead that could create a “radioactive tsunami,” though analysts at the time said Pyongyang offered no proof. North Korean state media on Friday did not show evidence for the success of the latest test, but warned the US, South Korea and Japan of the “catastrophic consequences” of their actions. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/19/asia/north-korea-underwater-nuclear-drone-test-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

This week Al Israa University became the latest major public building in Gaza to disappear from the map, blown up and destroyed by Israeli forces who had reportedly used it as a military base for several weeks. The war in Gaza has already let to an unprecedented loss of life, but there's also growing concern about the destruction of public and private buildings. Now a senior UN official has told BBC News of his fears that the widespread damage will lead to a "lost generation" of young people. ... Its latest updates say that at least 60% of homes or housing units in Gaza have been "destroyed or damaged". Nine in every 10 schools have suffered "significant damage". Hospitals, public buildings and electricity networks have also been hit. (more) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-68023080

Measles is likely to spread rapidly across more parts of the UK unless more people take up the vaccine, a senior health official has warned. Dame Jenny Harries, chief executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), says vaccination rates are "well below" what is recommended by the World Health Organization. Pop-up clinics are being introduced to get more children vaccinated as cases continue to rise. Measles is a highly contagious disease. It is spread by coughs and sneezes. More than 200 cases have been confirmed in the West Midlands in recent months, mostly in Birmingham. (more) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68028530

Members of Lords criticise PM’s ‘bizarre’ and ‘vacuous’ calls for swift approval of legislation to ensure deportation flights by spring Rishi Sunak’s pledge to begin flying asylum seekers to Rwanda by spring looked more distant than ever after members of the House of Lords approved a timetable that would not see the bill passed before late March. On Thursday the prime minister urged peers to pass his asylum bill as soon as possible after its approval by the Commons on Wednesday night, telling them that it reflected the “will of the people”. By Thursday evening, however, his comments appeared to have backfired, with members of the Lords calling them “bizarre”, “vacuous” and “weird” and then approving a two-month timetable to scrutinise the bill. (more) https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/18/rishi-sunak-rwanda-bill-pledge-flights-house-of-lords-timetable

Everything I'm seeing from the USA shows the standard stopovers in Taipei enroute to BKK or CNX... So not exactly "seamless".

Their BKK to LAX flight I just checked shows them using the AIRBUS A350-900 for the Taiwan to LAX segment... Anyone flown on one of those before? Better or worse than EVA's 777s?

The weblink to the airline in the Thaiger article appears broken/malformed. It works if you use the address they post and then add a "www" in front of it. https://www.starlux-airlines.com/en-US

A series of off-topic posts having nothing to do with the legal cases against Donald Trump have been removed.

A three-judge federal appeals court panel is expected to soon decide whether to dismiss Trump's federal election interference case based on his presidential immunity claims As former President Donald Trump awaits a ruling from a federal appeals court on his broad claim of presidential immunity, he said early Thursday that a U.S. president "must have complete and total presidential immunity." "A president of the United States must have full immunity, without which it would be impossible for him/her to properly function," Trump said in a lengthy post on Truth Social in all caps. "Any mistake, even if well intended, would be met with almost certain indictment by the opposing party at term end. Even events that 'cross the line' must fall under total immunity, or it will be years of trauma trying to determine good from bad." ... A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit is expected to soon issue a ruling in the case brought by Trump in his effort to dismiss the federal election interference case against him. He has claimed that he should be immune from prosecution because his efforts to overturn the 2020 election fell within his official duties as president. (more) https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-awaiting-ruling-says-presidents-must-complete-total-immunity-rcna134483

The self-proclaimed ‘anarcho-capitalist’ president is making his first overseas tour, even as he battles a major economic crisis at home Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei praised free markets and slammed socialism at Davos during the first overseas tour for the self-proclaimed “anarcho-capitalist”, who is battling to fix a major economic crisis at home. The trip marks a test for right-wing Milei, a relative political newcomer who took office last month after a rapid ascent from acid-tongued economist and television pundit to the presidency. He is keen to win backing for his economic ideas, which include shutting the central bank and adopting the dollar. “Socialism is a phenomenon that creates poverty,” he said in a special address to a large and well-heeled crowd at the World Economic Forum, where he is later set to meet International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Kristalina Georgieva. (more) https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3248835/argentinas-javier-milei-praises-free-markets-slams-socialism-davos

LONDON/WASHINGTON/DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. on Wednesday returned the Yemen-based Houthi rebels to a list of terrorist groups, as the militants attacked their second U.S.-operated vessel in the Red Sea region this week and the U.S. military carried out fresh strikes. Attacks by the Iran-allied Houthi militia on ships in the region since November have slowed trade between Asia and Europe and alarmed major powers in an escalation of the war between Israel and Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza. The Houthis say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians and have threatened to expand attacks to include U.S. ships in response to American and British strikes on the group's positions. (more) https://www.reuters.com/business/business-heads-see-red-sea-tensions-causing-lengthy-trade-dislocation-2024-01-17/

Nineteen students and two teachers died in the shooting at Robb Elementary A scathing Justice Department report into the 2022 mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, described "cascading failures of leadership" during the attack and an "unprecedented" level of misinformation in its aftermath that crippled the community's attempts to recover. A review team empowered by the department to investigate the shooting "identified several critical failures and other breakdowns prior to, during, and after the Robb Elementary School response," the report found. An 18-year-old gunman entered Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, killing 19 students and two teachers before law enforcement breached the classroom and killed the shooter. Responding officers from state and local outfits waited some 77 minutes before breaching a classroom and killing the shooter. (more) https://abcnews.go.com/US/doj-report-uvalde-shooting-cites-cascading-failures/story?id=106478020

Rishi Sunak urges Lords to back Rwanda bill Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged the House of Lords to pass his flagship Rwanda bill, as he warned peers not to "frustrate the will of the people". Giving a press conference after the legislation was approved by MPs, Mr Sunak said it was now up to the Lords to "do the right thing". He told the BBC the government was still aiming for deportation flights to take off by the spring. But he added that peers needed to pass the bill "as quickly as possible". (more) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68017310

(CNN) -- The British parliament has approved a controversial bill to allow the country to send refugees arriving in the UK to Rwanda, in east Africa, as the government overcame rebels in its own party and defied critics who warn the bill breaches international law. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government won the vote in parliament by a majority of 320 to 276. The victory was a huge relief for Sunak: only 24 hours earlier 60 of his own Conservative MPs had rebelled by backing amendments to strengthen the bill. The amendments were defeated, causing concern that these MPs would also rebel on the main bill. The Rwanda Safety Bill is supposed to end legal challenges that have thus far prevented Britain from sending refugees to Rwanda, after the two countries struck a deal back in 2022. The deal came after a dramatic increase in refugees arriving in Britain via small boats arranged by human trafficking gangs. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/17/europe/uk-lawmakers-pass-sunak-rwanda-asylum-plan-intl/index.html

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s air force launched retaliatory airstrikes early Thursday in Iran against alleged militant hideouts, killing at least nine people and further raising tensions between the neighbors. Thursday’s attack followed one by Iran inside Pakistan on Tuesday. Both appeared to target Baluch militant groups with similar separatist goals on either side of the Iran-Pakistan border. The countries accuse each other of providing safe haven to the groups in their respective territories. The attacks also come as the Middle East remains unsettled by Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iran also staged airstrikes late Monday in Iraq and Syria over an Islamic State-claimed suicide bombing that killed over 90 people in early January. (more) https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-iran-air-force-strikes-638f2ee4ccfb1a56d26e8f28f7e91699

An exchange of bickering posts has been removed.

An off-topic diversion post with a disallowed private party social media video has been removed, along with an ensuing reply. Forum rules: "in factual areas such as but not limited to news, current affairs and health topics, social media cannot be used unless it is from a credible news media source or a government agency, and must include a link to the original source."

London CNN — Britain’s King Charles III will go into hospital next week for treatment for an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace said Wednesday. Buckingham Palace said the King sought treatment “in common with thousands of men each year” and that his condition is “benign.” The palace said that the hospital visit is for a “corrective procedure.” It added that the 75-year-old British sovereign’s public engagements will be postponed for a short period while he recuperates. The King was keen to share the details of his diagnosis to encourage other men who may be experiencing symptoms to get checked in line with public health advice, a royal source told CNN. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/17/uk/king-charles-hospital-prostate-gbr-intl/index.html Catherine, Princess of Wales, in hospital after abdominal surgery The Princess of Wales is to stay in hospital for up to two weeks after undergoing abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace said the procedure was planned and successful but the princess is not expected to resume royal duties for months. The palace did not disclose further details about her condition but said it is not cancer-related. (more) https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-68009259

Since their introduction in December 2020, COVID-19 vaccines have reduced deaths due to the pandemic by at least 57%, saving more than 1.4 million lives in the WHO European Region. Most of those saved were aged 60 or older, the group at highest risk of severe illness and death from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The first vaccine booster alone saved 700 000 lives. These are among the findings of a new WHO/Europe study revealing that today’s known COVID-19 death toll in the Region, currently at 2.5 million, might be as high as 4 million without the vaccines. “We have constantly stressed the importance of the COVID-19 vaccines, particularly for older people and the most vulnerable. This study documents the result of countries implementing that advice. The evidence is irrefutable,” said Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Region, covering 53 Member States across Europe and central Asia, has seen more than 277 million confirmed cases and over 2.5 million recorded deaths. (more) https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/16-01-2024-covid-19-vaccinations-have-saved-more-than-1.4-million-lives-in-the-who-european-region--a-new-study-finds Our study findings highlight that even during the Omicron period, when the severity of infections decreased relative to earlier periods of previous VOC circulation (10), COVID-19 vaccines still dramatically reduced mortality. We found that most lives were saved (67%) during the Omicron period, the longest VOC period, when Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 began to circulate widely despite already high vaccination coverage. Widespread infections occurred during the Omicron period likely due to a combination of lack of immunity, waning immunity against infection and a highly transmissible virus. ... We found the highest impact of vaccine was in adults ≥60 years-old, with 96% of all COVID-19 deaths averted by vaccine in 34 CAT occurred in this age group, even though only 27% of reported infections in adults occurred in people in this age group. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.12.24301206v1

DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan 17 (Reuters) - United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that parties to the conflict in Gaza were "trampling" on international law and urged them to implement an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Guterres said the warring parties were "ignoring international law, trampling on the Geneva Conventions, and even violating the United Nations Charter". "The world is standing by as civilians, mostly women and children, are killed, maimed, bombarded, forced from their homes and denied access to humanitarian aid," he said. "I repeat my call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, and a process that leads to sustained peace for Israelis and Palestinians, based on a two-state solution." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire, saying Israel will continue its offensive in Gaza until it defeats Hamas and recovers the hostages taken there during a deadly rampage by Hamas gunmen on Oct. 7. (more) https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/un-chief-says-parties-gaza-war-trampling-international-law-2024-01-17/

French President Emmanuel Macron has come off the fence and opened the way for policies that are unmistakably on the political right. That is the unanimous verdict after he gave a long, televised press conference on Tuesday evening. He promoted uniforms in schools, a crackdown on drugs gangs, and steps to boost France's declining birth rate. Left-wing commentators deplored his apparent shift from the crafted political balance of recent years. But they said they suspected all along the right was where his heart lay. Commentators on the right said they were delighted by his apparent conversion to their views, but suspected it was all a sham. (more) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68004289

Only one of the 113 cloned embryos survived - but ReTro the rhesus monkey is still going strong A cloned rhesus monkey has survived for more than two years and has led to "valuable insights" into the scientific process, according to experts. Scientists in China used a modified version of the same technique that was used to create Dolly the sheep, the world's first cloned mammal. Out of the 113 cloned embryos, 11 were implanted into surrogate monkeys, but only one survived. It has been named ReTro. The team said that although the success rate of producing viable and healthy clones is low - less than 1% in this case - it pushes forward the understanding of primate cloning. (more) https://news.sky.com/story/cloned-monkey-still-alive-after-two-years-so-are-we-nearer-to-replicating-humans-13049861

Former UK prime minister’s private correspondence revealed in documents obtained by POLITICO LONDON — Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss secretly lobbied the British government to “expedite” the sale of defense equipment to China, documents released to POLITICO show. In a private letter dated August 2023, Truss — who casts herself as the most high-profile China hawk on the Tory backbenches — asked Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch to intervene on behalf of a British defense manufacturer hoping to sell military equipment to China. U.K. security officials had blocked Richmond Defence Systems — a defense firm based in Truss' Norfolk constituency — from exporting landmine disposal equipment to the People's Republic of China. Experts say the equipment could be used by Beijing in an invasion of Taiwan. (more) https://www.politico.eu/article/liz-truss-lobby-ministers-defense-exports-china/

Donald Trump's potential re-election in 2024 could leave Europe "on its own", Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo warned on Tuesday. Speaking at the first plenary session of the year in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, De Croo said Europe should "not fear" the prospect of a Trump comeback. "If 2024 brings us America First again, it will be more than ever Europe on its own," De Croo said. "We should, as Europeans, not fear that prospect," he added. "We should embrace it by putting Europe on a more solid footing, stronger, more sovereign, more self-reliant." ... A Republican takeover in the US presidential elections in November - whether Trumpian or not - threatens to severely disrupt the West's tightly aligned policy on Ukraine. (more) https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2024/01/16/donald-trumps-return-could-leave-europe-on-its-own-de-croo-warns

‘Unprovoked violation’: Iran strikes Syria, Iraq and Pakistan as Middle East tensions spike DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Within 24 hours, Iran launched missile and drone strikes on targets in three countries — Iraq, Syria and Pakistan — and took the extraordinary step of announcing its responsibility for the attacks, triggering anger from its neighbors. The developments have heightened concerns over the possibility of a wider Middle East conflict, as the Israel-Hamas war and daily Israeli bombardment of the Gaza enclave passes the 100-day mark. Baghdad recalled its ambassador to Iran after the Monday night attack on its northern semi-autonomous Kurdistan region killed four civilians and injured at least six. Tehran said the strike targeted an Israeli spy hub near the U.S. consulate in Erbil, the Kurdistan regional capital city. Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani rejected the Iranian claim, describing the attack as a “crime against the Kurdish people.” (more) https://www.cnbc.com/2024/01/17/isolated-iran-strikes-syria-iraq-and-pakistan-further-sparking-middle-east-tensions.html