Trump threatens to send illegal migrants to ‘sanctuary cities’
AFP, Washington
US President Donald Trump said Friday he is seriously considering funneling detained illegal migrants into the self-declared sanctuary cities that oppose his tough immigration policies. Trump’s announcement on Twitter reversed a previous White House assurance that the idea – criticized as political retribution against cities led by opposition Democrats – had been dropped. “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities,” Trump said.
4 EU states to take rescued migrants after Med standoff
Reuters, Valletta
Four European Union countries have agreed to take in 64 African migrants rescued by the German ship Alan Kurdi and stranded at sea for almost two weeks, the Maltese government announced on Saturday.
The ship, operated by the humanitarian organization Sea-Eye, had been refused entry by Italy and Malta, but two migrants were evacuated to Malta earlier this week because of poor health.
MPs urge UK to coop with Sweden in Assange case
AFP, London
More than 70 British lawmakers have urged their government to prioritise any extradition bid Sweden might make for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is also wanted in the United States.
Assange was arrested on Thursday at Ecuador’s London embassy on allegations of skipping bail, and on a US extradition warrant related to a huge leak of official documents.He had sought refuge in the embassy in 2012 while on bail awaiting extradition to Sweden for allegations of sexual assault and rape, which he always denied.
US serviceman kills woman, self in Okinawa
AP, Tokyo
A U.S. serviceman fatally stabbed a Japanese woman and then killed himself in Okinawa on Saturday, Japan’s Foreign Ministry said, amid growing resentment about the presence of American troops in the southwestern Japanese region.
U.S. Forces Japan said the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was working with local police to look into the deaths of a U.S. Navy sailor assigned to a Marine unit and an Okinawa resident.
Taliban ambush Afghan police convoy, killing 7
AP, Kabul
The Taliban ambushed a police convoy in western Afghanistan, killing seven security forces, an official said Saturday.
Abdul Hai Khateby, the spokesman for the governor of the western Ghor province, said the attack Friday afternoon set off an hours-long gunbattle. Faqir Ahmad Noori, the head of operations for the provincial police, was among those killed.
