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Donald Trump to make prime-time address in bid to convince Americans of border wall plan

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is on a three-day visit to China, and Saudi woman who fled country allowed temporary stay in Thailand.

Donald Trump to address nation, and visit southern border 

With the US government shutdown entering third week, the Donald Trump administration is escalating efforts to generate a positive public opinion on the President’s border wall plan as he is set to make a prime-time address to the nation later Tuesday and also scheduled to visit the US-Mexico border two days later.

Trump tweeted Monday that he will address the nation at 9 pm Eastern time to discuss what he has termed the current situation at the southern border to be a “Humanitarian and National Security crisis”.

Earlier, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced that the president will be travelling to the southern border.

Trump’s speech comes in the wake of the ongoing partial government shutdown and the recent administration move directing the Internal Revenue Service to issue tax refunds, reported The Wall Street Journal.

The report said this move marks a reversal of a longstanding policy that refunds are not issued during a shutdown.

Speculations are also rife that Trump might declare a National Emergency to bypass a Congressional approval to advance his border wall project.

Washington Post report said CBSNBCABCCNNFox News and Fox Business Network had confirmed that they will air Trump’s speech which he will deliver from White House’s Oval Office.

Meanwhile, in a CNN editorialJulian Zelizer wrote, “In one of the most classic gambits of 20th century presidential history, the President will try to use the power of the bully pulpit to increase public pressure on Congress to give in to his demand to finance a ‘border wall’.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in China on three-day visit 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reached China Monday for a three-day visit to China, his fourth summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The visit comes after Kim received a formal invite from Jinping, Xinhua reported.

It also comes before the much speculated US-North Korea follow-up meeting which is yet to be scheduled.

US President Donald Trump and Kim met in June last year in Singapore for denuclearisation talks. In his New Year address, Kim said North Korea would seek a “new path” if the US did not lift economic sanctions.

“Kim is eager to remind the Trump administration that he does have diplomatic and economic options besides what Washington and Seoul can offer.

“In fact, during his New Year’s Days speech, Kim’s ‘new way’ that he referred to may well have been a veiled threat to move closer to Beijing. That should make America quite concerned,” Harry J. Kazianis, director of  defense studies at US-based Center for the National Interest, told The Guardian.

Kim will be celebrating his 35th birthday today in China.

Nissan’s ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn pleads innocence in Tokyo court

After his arrest in November over financial misconduct, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd’s ousted chairman Carlos Ghosn appeared in a Tokyo court Tuesday morning.

Declaring his innocence, Ghosn told the Tokyo district court, “I have been wrongly accused and unfairly detained based on meritless and unsubstantiated accusations,” reported Reuters.

Ghosn was arrested in Tokyo on 19 November and was charged with falsifying reports in under reporting his pay by about was 5 billion yen over five years through 2015, reported ABC News.

His detention in November drew attention to what critics deem “hostage justice” in Japan, said the report.

Channel News Asia report said that under Japanese law, suspects can be detained without charges for up to 23 days, and then re-arrested on separate allegations.

Ghosn’s detention is now up to 11 January, said the ABC News report.

Saudi woman who fled country granted temporary stay in Thailand

Rahaf Mohammed Al-qunun, the 18 year-old Saudi woman who fled her country last weekend fearing death if sent back, was finally allowed to remain in Thailand Monday ending a 48-hour standoff at Bangkok’s international airport.

Al-qunun left the airport “under the care” of the UN refugee agency which will also review her case, a BBC reportquoted the head of Thailand’s immigration police saying.

The New York Times also quoted the chief of Thai immigration police Maj. Gen. Surachate Hakparn saying, “Thailand is a land of smiles. We will not send someone back to die. We will take care of her as best as we can.”

Thailand’s decision came after a massive social media campaign was launched and spearheaded by several activists and intellectuals over Al-qunun’s case.

The Saudi woman was on a trip to Kuwait with her family when she managed to sneak out of the country Saturday and flew to Thailand and later planned to go to Australia requesting for an asylum. Her passport was seized by a Saudi diplomat at the time of her arrival at the Bangkok airport and was informed by Thai officials that she did not fulfil the criteria for a Thai visa.

The BBC report said she feared a threat to her life as she had renounced Islam. The report quoted her, citing Reuters, as saying, “My life is in danger. My family threatens to kill me for the most trivial things”.

In her latest tweet posted Monday, Al-qunun said her father had reached Bangkok which “worried and scared” her “a lot”. However, she said she felt safe under the protection of the UNHCR.

 

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